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Va to NC carry options

Wangmuf

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Hi all, new poster here. I'm not sure if I'm going to be a regular yet, or just a lurker, but in the past few days I've certianly found a lot of useful info here.

With that being said, I'm looking for some info on how to legally transport a pistol from Va to NC. I'm going on a vacation with my entire family next week, and we're going to be staying in a secluded beach house somewhere near Duck, NC. I plan on carrying, since my brother-in-law says the place is a little ways out there, and I've never been there before, don't know the environment.

I've checked the transporting thru Va link on the state police website, but it doesn't mention anything about transport across state lines. I'm guessing there's a federal statute on it somewhere, but I don't know where to look.

What makes this difficult for me is that i plan on riding a motorcycle down there, and I plan on OCing for the ride. I know the NC staties tend to sit close by across the line looking for people who hammer it a bit too hard going from 65-70, and don't feel like being harassed if they notice my holster on my left hip (strong side, non-throttle/brake) while I'm proceeding down the interstate.

Anyone have any pointers for me, or links to federal law on transport across state lines?
 

usaf0906

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one important question i would ask you is:do you have a CHP?

Obviously you would be good in VA, and it seems (from looking at the NC forum) that NC has "gold star" for OC. Seeing as i have no clue how they would treat OC on a bike.

As far as crossing the state line, you just need to be sure you are in compliance with NC laws apon entering the state.

Hope my .02 helps, and welcome!
 

Wangmuf

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cbackous wrote:
one important question i would ask you is:do you have a CHP?

Obviously you would be good in VA, and it seems (from looking at the NC forum) that NC has "gold star" for OC. Seeing as i have no clue how they would treat OC on a bike.

As far as crossing the state line, you just need to be sure you are in compliance with NC laws apon entering the state.

Hope my .02 helps, and welcome!

No, I don't have a CHP, but even if i did, I wouldn't be concealing on the bike anyways. my riding jacket goes down past my waist too far for it to be convenient to conceal and still be readily accessable. Altho it would make it much easier for those few miles that there always seems to be state police.

Good point on checking the NC transportation laws, but what I'm most concerned with is are there any federal regulations about transporting across state borders.
 

usaf0906

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just by looking at both VA and NC, you can open carry in a vehicle (pretty sure motorcycle still falls under that) as long as its visible, and dont need a permit.

As far as federal regulations, I am pretty certian there arent any that would apply to your mode of travel (all google shows is transporting on a plane). As long as you are following the laws of the state you are in, you can drive across as many state borders that you want.
 

Skeptic

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Check with the NC forum of course, BUT -

One important difference, NO carry in alcohol restaurants , either open or concealed.
 

All American Nightmare

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When I needed info on laws for that state I called the state police and got very crappy answers ( I was told that if I open carried andLEOS were called I could be charged with going armed to the terror of the public )Google North Carolina gun rights groups. Send them a message they will call you. Someone called methe same dayand gave me all the info i needed. WhileNCgun laws are very restricted compared toVA laws I thought. Try these links. YOU should be able to get all the info needed from these two sites. When I went I printed out the laws and took them with me just to be on the safe side. You should make the trip to climb the Hatteras lighthouse Its got the best views around.

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

http://www.jus.state.nc.us/NCJA/ncfirearmslaws.pdf
 

ClumsyCandy

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I am currently down in Hatteras and NC is just OC in vehicle, and no carry in alcohol serving establishments! I take mine with me when I leave the house but otherwise, your not gonna need it. If I was in Nags Head or Kitty Hawk at the height of the season I might want it but since I'm in Hatteras and its the "off" season, I keep it nearby and thats it. I don't wear it. Haven't felt the need to. And I've been coming here for years, for the better part of 12 years, and this is the first year I've ever even seen a cop down here. Duck is about as isolated as we are. Enjoy your vacation and just remember to OC in your car. Make sure you go to see the lighthouses before you drive all the way to Hatteras, call to make sure its open, they just closed it today right after my mom and I made it to the top because of high winds (40 mph). Definitely worth the climb though. Also take the ferry down to Ockracroke. You'll feel like you're in an episode of "Murder, She Wrote."
 

