Re-Routing to Reduce the Risk...

Tim

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I'm driving to PA tomorrow, with a side trip through Raleigh for a pistol trade. Which means that I'll be traveling with a super eeeeeeeeevil scary black pistol shooter/sprayer of death.

The Google tells me my fastest route would take me through Washington, DC and Baltimore....screw that noise. I'm re-routing myself well over an hour out of the way so I only have to spend a total of 12 miles in the communist state of Maryland and no time at all in DC.

NC, VA, WV and PA are all good with an NC Concealed Handgun Permit, so I'll only have to disarm for the 12 miles that it takes to cross Maryland along I-81.

What a pain in the ass.
 
I'm driving to PA tomorrow, with a side trip through Raleigh for a pistol trade. Which means that I'll be traveling with a super eeeeeeeeevil scary black pistol shooter/sprayer of death.

The Google tells me my fastest route would take me through Washington, DC and Baltimore....screw that noise. I'm re-routing myself well over an hour out of the way so I only have to spend a total of 12 miles in the communist state of Maryland and no time at all in DC.

NC, VA, WV and PA are all good with an NC Concealed Handgun Permit, so I'll only have to disarm for the 12 miles that it takes to cross Maryland along I-81.

What a pain in the ass.
I have done the same thing three times!
 
Just made that trip up and back.

Last year we screwed up and went through DC. I never want to see that dump again for as long as I live. And they can keep Baltimore too!

edit: And, dang, I didn't know the Shenandoah Valley goes on forever!
 
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Did it up and back last weekend. If you only added an hour to your trip to avoid DC, you will probably come out AHEAD on time, because you'd lose at least an hour in traffic jams. What a cluster. I was boxed in pretty much all the way from Petersburg VA to Philly. Ugh.
 
If you only added an hour to your trip to avoid DC, you will probably come out AHEAD on time, because you'd lose at least an hour in traffic jams. What a cluster. I was boxed in pretty much all the way from Petersburg VA to Philly. Ugh.
I came here to post this. DC is a 24-7 CF.
 
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NC, VA, WV and PA are all good with an NC Concealed Handgun Permit, so I'll only have to disarm for the 12 miles that it takes to cross Maryland along I-81.
Plan your stops well ahead of time, and pick an alternate. Just in case.

And still plan on being prepared to show your papers, comrade.
 
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Sounds like a great trade.
 
so I'll only have to disarm for the 12 miles that it takes to cross Maryland along I-81.
Go real fast through there to reduce the time. I'd recommend about 95.
Seriously though, I'm sure you ain't the only one to think of this route and the Maryland Troopers know it. I'd bet you see at least 2 patrol cars in this little 12mi stretch, and that's just the marked ones.

Mr. truck driving North Carolina license plate fish-bait driving guy. You aren't from around here are you? Step out of the truck please.
 
I used to do that route regularly. I'd go many hours out of my way to avoid I-95. Whatever the GPS says, add at least an hour for traffic jams along 95.

Shenandoah valley is long, but scenic! And lots of historical sites along the way of you're a history buff and have time.

Safe travels.
 
My son and I went through that 12 mile stretch of Maryland one time about 5 years ago and came up on one of those electronic signs on the side of the road - "Warning.... Traffic Slowdown 2 Miles Ahead". Sure enough, traffic was backing up. Speed down to about 30. A sea of brake lights ahead.

A mile down the road, in an area where the median was wooded, was another electronic sign - "Drug Interdiction Check Point 1 Mile. Be Prepared To Stop". WTF???

A couple hundred yards further on the woods in the median ended. Off of the left hand shoulder was a broken down car with the hood up and a guy standing at the front bumper mostly just watching the traffic pass by.

And a few hundred yards beyond that was a whole herd of Maryland State Police cars parked in the median headed in the other direction and ready to give chase.

My son said, "Oh boy, this should be good. We'll be awhile getting through this."

And beyond that........... nothing. No check point, no more cops, no nothing. Traffic started moving and we were on our way, laughing our asses off wondering how many people U-turned across that median only to get chased down.
 
The post by @notso556 reminded me of this recent ruling from the nutty 9th (hey, even a blind squirrel gets a nut occasionally):
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/2...erently-suspicious-about-running-police.shtml
Finally, the government argued that Brown's decision to flee when he saw police officers was inherently suspicious. Again, the court says this is wrong. While fleeing officers can be suggestive of wrongdoing, it is only one factor and it's one heavily influenced by the deteriorated relationships many law enforcement agencies have with the communities they serve. The Ninth Circuit quotes Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who put this in his dissent from the Court's 2000 decision in Illinois v. Wardlow:

Among some citizens, particularly minorities and those residing in high crime areas, there is also the possibility that the fleeing person is entirely innocent, but, with or without justification, believes that contact with the police can itself be dangerous, apart from any criminal activity associated with the officer’s sudden presence.
I remember reading a couple of weeks ago when this came out and it jumped out at me that they said that the cops are responsible for the deterioration in the relationships with the people. I know I want nothing to do with them. Doubly so when it comes to those Nazis in places like MD.
 
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I just made the trip to Pittsburgh and back. I-77 and I-79 route west through VA, WV and PA. All good to go on CHP reciprocity. I found the "duty to inform" a little bit conflicting, but the USACarry site lists VA, WV and PA as "if asked" states. NC is a duty to inform state. WV is a permitless carry state.

