Ocean City Transportation a Firearm Lawyer
The laws about transporting a firearm can be unclear, especially when traveling from one state to another. If you are worried about or are facing these charges, contact an Ocean City gun attorney who is knowledgeable about transporting firearms.
Legal Reasons for Transporting a Firearm
A person can absolutely carry a firearm legally, they just need to make sure that they have learned the statute and that they are following the different elements of the statute.
An individual would be perfectly within their rights to transport that gun between their residences or if they have a business in Ocean City and they want to be able to have their firearm with them when they are going to their place of business. There are also many people who have second residences in Ocean City and may want to transport their firearms between places.
Steps to Legal Transport
The first step is to follow the language of the statute and make sure that they are in compliance. The statute requires if the person is transporting a gun between their bona fide residences or they are transporting it to their business, they need to make sure that the firearm is unloaded and in an enclosed case or an enclosed holster. Closed cases are very easy to purchase at any sporting goods store or online.
A person can also go through the permit process to be able to wear and carry a loaded handgun. They have to fill out an application and list their justifications. Then, if they are given the permit, they no longer have to make sure that they are not violating the statute.
Unlawful Transportation
It would be a violation of the statute to transport a loaded firearm without a permit. The law can be different in different states, so even responsible gun owners might drive into the state of Maryland and, all of a sudden, what had been perfectly legal in another state is now prohibited.
As soon as a police officer comes to a window, typically, the first thing out of a law-abiding citizen’s mouth is “Officer, I have a firearm. It is loaded. It is in the blue duffle bag in the rear passenger seat,” but it is actually illegal. They just did not familiarize themselves with the statutes in Maryland before traveling to Maryland and did not realize what is legal and what is illegal.
Prohibited People
A person cannot transport any firearm that is loaded unless he or she has a permit. A person must be going either to their own residence, a gun repair shop, or his or her own business. If a person does not fit into one of those criteria, then he or she is illegally transporting a firearm.
There is also a whole segment of the population that would be illegally transporting a firearm because they are not even allowed to possess a firearm. Anybody under the age of 21 in Maryland is prohibited from possessing a firearm. If a person has certain convictions on his or her record, he or she also could be considered a prohibited person and would not be allowed to transport a firearm.
Therefore, what might have been perfectly legal in that person’s home state might be illegal as soon as they cross into Maryland and they are transporting a firearm in Ocean City.