Your Guns and Your Car

Debbie and I put in over 4,000 miles a year traveling by car from our official residence in Key West, 90 miles from Cuba, to our summer home Newport, RI. We never hit the road without a full compliment of firepower. First, I do not want to leave behind a stash of guns that could fall into unfriendly hands. Second, I want to be prepared for any emergency on the road. We also travel with two meticulously assembled Navy SEAL survival packs loaded with about five pounds of goodies selected from Cabela’s and Strunk Ace Hardware in Key West. The two survival packs provide a maximum degree of comfort and safety while we are on the road.

While traveling, my rule is to keep all guns unloaded and cased. Ammo is stored separately. For handguns, I use a lockbox that can be opened only by the safety code. You must travel with the knowledge that the rules of the road for handguns are much different than for long guns. Many states have arcane laws that apply specifically to ammo and to specific guns (like the AR-15). I always travel with ammo and usually either my .223 or AK-47 or both. Debbie and I also take along our Henry Survival rifles.

OK then, how do you best prepare for the road given the multitude of different laws in our 50 states? First, get a concealed weapons license for your state of residence. Many states have reciprocity rules that will honor your out-of-state license. Debbie and I long ago passed the NRA handgun safety course that was required to obtain a Florida license. There is no downside to being legally armed and licensed. We also have made certain that that our grandkids are knowledgeable on gun safety. We have given a Henry .22. to each.

Leading up to WWII, tiny Switzerland prepared meticulously to fend off the Wehrmacht. Every able-bodied man enrolled in the militia, and even youngsters and old men were issued rifles to keep at home. The national sport then, as is the case today, was shooting, not skiing. I would adopt this exact Swiss model in the U.S. as a replacement for our standing Army, which is deployed almost exclusively by the political elite and the military/industrial complex to drag America into nation-building exercises with a zero record of success. And, by the way, our Constitution does not allow for a standing army! See Article. I. Section.8.

The final chapter of your road travel defense preparation strategy is to order today your copy of Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States. Turn initially to the section on interstate transport and read up on your rights under the McClure –Volkmer Act of 1986. I was shocked yesterday to find that my own dog-eared copy was dated 2010. My 2015 copy is on the way, Amazon Prime style. Pay special attention to the rules in N.Y., New Jersey, Massachusetts, and California. New Jersey, by example, does not look kindly on hollow point ammo. And Massachusetts is hardline against the AR-15, which the state authorities have somehow sold to the populace as being an assault rifle. Ask any vet you know how he would like to go into combat with a semi-automatic weapon like an AR-15. I doubt you will hear much enthusiasm.

You are now prepared to hit the road with the comfort, knowledge and safety that comes with thinking ahead. There is never a downside in being prepared for your family.