Expert: Robert P. Firriolo - 8/24/2010

Question
My husband drives a semi truck and he has a concealed weapons licence. How is he supposed to know where he can and can't
drive to if every city, county, and state have written their
own version of the gun carry act? The NRA doesn't even have a
standard concerning this issue.

Answer
Every state does have its own laws concerning concealed carry of handguns. I am sure you have heard the expression "Ignorance of the law is no excuse." That is true about all laws, and in the case of firearm laws, it is particularly important that one know the laws of the jurisdictions into which he or she will travel with guns.

I do not know what you mean by "the NRA doesn't even have a standard concerning this issue." However, the NRA does publish a very helpful guide to the interstate transportation of firearms, as well as a guide to the firearm laws in every state, so your husband can check in advance whether he is legal to carry in any state and city into which he travels. Go here: http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/ and you will find links to these and other gun law resources you may find helpful.

Next, you may know that a license or permit to carry a concealed firearm is required by most states other than Vermont, Alaska, and Arizona. If your husband has a concealed carry license from his home state, it is probably recognized by some states, but not by others. He can go here: http://www.nraila.org/recmap/usrecmap.aspx and click on the state(s) where he has his license to find out what other states recognize his license. If his license is issued by a state with licenses not recognized by many other states, he may apply for a non-resident license from another state, such as Florida, which is relatively easy to get and is recognized by many states.

He will also have to realize that some states, like New York and New Jersey, do not recognize licenses from any other state. And New York does not issue non-resident licenses, and New Jersey rarely (if ever) does. So some states will simply be off limits to him to carry if he is a non-resident.

It is unfortunate that there is a patchwork of state gun laws, and that may change in the future when the full scope of Second Amendment rights are litigated in the courts. But for now he must familiarize himself with each state's gun laws if he wants to avoid potential criminal sanctions for violating state or local gun laws. As you can see from the above, it is not that difficult since there are readily available resources that give him the information he needs.