Cross Country Travel - Armed

[US RIFLE M1A]

Just got home from a cross country trip from Phoenix to home (PA). Carried the same handgun as I do at work the entire way. I am not a cop, HR 218 does not apply to me.

Included New York in my travels (full carry license from a southern tier NY county) on both directions of the trip.

Flew out of Albany on the way going; the only issue was a tiny pocket knife I had to mail home to myself at the airport. The gun was not an issue at all, sheriff's deputies ran my license and chatted a bit before sending me on my way. Check-in was entirely routine, airline personnel seem as if they check baggage in with firearms on a routine basis. No one flinched for a second when I declared the gun.

On the way back, we drove through 11 states, came east into NY from Cleveland, along route 86 through NY, and home from there.

Those states that are not Constitutional carry accept one or another of my 6 licenses form various states. PA, VA, NH, FL, UT, CT.

Illinois, just carry in the car while driving and hang on until Indiana to stop.

All perfectly legal, and no hassles or issues whatsoever.

A nice feature was that the airline has a website so you can make sure your luggage is on the same plane as you; similar to tracking a Fedex package in real time. For no other value than peace of mind.

 

[US RIFLE M1A]

A few items of clarification..

Don't try this from Vermont (fly out of ALB) or from any other state to any airport in New York w/o a NY license. Licensed NY pistol owners only.

I am not sure what happens with long guns only, I don't even think the sheriff's deputies would be involved at all. TSA (at the check-in counter) were very laid back. With long-guns only, I am pretty sure you can be coming from any state, as long as the guns are NY legal.

No matter what, if you have a firearm in checked luggage it pays to call the Sheriffs and the airline in advance just to keep up with changes in procedure.

They made a bigger deal about a tiny knife.

Pistol sized hard case enclosed in a hard-case lockable suitcase. I bought a heavy duty camera case from B and H photo for this trip. That was my bigger suitcase. Three keyed-alike padlocks - two on the outside of the big case and one on the pistol case inside.

Have your NY handgun license and your driver's license (and the keys mentioned above) ready at the airline check in counter. They will hand you an index card to put into the larger suitcase on top of the pistol case. I think they can see that index card via X-ray as it gets on the plane, and they know the gun has passed through the system and is legit.

Keep your baggage check reciept when they give it to you upon check-in. You will need it later in order to pick up your luggage at the Baggage Service Office (BSO) at your destination. All guns (and other odd-sized sporting goods and such) arrive at the BSO, not the carousel.

Have ID ready for the BSO. It will take a bit longer for luggage to get there so get your other items off of the carousel first and then go to the BSO.

Ammo in the original container (box) you bought it in at the store. If you don't have that specific box, use another ammo box from different ammo, they will not read the label. Second best is a plastic ammo box with the little holes that hold each round. NOT loose or in the magazine. Put the ammo box in the small hard-size pistol case, right in with the gun.

Pack the gun case on top of everything else in the big suitcase, they may (not likely) want to see the gun. Most likely they will run your license, hand you the index card to put into the big suitcase and send you on your way.

 

[Beerman]

Why didn’t you put the pocket knife in your checked bag with the pistol? Everyone knows that.

 

[US RIFLE M1A]

Why didn’t you put the pocket knife in your checked bag with the pistol? Everyone knows that.

Different encounter with TSA. One encounter was at the check-in for the handgun and the later one that everyone goes through.

It was in a small zipper pocket in my fleece jacket. By the time I realized I had it, my suitcase was probably on the aircraft.

They were very polite and accommodating at all times. They sent me down stairs to the service desk for a mailer, and got me through with plenty of time left over.

 

[Saltwater60]

Different encounter with TSA. One encounter was at the check-in for the handgun and the later one that everyone goes through.

It was in a small zipper pocket in my fleece jacket. By the time I realized I had it, my suitcase was probably on the aircraft.

They were very polite and accommodating at all times. They sent me down stairs to the service desk for a mailer, and got me through with plenty of time left over.

I always check my knife and make sure 5 times or so I do t have mine clipped in my pocket. I have a specific travel knife.

 

[US RIFLE M1A]

Here is a map of the effects of having resident licenses in 2 states (legitimately owned residences in each) and non-resident licenses in 8 states. (I just got AZ for the first time, renewed Maine and applied for NJ)

Actual licensed states in green, good-to-go states in blue and no-go (see below for exceptions) in red.