Wangmuf

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Thanks for the tips, everyone. Xdm, I had found those links before I posted this, but since the dates were from '07, I just wanted to make sure I'm not overlooking any new laws. Those are the same links I got in the NC forum today tho, so I'm going to go by what's written there.



Clumsy, thanks for the tips, and I doubt we'll be going to any restaurants at all. My sister has a fussy newborn, and she prefers not to annoy others when the baby cries. If we were going during the height of tourist season, I doubt I'd even carry unless the house owner expressly said there was a safe I could store in while on the beach or getting drunk. But since it's getting cold, and especially since my young nieces and nephew will be there, I'd rather be prepared, just in case. Hopefully my dad and I can break away from the family for a while to check out some lighthouses, my mother can't walk up stairs easily and the baby makes my sister weary of anything higher than about 2 steps, so they'd be joykills if we took them.
 

ClumsyCandy

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You should still take them along to see the tallest brick lighthouse! And to see where they moved it from 10 years ago! Plus, there are AWESOME shopping opportunites EVERYWHERE. Most of the stores are staying open until October. We also highly reccomend the "Old Gray House" antique store, it's literally an Old Gray House run by the old lady who owns it. She sells knick knacks, hand made soaps, handmade crafts, shells, antiques, etc. If you take the nieces and nephews along, we always go to Frisco Mini Golf on 12. And the Scotch Bonnet in frisco, makes the BEST fudge you will ever find anywhere.

Any other questions just PM me!
 

skidmark

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remember that the lighthouse and quite a bit of the rest of the area out there is national seashore, which means national park land, which means no carry zone. many of the state and local roads transit nps land and are controlled by the nps regs on firearms by park rangers in both marked and unmarked vehicles.

do not rely on signs to figure out where the boundaries are - get good topographic maps.

sorry to throw the wet blanket on your vacation, but i'd rather not find out your vacation was extended by 10 years.

stay safe.

skidmark
 

wylde007

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Yep, just about everything south of the 168/12 turnoff is National Seashore.

Tread lightly, however, town propers do not qualify as National Park lands. Avon, Ocracoke, Buxton, Rodanthe, Waves... Park Services do not have jurisdiction inside town limits, only on the beaches and highway stretches (which they rarely patrol, if ever).

Dare Country (and Hyde, in Ocracoke) are fully responsible inside municipal boundaries.
 

Thundar

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I lived in Chesapeake and often drove across the state line to Moyock, N.C. Remember always that North Carolina is a duty to inform state (or used to be when I went there) Some NC people should be able to give better advice.
 

Mike

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Wangmuf wrote:
but it doesn't mention anything about transport across state lines
Unless your transpor is for purpose of unlawful delivery of the firearm, there is no federal law pertaining to transporting across state lines; there is a general immunity against state law at 18 USC 926A if you travel to/thru an anti gun state.
 

Wangmuf

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skidmark wrote:
remember that the lighthouse and quite a bit of the rest of the area out there is national seashore, which means national park land, which means no carry zone. many of the state and local roads transit nps land and are controlled by the nps regs on firearms by park rangers in both marked and unmarked vehicles.

do not rely on signs to figure out where the boundaries are - get good topographic maps.

sorry to throw the wet blanket on your vacation, but i'd rather not find out your vacation was extended by 10 years.

stay safe.

skidmark

Hey, thanks for that handy little tip. I guess once I turn off the highway I'll just throw it under the seat of the bike until I get to the beach house. Like clumsy said, it's secluded out there, as my brother in law also told me, so I'd certainly like to have a line of defense while we're home.


