Maryland Law?

[waynesan]

I know Maryland is not a gun friendly state. But a friend asked me about this concerning a situation he is facing and I thought I would ask on here to see if anyone knows the answer.
My friend has to go to Johns Hopkins in the not too distant future for a kidney transplant. After the surgery he was told he will have to stay in the area for about a month for observation and follow up. I know if he stays on the JH campus he will not be able to have a gun but if he stays in a motel near the hospital would it be legal for him to have a gun in his room? He and his wife are in the process of getting their concealed permit from Virginia so they can carry on the road but Maryland is a no-no for that and he knows it. He just wants to know about the motel room question. I tried to look up the answer on the Maryland government sites but could not find anything that addressed this particular question.
Thanks for any info you may have.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[alnitak]

My understanding is that one cannot even transport a handgun in Maryland, so he can't even get it to the hotel. And if he did, I doubt very much that Maryland would allow an unregistered (in Maryland) handgun in the possession of someone without a valid Maryland permit.

I live in VA and don't carry a gun in the car when traveling through Maryland.

[rstickle]

My understanding is that one cannot even transport a handgun in Maryland, so he can't even get it to the hotel. And if he did, I doubt very much that Maryland would allow an unregistered (in Maryland) handgun in the possession of someone without a valid Maryland permit.

Maryland does not require registration of previously owned guns, nor do they issue permits to own handguns!

Having said that they do have fairly strict rules about where handguns can be transported. To keep it simple you can transport between place of purchase, and home, and range....... NO STOPS!

As to the original question, I'm not sure what a hotel/motel would be classed as. Hopefully someone with the answer will provide it.

[alnitak]

Thanks for the clarification. And although I stated it badly, my intent was "on a person, without a valid carry permit", given that the transport would not be to a range.

[waynesan]

On another board someone said that a motel room is considered your place of residence in Maryland and you could legally transport from Virginia to your motel (locked and cased) and keep it in your room, but no specific reference to a law was given and I don't feel comfortable with just his say so. He may be right and I hope he is.
My friend is really more concerned about his wife who will be making several long drives from southeastern Virginia up to Baltimore during his recuperation. She will be OK in Virginia, especially after she gets her permit, but doesn't want to get busted when she crosses the line to Maryland.

[MIKEV]

I would advise her to stop before crossing river. disarm, unload gun and any magazines. lock both in seperate containors and store in sperate lockable areas of the vehicle. proceed non-stop to her destination. than and only then can she reasonably be considered to be "traveling" her carry permit is NOT recognized by the PDRMD. I would also advise her to check with Hotel as to their gun policy. I would think that the applicalbe laws would be the same as if you were "renting" an apartment.

Not a lawyer
MikeV

[press1280]

I would advise her to stop before crossing river. disarm, unload gun and any magazines. lock both in seperate containors and store in sperate lockable areas of the vehicle. proceed non-stop to her destination. than and only then can she reasonably be considered to be "traveling" her carry permit is NOT recognized by the PDRMD. I would also advise her to check with Hotel as to their gun policy. I would think that the applicalbe laws would be the same as if you were "renting" an apartment.

Not a lawyer
MikeV

I'd agree with that. I would think the hotel would qualify as a "residence," and its legal to transport it directly there w/ammo and guns boxed separately.

[Norton]

As I recall, we determined that the motel room was good to go.

The problem you have as a long term visitor where you will be coming and going day and after day is what do you do with the firearm?

You don't want to leave it in the motel room and you can't transport it unless you meet the legal threshold: Range, home, work (if permitted by employer) or the gunsmith.

[tinkerinWstuff]

Most hotel's provide safes for valuables. For whatever that's worth and how much you care to trust them. You may be able to provide your own. There is that model with a cable to secure it to a bed post. Not sure how much I trust those in a hotel room myself.