Jump to content
supranatural

Best Route down to Florida with firearms in car

Recommended Posts

the key to driving anywhere is when you leave. i've driven all the way to mississippi on via 81 and all the way to miami via 95 multiple times. leave right after dinner when the evening rush hour is just winding down. then you'll have at least 12 hours of clear open roads before the next rush. just load up on snacks redbull and coffee and water. i find that if i keep a fuller bladder i can usually stay awake longer.

 

I'm bad at night driving. :(  I need to sleep at nights. But I can get up very early and avoid rush hour areas, or drive on weekends.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Congrats! You have convinced me to try this route.  I will overnight in the Charlotte area.  I like the fact that it minimizes time in MD and avoids  bridges, tunnels, etc. :D

Watch what time you get to Charlotte, when we moved down we got to Charlotte/Mooresville area around 4 and sat in a good bit of traffic.

 

Also exit 19 on I77 in SC will bring you to PSA's warehouse store. I26 is undergoing construction, but with the summer over I wouldn't expect any traffic. This summer there was quite a bit of traffic with everyone heading to Charleston.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Watch what time you get to Charlotte, when we moved down we got to Charlotte/Mooresville area around 4 and sat in a good bit of traffic.

 

Also exit 19 on I77 in SC will bring you to PSA's warehouse store. I26 is undergoing construction, but with the summer over I wouldn't expect any traffic. This summer there was quite a bit of traffic with everyone heading to Charleston.

 

I'll be traveling on a Saturday/Sunday so, hopefully,  the traffic won't be as bad. I'll check out PSA, Thanks. :D

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you want different and not add a lot of time take 13 through DE and MD into VA down the Eastern Shore and over the bridge tunnel. Eliminates DC and minimizes time in MD. You would find people on the Eastern Shore more gun friendly and the bridge tunnel is different. The kids might find it neat.

We used to take 13 on our way to the Outer Banks. Unless you're driving at night there are lots and lots of lights and stops, and the speed limit is 35-45 in the congested areas. You drive through at least two very long strips that resemble Rte. 17 from like 40 years ago. 

 

Suggestion: go to Google Maps or just use your GPS. Bottom line is the gun has to be in the trunk according to Federal law while you're in MD and SC. You won't be driving through DC.

 

If you really want to carry the whole way you must bypass those two states, which may add a full day to your trip. Not worth it IMO. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

We used to take 13 on our way to the Outer Banks. Unless you're driving at night there are lots and lots of lights and stops, and the speed limit is 35-45 in the congested areas. You drive through at least two very long strips that resemble Rte. 17 from like 40 years ago. 

 

Suggestion: go to Google Maps or just use your GPS. Bottom line is the gun has to be in the trunk according to Federal law while you're in MD and SC. You won't be driving through DC.

 

If you really want to carry the whole way you must bypass those two states, which may add a full day to your trip. Not worth it IMO. 

 

Or the rear part of an SUV if you don't have a "trunk." 

 

I was considering  13 and across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel, for this time, but as it happens, I caught some YouTube Videos of the journey and felt it really wasn't worth it.... :(  Go way out of the way just for that?  Nah....  

 

This new way (I-81 --> I-77 --> I-26 --> I-95) is, technically, about 40 miles longer than my classic Eastern Shore Route (US 301/50 --> Beltway --> I-95), but it minimizes the time in MD, minimizes tolls, and might avoid a  lot more traffic in the DC metro area.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Or the rear part of an SUV if you don't have a "trunk." 

 

I was considering  13 and across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel, for this time, but as it happens, I caught some YouTube Videos of the journey and felt it really wasn't worth it.... :(  Go way out of the way just for that?  Nah....  

 

This new way (I-81 --> I-77 --> I-26 --> I-95) is, technically, about 40 miles longer than my classic Eastern Shore Route (US 301/50 --> Beltway --> I-95), but it minimizes the time in MD, minimizes tolls, and might avoid a  lot more traffic in the DC metro area.

We just drove 81 to and from Tennessee. At the closest you're about 50 miles from DC, well outside of its traffic.

 

My Google map says it's 1457 miles from my front door to Key West via 95 the whole way, and 1494 miles via 81. For the extra half hour of driving I'd take 81, which is much more scenic. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

FOPA (Federal Firearm Owners Protection Act) requires guns to be locked in the trunk or in vehicles without a trunk, the unloaded firearm must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

 

Ammunition that is either locked out of reach in the trunk or in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console is also covered by FOPA.

 

For FOPA to apply, you must be transporting across state lines from a place where it is legal for you to possess and carry to a place where it is legal for you to possess and carry.