Thundar, as for the duty to inform, I don't think that'll be an issue since it'll be clearly visible while on the motorcycle, until I put it in the trunk, at which point if I were to get pulled, I'd let them know. But I don't speed or dick around on the road, and everything works, so I shouldn't have any traffic encounters (knock on wooden desk).


Thanks again for the help, everyone.
 

skidmark

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Thundar, as for the duty to inform, I don't think that'll be an issue since it'll be clearly visible while on the motorcycle, until I put it in the trunk, at which point if I were to get pulled, I'd let them know. But I don't speed or dick around on the road, and everything works, so I shouldn't have any traffic encounters (knock on wooden desk).
duty to inform has nothing to do with leo seeing that you are armed. you must take the affirmative action - means actually do it - of verbally informing the leo that you are lawfully armed. failure carries a large penalty.
Hey, thanks for that handy little tip. I guess once I turn off the highway I'll just throw it under the seat of the bike until I get to the beach house.
that will probaly work if you do it before turning off the highway and nobody sees you. the fed law for transport in nps areas requires unloaded, locked case and ammo separate from the firearm. most rangers will tell you the ammo has to be locked in a case other than the one the firearm is in. i do not recall off the top of my head what the actual words are and am too lazy to look them up for you.

i'm not trying to throw a wet blanket on your vacation but i'd hate to hear you got nailed for trying to take a shortcut around the law.

stay safe.

skidmark
 

Tess

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This may be too late.

NC, from my experience and from what I've been told by NC residents, doesn't really use the "to the terror of the people".

But there are things that can trip you up.

People have already mentioned no carry in alcohol restaurants.
And the national parks areas.

Also, no carry in banks.
No carry in "public gatherings" such as parades.
No carry any place that charges admission.

I carry frequently in NC, and find myself always having to stop and think twice (or more) because of little things I'm not used to here in VA.
 

Wangmuf

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Well, plans have changed. Everyone else decided they no longer wanted to go to the beach, so my bro-in-law gave the house to some friends or his sisters or something. We're now going to the Great Wolf Lodge, so it's time to call them and see if they allow open carry, and if so, do they have safes in the rooms, because I plan on using the hell out of the water slides my niece and nephew love so much!


Thanks to everyone who has been so helpful about the NC plans.
 

MSC 45ACP

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Wangmuf wrote:
Well, plans have changed. Everyone else decided they no longer wanted to go to the beach, so my bro-in-law gave the house to some friends or his sisters or something. We're now going to the Great Wolf Lodge, so it's time to call them and see if they allow open carry, and if so, do they have safes in the rooms, because I plan on using the hell out of the water slides my niece and nephew love so much!


Thanks to everyone who has been so helpful about the NC plans.

If you go to Great Wolf Lodge, you GOTTA go eat at Pierce's Pit BBQ. Its less than a mile from the Lodge.

I grew up on it, so I'm kinda partial to it, but they do make some good stuff. If anyone in the group isn't a BBQ fan, they also have decent chicken fingers and other stuff. The Onion rings are also quite good.
 

Wangmuf

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MSC 45ACP wrote:
Wangmuf wrote:
Well, plans have changed. Everyone else decided they no longer wanted to go to the beach, so my bro-in-law gave the house to some friends or his sisters or something. We're now going to the Great Wolf Lodge, so it's time to call them and see if they allow open carry, and if so, do they have safes in the rooms, because I plan on using the hell out of the water slides my niece and nephew love so much!


Thanks to everyone who has been so helpful about the NC plans.

If you go to Great Wolf Lodge, you GOTTA go eat at Pierce's Pit BBQ. Its less than a mile from the Lodge.

I grew up on it, so I'm kinda partial to it, but they do make some good stuff. If anyone in the group isn't a BBQ fan, they also have decent chicken fingers and other stuff. The Onion rings are also quite good.

Do they do a sauceless option? I can't stand the "BBQ" that comes to the table already swimming in sauce.
 
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