On the "if asked" issue, what the heck are you going to do in WV is stopped and asked? Say, "I have no duty to inform?" I'm not too sure that would set the tone for a good rapport with the officer.

Be aware that the roads, at least in western PA, are crumbling. My SO's BMW needs tires soon, but I made sure it's sooner by hitting two very deep potholes at highway speeds. I was on the things before I could react.
 
On the "if asked" issue, what the heck are you going to do in WV is stopped and asked? Say, "I have no duty to inform?" I'm not too sure that would set the tone for a good rapport with the officer.
Best bet is probably just say, "yes, sir, I have my firearm with me." That pretty much says that you're not planning on shooting him.
 
I too am looking at a similar drive. I95 to New Hampshire in two weeks. I did rent a Cadillac for the drive though, hoping they'll just see me as some old person and leave me alone. I have plenty of time to get there, so I won't be speeding through most of it.
 
We're also leaving for that area. We always go inland I81 to 78 over the Tappan Zee bridge north of NYC.
Looks like that will be my best option. I don't buy the route estimate of I95, even if I drove through the evening.
 
Looks like that will be my best option. I don't buy the route estimate of I95, even if I drove through the evening.

You used to be able to get through DC all right if you worked on your timing, but as Catfish said above, it is now a hot mess 24x7.
 
I too am looking at a similar drive. I95 to New Hampshire in two weeks. I did rent a Cadillac for the drive though, hoping they'll just see me as some old person and leave me alone. I have plenty of time to get there, so I won't be speeding through most of it.

Dye your hair white and drive 50 mph in the left lane with your turn signal on. They'll leave you alone for sure. You'll be a low value target.

+1 on the I-81/I-78/Tappanzee route. Avoid NJ and most of MD. Hold your breath in NY, CT and MA until you hit the NH line.

I spent all my adult life in NH until moving to SC. Be careful, you might want to stay. Get north of Concord and you'll get that familiar feeling of being in the Appalachian chain again. They might talk a little funny but you'll feel right at home.
 
Dye your hair white and drive 50 mph in the left lane with your turn signal on. They'll leave you alone for sure. You'll be a low value target.

+1 on the I-81/I-78/Tappanzee route. Avoid NJ and most of MD. Hold your breath in NY, CT and MA until you hit the NH line.

I spent all my adult life in NH until moving to SC. Be careful, you might want to stay. Get north of Concord and you'll get that familiar feeling of being in the Appalachian chain again. They might talk a little funny but you'll feel right at home.
I've got the year round tan thing going on, so most likely I'd be stopped for potentially running drugs.

I can move to NH, but I don't think I could convince my wife to move back to cooler weather.
 
Well, I successfully navigated all 12 miles of I-81 in MD without having any of the 3 pistols I had with me do murder.

SLOWEST. TWELVE MILES OF MY LIFE. I generally speed, not ludicrous speed just going with the flow, but trying to actually DO the speed limit felt dangerous.
 
I always go up through Warrenton, VA to Berkeley Springs, WV and cross through MD going over the Potomac on 522/70. It's the narrowest point of the state. Might be 2 miles then you are in PA.
 
I-81 is my back yard.. from Bristol to Winchester, long drive but it feels like I am just riding around the old home.... when I hit MD.... it's like crossing the Berlin Wall into East Germany. (Middle PA is nice... but too far west and too far east.. no thanks)
 
I'm driving to PA tomorrow, with a side trip through Raleigh for a pistol trade. Which means that I'll be traveling with a super eeeeeeeeevil scary black pistol shooter/sprayer of death.

The Google tells me my fastest route would take me through Washington, DC and Baltimore....screw that noise. I'm re-routing myself well over an hour out of the way so I only have to spend a total of 12 miles in the communist state of Maryland and no time at all in DC.

NC, VA, WV and PA are all good with an NC Concealed Handgun Permit, so I'll only have to disarm for the 12 miles that it takes to cross Maryland along I-81.

What a pain in the ass.
I’ve done that trip so many times that I literally know every pot hole in the road. Grandmother lived in Martinsburg, the last town before you crossed into communist territory. My aunt lives in Chambersburg, PA and my Grandmother went to live with her before she passed away. I’ve crossed that 12 miles at times with enough hardware to start WWIII. I won’t do it again!
 
I’ve actually read that doing exactly the speed limit is considered suspicious. Your better being off a couple of MPH.

OK, I think we can all concede that going faster than the speed limit is breaking the law and gives an officer all the reason they need to pull you over.

So you're saying that driving exactly the speed limit is also grounds for detention? And I don't read your comment to say you think it ought to be, just real world recognition that that is how they roll.

So I suppose driving under the speed limit is also suspicious activity?

:confused:

Say it ain't so.
 
OK, I think we can all concede that going faster than the speed limit is breaking the law and gives an officer all the reason they need to pull you over.

So you're saying that driving exactly the speed limit is also grounds for detention? And I don't read your comment to say you think it ought to be, just real world recognition that that is how they roll.

So I suppose driving under the speed limit is also suspicious activity?

:confused:

Say it ain't so.
Doing anything is suspicious, but not doing anything is suspiciouser.
 
No, I’m saying I’ve read that doing exactly the speed limit is suspicious because nobody does that.

Oh I get what you're saying. I'm just pointing out the irony that not breaking the law is the same "articulable suspicion" and grounds for detention as breaking the law.

Land of the free and all, or something like that.

America. It was a great idea while it lasted.

:(

Liberty will die with a whimper, not a bang.
 
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