Why You Should Never Carry In A State That Does Not Allow It

I know that it might be tempting, when crossing a state where you do not have a concealed carry permit, to just figure, "Its a hassle to unload and store it in a way that conforms to the Firearms Owners Protection Act. What are the chances that the police will search my car?"  At least in Maryland -- shockingly high.  Truth & Commonsense reports on a Florida man who was driving through Maryland.  From the January 12, 2014 Tampa Tribune:

He did not have a gun with him, and it was a good thing.  One of the automated license plate readers in Maryland grabbed his Florida plate, matched it up with Floridas concealed weapon permit files, and then the excitement started:

Finally the patrol cars emergency lights come on, and its almost a relief. Whatever was going on, theyd be able to get it over with now. The officer — from the Transportation Authority Police, as it turns out, Marylands version of the New York-New Jersey Port Authority — strolls up, does the license and registration bit, and returns to his car.

According to Kally and John (but not MTAP, which, pending investigation, could not comment), what happened next went like this:

Ten minutes later hes back, and he wants John out of the Expedition. Retreating to the space between the SUV and the unmarked car, the officer orders John to hook his thumbs behind his back and spread his feet. “You own a gun,” the officer says. “Where is it?”

“At home in my safe,” John answers.

“Dont move,” says the officer.

Now hes at the passengers window. “Your husband owns a gun,” he says. “Where is it?”

First Kally says, “I dont know.” Retelling it later she says, “And thats all I should have said.” Instead, attempting to be helpful, she added, “Maybe in the glove [box]. Maybe in the console. Im scared of it. I dont want to have anything to do with it. I might shoot right through my foot.”

The officer came back to John. “Youre a liar. Youre lying to me. Your family says you have it. Where is the gun? Tell me where it is and we can resolve this right now.”

And yes, the police state of Maryland thoroughly searched the car, separated John and his wife for 90 minutes of interrogation -- and then wrote them a speeding ticket. (They say that they werent speeding, because they were being following by a police car, and knew it.)  Maryland, being a liberal controlled state, is fascist.  I cant imagine ever driving through it.  And I sure would not do it with a gun on me.  I do not think I would even do so if the gun were possessed in accordance with the Firearms Owners Protection Act.  It sounds like Maryland police might just load the gun so that they would have a reason to arrest you and confiscate the gun.

It sure will be nice when Maryland joins the United States, and the Bill of Rights starts to mean something to them besides gay marriage. 

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