Taking a trip across US. Wondering what to do?

My trip involves going through the states listed:

WA, ID, MT, WY, SD, IA, MO, IL, KY, TN, GA, SC

The Washington FAQ states:
9)What states accept the Washington CPL?
AK, AR, AZ, FL, IA, ID, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, MT, MO, NC, ND, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT

The states not on the list are:
WY - Wyoming
IL - Illinois
GA - Georgia
SC - South Carolina

If I conceal carry and get caught In the 4 listed states above that aren't in the FAQ and show a valid WA CPL what will happen? I'm curious?

My next question would be. What should I do to stay inside the law? Do I need to go look up the conceal carry laws in each of those states?

Bypass IL....

Just go through MO to Kentucky (Dorena/Hickman Ferry, very scenic). I doubt that the police in IL are up to speed on the latest court decisions concerning a non-resident CHP being equal to a FOID card.

Get a FL and VA non resident permit and you'll have pretty much what you need for GA and SC.

Checking the "Map" here http://handgunlaw.us/states/washington.pdf it appears that you could change your route to avoid "unfriendly" States, all but one with that being Georgia. That is assuming you can change your routing.

Your last sentence says it all. You absolutely should look at all the carry laws for the States you will be traveling through as there are just enough differences that there might be problems. Pay close attention to prohibited places and requirements to notify an Officer if you are stopped.

Just make a "cheat sheet" for each State and flip the page as you cross the state line.

If you have time to get it before your trip this book would be really handy to have in the car. It is a good general resource of firearms laws through all 50 states.

The Traveler's Guide
to the Firearm Laws
of the Fifty States

thebigsd said:

If you have time to get it before your trip this book would be really handy to have in the car. It is a good general resource of firearms laws through all 50 states.

The Traveler's Guide
to the Firearm Laws
of the Fifty States

Click to expand...

A book is good, but watch for the publication date. There have been a lot of changes in the past year across the country. The information on handgunlaw.us is more likely current.

I believe Wyoming just passed constitutional carry, and doesn't require a permit at all anymore. I am not a lawyer though and it would be best to check and make sure.

johnfenter said:

Just go through MO to Kentucky (Dorena/Hickman Ferry, very scenic). I doubt that the police in IL are up to speed on the latest court decisions concerning a non-resident CHP being equal to a FOID card.

Get a FL and VA non resident permit and you'll have pretty much what you need for GA and SC.

Click to expand...

I concure, Bypass Illinois.

"Wheres the other guy?"

I've done this trip several times in the past two years (except my destination was Florida instead of SC). Now that Iowa is cleared up, if you have a WA CPL, then you are covered in every state on your list except Ill. States where you cannot OC you will be covered by your CPL to CC...states where your CPL is not honored, you can OC.:banana:

On my trips I rolled the dice and risked the 2 minutes of Ill by crossing at the very bottom tip by Cairo (from state line to state line it's almost exactly 1 mile).

I-55 south from St.Louis to I-57 north to US-77 East to US-62 North. Cross the bridge into Ill....immediately turn right onto US-61 east and get the hell out of that god forsaken state into Kentucky.

What about getting your Utah, and Oregon CCP, CPL, CHL or whatever THEY call them? Although it still wont do anything for you Illinois. I still cant believe our CPL isnt accepted in Oregon.

FYI - I just found out there is a lot of construction work going on on I-90 in the other states where flooding was a big issue (lots of detours). If you have AAA, you might want to call them and get some more info on your road trip.

If you have to come through Illinois , the best thing you can do is stop , unholster , unload , and put your handgun in a ( fully closed ) case. Put it where it isn't easy to get hold of till you are out of my state.

That way you don't have any worries. There are other ways I could tell you to transport through Ill. , however if you were to run into a bad LEO it could turn into a PITA for you.

If at all possible , like others here , I recommend you go around Ill.