 

Many interpret that to mean from our home to a free state is OK.  Some claim that "place" means "state" so since we can't carry in NJ, we aren't ever covered by FOPA.  I guess that would depend on what judge you get.

 

So then the original gun case (such as the hard plastic Sig Sauer case for example) with a cable lock threaded through it (combo lock) meets the requirement...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

We used to take 13 on our way to the Outer Banks. Unless you're driving at night there are lots and lots of lights and stops, and the speed limit is 35-45 in the congested areas. You drive through at least two very long strips that resemble Rte. 17 from like 40 years ago. 

 

Suggestion: go to Google Maps or just use your GPS. Bottom line is the gun has to be in the trunk according to Federal law while you're in MD and SC. You won't be driving through DC.

 

If you really want to carry the whole way you must bypass those two states MD, which may add a full day to your trip. Not worth it IMO. 

 

Erm, as stated earlier.....Now with SLED proof!

 

 

 

SECTION 16-23-20. Unlawful carrying of handgun; exceptions.

 

It is unlawful for anyone to carry about the person any handgun, whether concealed or not, except as follows, unless otherwise specifically prohibited by law:

 

(1) regular, salaried law enforcement officers, and reserve police officers of a state agency, municipality, or county of the State, uncompensated Governor's constables, law enforcement officers of the federal government or other states when they are carrying out official duties while in this State, deputy enforcement officers of the Natural Resources Enforcement Division of the Department of Natural Resources, and retired commissioned law enforcement officers employed as private detectives or private investigators;

 

(2) members of the Armed Forces of the United States, the National Guard, organized reserves, or the State Militia when on duty;

 

(3) members, or their invited guests, of organizations authorized by law to purchase or receive firearms from the United States or this State or regularly enrolled members, or their invited guests, of clubs organized for the purpose of target shooting or collecting modern and antique firearms while these members, or their invited guests, are at or going to or from their places of target practice or their shows and exhibits;

 

(4) licensed hunters or fishermen who are engaged in hunting or fishing or going to or from their places of hunting or fishing while in a vehicle or on foot;

 

(5) a person regularly engaged in the business of manufacturing, repairing, repossessing, or dealing in firearms, or the agent or representative of this person, while possessing, using, or carrying a handgun in the usual or ordinary course of the business;

 

(6) guards authorized by law to possess handguns and engaged in protection of property of the United States or any agency of the United States;

 

(7) members of authorized military or civil organizations while parading or when going to and from the places of meeting of their respective organizations;

 

(8) a person in his home or upon his real property or a person who has the permission of the owner or the person in legal possession or the person in legal control of the home or real property;

 

(9) a person in a vehicle if the handgun is:

 

(a) secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk, or in a closed container secured by an integral fastener and transported in the luggage compartment of the vehicle; however, this item is not violated if the glove compartment, console, or trunk is opened in the presence of a law enforcement officer for the sole purpose of retrieving a driver's license, registration, or proof of insurance

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I believe NJ is the only state that criminalizes possession of hollow point ammo.

Understood...however that doesn't help me with my question. In theory, since I would be going from my home, where it is legal to possess hollow pints, to another place where it is legal to possess (another state) would FOPA cover that or is that outside the scope of FOPA?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Understood...however that doesn't help me with my question. In theory, since I would be going from my home, where it is legal to possess hollow pints, to another place where it is legal to possess (another state) would FOPA cover that or is that outside the scope of FOPA?

how does that not help with your question? if nj is the only place to have a law against HP ammo then it is fine to have it everywhere else.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

how does that not help with your question? if nj is the only place to have a law against HP ammo then it is fine to have it everywhere else.

 

Doesn't tell me if FOPA makes it fine to transport it from my home to anywhere else it's legal.  In NJ it is legal in your home and a range.  I'm asking if it's covered under FOPA to transport hollowpoints from a legal place (my home), across 70 miles of hostile (NJ public areas) area where it's not legal, and to a state(s) where it is legal...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Doesn't tell me if FOPA makes it fine to transport it from my home to anywhere else it's legal.  In NJ it is legal in your home and a range.  I'm asking if it's covered under FOPA to transport hollowpoints from a legal place (my home), across 70 miles of hostile (NJ public areas) area where it's not legal, and to a state(s) where it is legal...

You should be more concerned whether or not FOPA provides any protection in your state of origin or destination. The law was specifically changed during promulgation because it was feared to suggest it protected you in your state of origin, which was not the intent of the law.

 

http://home.comcast.net/~idgaff00/CRS%20PKG.pdf

 

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

 

This memorandum is in response to your request for an analysis of 18 U.S.C. $ 926A, which governs the interstate transportation of firearms. The legislative history, which provides some guidance on how $926A could be interpreted, indicates that: ( 1 ) preemption of state or local firearms transportation laws occurs after leaving one's state of residence and before entering the destination state; (2) an individual must be able to legally possess and transport a firearm under both state and local laws; (3) it is unclear how or if the safe harbor created by $926A includes transportation o firearm accessories which are illegal in one state but not another...

