Travelling to D. C. , need some advice

[Guest Nunya]

I know it's supremely illegal to carry or even have a loaded gun in one's car in D.C. But, we're driving and I would feel lost without something.

If I take a case and lock everything up separately once we get near D.C. will I still go to jail?

[Northface]

http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/dc.pdf

[RED333]

Can you not go around the place?

[Mike.357]

life is not all about the gun. Leave it at home and take your trip.

[Oh Shoot]

The beltway around it is not DC.

Just follow normal federal safe passage guidelines and don't go through the middle of it -- although the safe passage federal statute should cover you, but why tempt fate if you don't have to?

If you're actually stopping in DC proper, like to sight see or spend the night or something, no way to legally store a gun in car for a non-resident, and even residents must have registration for them to go target shooting or have one in home.

It's actually more restrictive than Chicago in this way, as there you can actually make your guns non-functional for the duration of a stay.

- OS

Edited October 5, 2012 by OhShoot

[monkeylizard]

Decide which one's more important, the gun or visiting D.C. You can't legally do both. Go and enjoy the place. Leave the gun at home. The park police do a great job of keeping the tourist areas patrolled. Treat it like any other city and don't be stupid. The murders and things you hear about in DC are not normally in the parts of town a normal tourist would find themselves in.

Be smart. Don't ride the subway at 2am and things like that.

Edited October 5, 2012 by monkeylizard

[peejman]

Leave the gun, take the OC spray.

[M1_Garand]

I made this trip earlier in the summer and stayed in Alexandria, Va. Va honors the TN HCP (we drove from Tennessee so I wanted to be armed while traveling), and we took the Metro in and out of VA to visit the DC tourist attractions, and left our carry guns locked in the safe at the hotel. I felt perfectly safe while in DC and on the Metro, and we followed the precautions listed above (stay in the populated areas, do do stupid stuff). Don't carry any spare magazines either - each unregistered round of ammo in the district is a criminal offense - even if you don't have a gun on you.

OC spray has to be registered with the police as well, and all the government buildings and most of the museums had prohibitions against "martial arts devices" - so I also had to leave my OC and monkey fist locked up with the carry weapons.

No big deal though, don't do anything stupid and have fun. Its worth the trip.

Edited October 5, 2012 by M1_Garand

[tnhawk]

As the above post says, the only safe way to enter DC, is to secure your gun outside of the Beltway. As stated at www.handgunlaw.us, stopping in DC for any reason while transporting a firearm, subjects you to DC law and you can be arrested and the firearms confiscated. I had planned to to thru DC last week but decided it was best to avoid the area.

[DaveTN]

I take a truck load of guns to Illinois when I go, because it is the best place I have to shoot. But when I go to Chicago, I don’t take any firearms period. I would assume D.C. is the same way, they are going to do what they are going to do, and it appears they are going to arrest you if they find a gun. I wouldn’t roll the dice on that.

Oh and BTW… We spent a couple of days in D.C. on vacation a few years ago and I can’t wait to go again. Rich with history for the history buffs. Live life on the edge and go there without a gun.

Edited October 5, 2012 by DaveTN

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Last fall, I left my handgun secured outside the

beltway, either in the safe at the motel, or in the

trunk at the Metro parking lot. No problems, just

keep it outside DC.

[TMF]

Wait, pepper spray is illegal there too? It isn't deadly and is clearly a defensive weapon. I know where I'm moving to if I ever decide to get into the rape business.

[mcurrier]

Can you not go around the place?

It's called I-495, or..."Avoid D.C. Expressway"

[Guest Nunya]

Thanks, guys. We had just about decided to stay in Williamsburg and take the Metro in anyway, so I guess I'll lock "it" up in the safe there. I've been to Europe a couple of times, so I can function without a gun for up to 14 days. Hopefully, this time it'll only be two.

[JayC]

I know it's supremely illegal to carry or even have a loaded gun in one's car in D.C. But, we're driving and I would feel lost without something.

If I take a case and lock everything up separately once we get near D.C. will I still go to jail?

The short answer is yes. Having a handgun without a license is illegal in DC no matter how the firearm is stored. Non-DC residents can not get a permit.

Why are you going? I personally won't go to DC and waste my money there... Same reason I won't take a trip to IL, or anywhere else that I can't carry a firearm to protect myself and my family.

Lots of great places to visit where you don't have to go unarmed... and by picking those places over states like IL, CA, and DC you get to speak with your pocket book.

Edited October 7, 2012 by JayC

[monkeylizard]

While I agree to an extent, that only goes so far in my opinion. Some of those no-carry areas have extremely unique places, objects, and experiences that I believe are worth it. Washington D.C. is perhaps the single greatest and most compact example of that. It's the home of The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, the most significant buildings, memorials, cemeteries, and monuments in our nation, and host to the greatest museum collections of artifacts and antiquities that map our American heritage. Chicago is a fun city to visit, but one's life isn't somehow worse off for not having seen it. Washington D.C., in my opinion, enriches our lives by visiting and seeing what a great nation we were and are, and it inspires us to make it even better for ourselves and for the Americans who will come after us. Just stay out of the 'hoods.

That's just my opinion. I understand and respect how others come to a different conclusion, about both visiting non-carry places and about how valuable D.C. is.

Edited October 7, 2012 by monkeylizard

[blewbayou]

I'm not sure about the pepper spray thing...

My girlfriend at the time and I went to the Smithsonian and she had inadvertently left her pepper spray in her purse. We traveled all over DC with it, the metro etc. Anyway, it's when we tried to go in one of the museums and one of the guards said it couldn't go inside. No problem, we didn't go to the museums, but that was the extent of the experience.

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[Guest Nunya]

After talking about staying in Virginia for the past two weeks, my wife found a better deal on a hotel in Maryland last night after I had retired. Guess I'll leave "it" home. Maryland is almost as strict as DC.

Don't want y'all reading about me in the paper...

[Guest 270win]

You could take your handgun to Maryland but you cant keep it loaded in your car or on you. You can leave it in the hotel room.

[Guest Nunya]

Good advise on checking for spare ammo! I had a few loose rounds in my trusty backpack that would likely have caused an issue.

[Guest Nunya]

Security is a joke and different each place we have gone in.

[Guest Nunya]

Felt a little safer when i sat down by this guy on the metro...

Secret service Program Director - Protective Operations.

Edited October 15, 2012 by bentonbjones

[hkusp40cal]

Thanks, guys. We had just about decided to stay in Williamsburg and take the Metro in anyway, so I guess I'll lock "it" up in the safe there. I've been to Europe a couple of times, so I can function without a gun for up to 14 days. Hopefully, this time it'll only be two.

Williamsburg is over 2 hours from DC and I am pretty sure the metro won't get you there. The closest place from Williamsburg to catch a train is would be Fredricksburg. If you are willing to do amtrack, I believe they run a commuter from Richmond (1 hr or so from Williamsburg)

Seems I was a little late with the advice.

Edited October 16, 2012 by hkusp40cal

[Guest Nunya]

No worries, HK. We stayed in Maryland, 20 minutes ny Metro.