Camping trip this summer to Maine

[Notalentbum]

Wife and I are retiring end of May and have wanted to get up to Maine for a while. We’ll be pulling a camper with my truck. I don’t see any way to go other than through NY. I know a pistol is essentially forbidden but what about a rifle or two? I have googled a bit but everything I find deals with pistols. Can anyone point me towards applicable regs that I can understand. Too many laws are written that I can’t understand. Does it matter if they are stored in camper? I’ve heard that can be different than in my truck but may just be internet bs. Shotguns any different?

Thanks, Matt

 

[eldirector]

Just going thru NY w/o stopping? Unload and lock it up. VT, NH, and Maine all honor our license.

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[Notalentbum]

Our agenda isn’t decided yet but we had thought about maybe a day at Niagara Falls. Does the passing through work with handguns in NY? I thought I read handguns were an absolute no unless you held a NY license.

 

[maxwelhse]

Not that I'm an expert, but NY gun laws appear to be an absolute nightmare. Each municipality can have their own unique laws. The only thing it appears you can do is fall back to the federal FOPA law and do as ED suggested. Keep them unloaded, locked up, and away from people. I believe you can transport pistols or long guns, but you certainly can't have anything at the ready.

If I had to travel through NY, I would make it a non-stop leg of my journey. Gas up prior and get out of there as quickly as possible. Checking a few different routes, it looks like you can blast through all of the enemy territory in under 7 hours.

I believe "passing through" only works if you're actually passing through. I don't think you can stop off for a visit along the way. I would absolutely not play games with any of those states out there. They like making examples out of people.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Our agenda isn’t decided yet but we had thought about maybe a day at Niagara Falls. Does the passing through work with handguns in NY? I thought I read handguns were an absolute no unless you held a NY license.

Niagara Falls park is nice, but the downtown has a lot of crime after dark. Was just there last Fall.

 

[blue2golf]

New York needs a modern day Underground Railroad for those who want to tote a handgun along during their visit. Local safe-houses and approved travel routes with pistol packing Harriet Tubman types to guide us to 2nd Amendment sanctuary.

 

[maxwelhse]

New York needs a modern day Underground Railroad for those who want to tote a handgun along during their visit. Local safe-houses and approved travel routes with pistol packing Harriet Tubman types to guide us to 2nd Amendment sanctuary.

The problem is there's not much left on the right or left coasts to call sanctuary. In a straight path (for Hoosiers who are further north than Kentucky) there are only 2 states between us and the Atlantic that respect our permits. Between here and Maine, there are 5 if you include Maine.

 

[eldirector]

FYI: there is a Holiday Inn Express off of 81 north of Scranton, PA. Closest town is Gibson, PA. Pretty much the last stop before NY if you take 70 or 80 across PA. From there, you can run up thru Albany and into VT. Minimizes transit of NY.

You can also take 86 across upstate NY, if you don't mind locking up most of the trip. Hotels in Athens, PA, where 86 dips down OUT of NY for a couple of miles.

 

[Joniki]

It takes about nine hours to drive through NY. I am not sure you could do that without stopping. It might be time to install a safe in your camper for "your valuables"...

 

[Notalentbum]

Definitely couldn’t without stopping for gas and food. Probably stick to travel center style gas stations. I wonder what would be considered a safe in my camper? I mentioned in my IP about hearing something about a camper can be considered as my residence but that may not matter in NY.
Matt

 

[eldirector]

If you stay out of NY until Binghamton, it is 3 hours to the closest point in VT. That's about as short as you can make it.

 

[maxwelhse]

Definitely couldn’t without stopping for gas and food. Probably stick to travel center style gas stations. I wonder what would be considered a safe in my camper? I mentioned in my IP about hearing something about a camper can be considered as my residence but that may not matter in NY.
Matt

Gas and food stops are expressly permitted under "passing through", so no problem there. I just wouldn't do any site seeing.

As for a safe, I'd personally prefer to have something that would secure your firearms while even in Maine unless you're planning to stay with the camper 100% of the time. I'd probably opt for a small-ish pistol safe to keep pistols and bolts in and then a lockable rubbermaid to satisfy the law in the ridiculous states for the rest of the firearm. At least that way your own firearms would be less likely to be used against you if you came back to the camper in the middle of something.

FWIW, I have this pistol safe permanently installed in my convertible Jeep and it's about the heaviest built one I've ever seen. Size wise, a couple of full size pistols and several bolts wouldn't be a problem. A little on the spendy side, but it's a quality piece. I've owned mine for nearly 5 years and have had 0 issues (-45F or 100F+, lock always works).

 

[BugI02]

If you decide not to do the Niagra Falls thing, you can minimize time in NY by taking 70 or 80 across PA then 81 north to 84. You are only in NY for about 70 miles from Port Jervis to the CT line. Added bonus, you don't have to set foot in NJ either. You still have to pretty much traverse Mass unless you want the real scenic route up through VT and NH and then back down into Maine

 

[vtnewbie]

Ditto on going across PA and cutting through the shortest route through NY. Get on I87 northbound and then get into Vermont on US Route 4.

 

[BugI02]

Just noticed your screen name. What part of Vermont? I grew up in the Lake George area but did quite a bit sailing on Champlain

 

[vtnewbie]

Just noticed your screen name. What part of Vermont? I grew up in the Lake George area but did quite a bit sailing on Champlain

Huntington! Grew up in Milan, IN. 1954 state champs!
We keep a boat in Point Bay.

 

[Ricnzak]

We parked stateside and walked across the bridge at the Falls.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Another option for you should you consider: Get in contact with an FFL in your destination state. Ship your gun to yourself at said FFL. You should NOT have to fill out the 4473 unless there's a state law mandating it or the FFL holder has some kind of rule / policy. It is well within the law to ship your firearm to yourself to receive in another state. This can be a quite handy tool to utilize on road trips such as this. But you'll incur the shipping cost, either an overnight charge from a common carrier if you do it yourself, or whatever your local FFL will charge. That SHOULD be cheaper since an FFL can utilize the USPS and their lower rates for shipping handguns to another FFL.

Also keep in mind that some of those Other-than-New York- communistic states up there have mag capacity limits. I know that CT does.

 

[04FXSTS]

^^^^^^^^^^^ That is true and a good way to keep yourself legally safe crossing certain states. I might be a bit hesitant to use the postal system right now. They are horrible with letters being delayed for weeks, my wife gets mail sent from Colorado some take 4 days some take 4 weeks. Of course these are just first class, I would have more confidence if they were sent registered. Jim.

 

[BigRed]

When in Maine, enjoy the lobster!!!!!!