 

...

 

...Representative McCollum stated that the provision applies "only after [individuals] leave the boundaries of their State or local jursitiction since 926A applies to the interstate transportation of firearms. Representative McCollum further stateted the provision "does not modify the State or local laws of the place of origin or the jurisdiction where the trip ends in any way..."

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Doesn't tell me if FOPA makes it fine to transport it from my home to anywhere else it's legal.  In NJ it is legal in your home and a range.  I'm asking if it's covered under FOPA to transport hollowpoints from a legal place (my home), across 70 miles of hostile (NJ public areas) area where it's not legal, and to a state(s) where it is legal...

you dont need FOPA if its legal to simply possess everywhere but nj. so yes it does give you an answer to your underlying question. but im pretty sure FOPA covers ammo as well as guns. google is your friend.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The way I read it is that it offers protection from a legal place of possession to another legal place of possession (in another state). So if my ultimate destination is say a shooting range or hunting in Florida, or simply just Florida, then in theory FOPA covers me when I am out of NJ but in NJ the state provision that I can have hollow points at home, or at the range should cover my route getting out of NJ since I am transporting to a rang in another state, correct?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I realized something having posed this question on another site as well.  Part of my concern also stemmed from the case where a Florida permit holder was pulled over in MD apparently because an LEO probably cross referenced his license back to FL and knew he had was a permit holder (John Filippidus).  Since I am a non-resident CCW holder (FL and UT), any search of my vehicle license plates or drivers license is not going to show up either one for an LEO from MD as NJ doesn't know if I am a CCW permit holder.  So, I'm thinking that unless I do something stupid like excessive speeding or driving recklessly in MD or DC, my chances of getting pulled over are very low to begin with.  What do you guys think?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I realized something having posed this question on another site as well.  Part of my concern also stemmed from the case where a Florida permit holder was pulled over in MD apparently because an LEO probably cross referenced his license back to FL and knew he had was a permit holder (John Filippidus).  Since I am a non-resident CCW holder (FL and UT), any search of my vehicle license plates or drivers license is not going to show up either one for an LEO from MD as NJ doesn't know if I am a CCW permit holder.  So, I'm thinking that unless I do something stupid like excessive speeding or driving recklessly in MD or DC, my chances of getting pulled over are very low to begin with.  What do you guys think?

 

Well, if a LEO wants to stop you, they'll find a way... no one drives *perfectly* or can "prove easily" fhat they did.... :)

 

The big concern with that case was the use of ALPR cameras by the MTAP.  Mr. Fillipidis was traveling through the Baltimore tunnels, where I'm pretty sure there were a greater concentration of "mobile" ALPR units, if not fixed ones.  In his case, the ALPR camera caught his FL plate, and flagged him as a CCW holder via the MCAC database (where the record of his FL CCW existed). They went after him, got beside him, verified his identity and then got behind him and pulled him over.  The rest, as they say, is history.

 

The only thing we can do is minimize our journeys through MD, and avoid the main "tunnel" routes, where I believe scrutiny is greater (more critical asset to keep safe - imagine the cost to replace one of those tunnels and the traffic hassles, if someone were to blow them up)...   It's one of the reasons why I'm going to try the I-81 route this time. Only 12.08 miles, 15 minutes in MD, and no bridges or tunnels.

 

Although, there is the drive by right near that airport.... :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I hear you...in all likelihood I will take 81 - it will take me an extra hour and half but probably worth it.

It could also save you hours. Avoid the DC area altogether. Don't be in a hurry to run East for the 95s, 95 just ultimately takes you back west anyway.

 

Think positive, less chances of an endless traffic jam this way.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I hear you...in all likelihood I will take 81 - it will take me an extra hour and half but probably worth it.

 

 

It actually does not take extra time.... 

 

My sister lives in Raleigh, so I do this trip a lot..... It's about 60 extra miles, but avoiding the Baltimore/DC corridor let's you make up the time due to avoiding the congestion

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My wife and I have traveled from Central FL to North Jersey and then back to FL twice a year for a few years now.

After doing the I95 thing for the first couple of years, we decided to make a change to the "back way" as I call it.

From North Jersey we take 78 into PA to 81 to 77 to 26 to 95 and for us...we take 295 to 10 to 301 back to Central FL.

Straight thru it's 19 hours with the usual stops along the way. We leave either location (NJ or FL) @ 4:00 AM to get a jump on traffic.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...