No, I do not have New Jersey yet, but I am part way through the application process.

Exceptions to states shown in red:

South Carolina may turn Constitutional carry soon.

Illinois allows the only carry I am interested in there which is being armed in the car while driving through at full speed.

Colorado and Oregon allow open carry w/o a license, which is fine for me because I tend to stay in the sparsely populated rural areas to enjoy the back country. I recently went to Colorado, OC'd in full compliance with the law, and had a great time.

That leaves Massachusetts, which does issue a non-res license which may be later on my list; Rhode Island, which I never go to, and then Maryland and DC which also issue non-res, but I really have little interest in.

And of course, NYC, which I hear is worse than the wild west these days so I would have to be nuts to go there, armed or unarmed.

Anyone who lives in Cali comes to see me, not me going there. Too long a trip.

 

[Keyzard]

Have your NY handgun license and your driver's license

Out of curiosity, do the addresses match (assuming you have a PA DL)?

 

[US RIFLE M1A]

Out of curiosity, do the addresses match (assuming you have a PA DL)?

The excerpt from my post above that you quoted was from my advice as how to pass through an airport, so I will answer it as such.

Yes, they (Sheriff's deputies at ALB) may reference a New York driver's license as access to your handgun license via computer, so you will be asked to show your NYSDL first. I don't recall how much scrutiny they gave my handgun license, but it was not much at all. What I do know is that they can use the handgun license as a primary form of ID as well, but I believe it takes a moment or two longer to do so.

I am certainly NOT going to discuss my personal situation here, other than to say that is entirely on the up-and-up. What I will say is that I do know several people who live in PA and, unlike myself, do not maintain a full residence in NY. Their NY handgun licenses (even with PA addresses on them) are perfectly valid for passing through ALB or any other NY airport, whatever their DL says.

EDIT TO ADD: Just remember that most people presume that NY does NOT issue non-res handgun licenses. That may be true for someone from several states away who wants to mail-order a license from NY the same way one would do for Utah, but for a PA resident who lives in PA's 'northern tier,' NY licenses are not impossible to obtain. Owning a second residence or employment in NY qualifies, AND there are reciprocity agreements among counties close to the NY/PA state line. There are plenty of NY licenses out there with PA addresses on them.

 

[VietnamEraVet]

The excerpt from my post above that you quoted was from my advice as how to pass through an airport, so I will answer it as such.

Yes, they (Sheriff's deputies at ALB) may reference a New York driver's license as access to your handgun license via computer, so you will be asked to show your NYSDL first. I don't recall how much scrutiny they gave my handgun license, but it was not much at all. What I do know is that they can use the handgun license as a primary form of ID as well, but I believe it takes a moment or two longer to do so.

I am certainly NOT going to discuss my personal situation here, other than to say that is entirely on the up-and-up. What I will say is that I do know several people who live in PA and, unlike myself, do not maintain a full residence in NY. Their NY handgun licenses (even with PA addresses on them) are perfectly valid for passing through ALB or any other NY airport, whatever their DL says.

EDIT TO ADD: Just remember that most people presume that NY does NOT issue non-res handgun licenses. That may be true for someone from several states away who wants to mail-order a license from NY the same way one would do for Utah, but for a PA resident who lives in PA's 'northern tier,' NY licenses are not impossible to obtain. Owning a second residence or employment in NY qualifies, AND there are reciprocity agreements among counties close to the NY/PA state line. There are plenty of NY licenses out there with PA addresses on them.

With the Osterweil v Bartlett decision, it is possible to keep a NY CCW if you later move out of NY state. Many of us have done it, myself included. The Erie County PPO requires you to have a NY Non-Driver ID with your NY address on it, and that same address gets listed on your CCW permit. They do note your out of NY state residence in their files for any and all correspondence to be sent to you. Adding or removing handguns from your permit is more involved. As I understand it, even though I could present my CCW and NYS non-driver ID at an FFL, I would be breaking the law (federal?) if I tried to buy a handgun in NY rather than my resident state (South Carolina) where I have an SC Drivers License and SC CWP.

Here is a link to the Osterweil decision: https://handgunlaw.us/documents/agopinions/NYCtRulingPartTimeResidentsCanGetGunPermits.pdf