Drove to Texas for Christmas which to the casual observer should create no issues as AZ, NM and TX all recognize a NV CCW permit. Being curious/careful, I checked up on the rules in those states to avoid any "gotchas". Good thing I did.

Turns out all these states have certain special rules about where you cannot carry, but how you are supposed to recognize where they apply is baffling. There are things like "if the business earns more than 60% of it's income from sales of beer and wine". Do they post their accounts on a board by the front door? Then there are rules saying don't carry in a place that serves hard liquor. Again, it's not always obvious what restaurants can and cannot serve an out of stater until you get inside.

Then there are the rules on what would be called brandishing or flashing a gun in NV. The Texas law is written in a legalese that took me a few goes to unravel, and even then it looked a little like a "catch-all" type of deal. Maybe it's written that way to give DAs and judges some wiggle room.

The biggest "gotcha" I found was in NM. Apparently, carrying a concealed BUG in addition to your regular CCW is a no-no. Did not see that one coming, and as a habitual pocket carrier of a Ruger LCP it's a good thing I checked. I carried "heavy" on this trip, i.e. OWB under a cover garment, and it would have been too easy to gear up and forget the LCP.

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Release the Kraken

Signs in bars and the like have to be conspicuously posted saying 51%, meaning if they make that much of their business in alcohol, no carrying.

Come to Ohio, we are Constitutional Carry now, but the rules do apply.

If You are drinking, don't carry.

CC only applies to handguns! Big Knife/swords/axes had best be unaccusable, and long guns loaded in a car is a big NO-NO!

We have a no gun zone sign, must be RED circle w/ slash on a black gun, must be posted in plain sight at/on the entrance (not somewhere inside!)

No Brandishing or threatening with CCW. Open carry is legal with CC license (don't know about out of state license).

If a business asks you to leave because of your gun, take your money and leave! If you had started your meal, that is their problem. If you have a group, you are their ride, and they should leave their half-eaten meal unpaid for also!

Ivan

Preaching to the choir OP! My wife and I travel a lot in our motorhome, so trying to keep up with laws in all the individual states can be somewhat of a challenge.

I usually research and familiarize myself with each state before we arrive. And you are correct, each one is a little different. Keeps me out of trouble though.

Visit Montana,

From the Dept of Justice.

Montana law allows any person to conceal carry a weapon without a concealed weapon permit, so long as that person is eligible to possess a firearm under state or federal law.

Montana law allows any person to conceal carry a weapon in state government office or state building, but only if that person is the holder of a current, valid Montana concealed weapon permit

Montana issues concealed weapon permits, which must be applied for and obtained from your local Montana county sheriff.

It is illegal for a person to carry a concealed weapon into a courtroom or space controlled by a Montana court, unless otherwise ordered by the judge in charge of that court.

It is illegal to carry a concealed weapon into a Montana public school, unless otherwise ordered by the school board in charge of that public school.

It is illegal to carry a concealed weapon into a federal office or building.

Montana law allows local governments to regulate the carrying of both concealed and unconcealed weapons in certain areas. Please check local regulations. County sheriffs can provide information on where concealed weapons are prohibited in their counties.

Montana has no prohibitions about carrying a weapon in a motor vehicle.

Here a weapon covers Knife, sword, hatchet, AR with a 30 round mag stuck in it. The only way your going to get a ticket for having loaded guns in your rig is if there are enough of them to put you over your GVW

The local sheriffs are very limited as to where they can prohibit guns. Your good to go on any public road. A few parks, hospitals and treatment centers and a few government building are about it and they have signs.

#1 -- Know the concealed carry laws of every state you enter.

#2 -- Always be low-profile in behavior, carry CONCEALED, and the odds of having any trouble with #1 will be very small.

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Pisgah

I moved from Vegas to Ohio 1.5 years ago. The CCW in Vegas took 118 days from application to receipt. Ohio CCW took 20 minutes. In Vegas my AR could be cruiser ready, not here. It's best to keep a low profile and not become an item of interest to officials. John German says, " Don't go with stupid people to stupid places and do stupid things".

Being Ohio born and now residing in Michigan I am well aware that carrying where alcohol is served can be a problem. In addition Michigan doesn't permit CCW with a blood alcohol content over 0.02%. Yeah, enjoy just one single beer and your CPL is void until your BOC is effectively zero. My solution for all of these issues is to not carry in any venue that is likely to serve alcohol, be it Bourbon, Wine, Beer, or Hard Cider and I don't drink when I am carrying.

Some may consider this an imposition and loss of free will. However what is undeniable is that consumption of Alcohol can lead to bad decisions and mixing bad decisions with a gun can end up in Death or Prison. Yeah, I'm a prude and think that guns and alcohol should NEVER be mixed. If you don't adhere to this then you are IMO foolish. Perhaps a few times of having to dodge a Drunk Driver will change your mid.

MN is an interesting state. Deep blue, not terribly gun friendly - handguns require purchase permits and they just did away with private transfers. No right spelled out in the state constitution. No open carry without a permit.

But CC is easy to get and there are very few restrictions on where you can carry. The only statutory no-carry zones are schools, child care facilities, jails, courthouses, and state mental hospitals. No gun signs do not have force of law.

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Common sense isn't so common.

Holden, it may not be obvious to some that you are in...and speaking of...Texas. I saw but a handful of such signs in my trip out this past April. Stopped in Fredericksburg for lunch, but ended in Round Rock and Georgetown area. Here in Aridzona, a No Guns sign on the door is optional for the merchant. There has to be a specifically posted sign next to the posted alcohol license of the establishment.

In traversing that lonesome stretch of NM on the I-Ten, I took my BUG from my pocket and put it in the glove box. However, I don't think I even stopped for gas in NM. Made it into El Paso before doing so.

It's tough and one of the things you need to plan for when traveling through multiple States.

I retired out of CA & still have a CCW. But even though I was allowed to keep hi-caps when I retired, I no longer reside in CA. So when I go back, I only bring 10 rounders. I'm sure plenty of other retired LE who travel back don't really care.

And I've got family in NM, so I always have to remember to dump the BUG when I hit the State line. One of the Hotels dining areas in NM was serving cocktails and had the "no firearms" posted.

But honestly, I usually just do my thing and don't worry about it.

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Watch & Pray

Which is why I print out the laws of any state I might be traveling to and keep it in a file folder with differences from Montana law highlighted just to be sure.
I have been using handgunlaw.us to look up these states.

Randy

Handgunlaw.us

Is you friend both at home and when traveling

My road trip gun has long been the 1911 of my youth. I thought its low capacity was safe everywhere. Thanks for opening my eyes to individual states loopholes!

People are big on states rights until they find how how messy thar can be with all kinds of things. Concealed carry is just one. A Federal permit would save lots of confusion.

My NM permit doesn't work in the two states I visit every year - CA and IA. It's fine everywhere in between. It's annoying.

While it might well be a pain in the rear with individual states, I am totally unimpressed by the federal governments to do ANYTHING in a reasonable and effective manner. I do not believe I want them regulating and issuing my carry permit. If you believe the anti gun states and politicians wouldn't make it worse consider what happened in New York and California once the Supreme court told them they had to give out permits.

I believe a federal permit would be every bit as useful in states like CA, NY and NJ as a parachute in a submarine

While traveling to a few states can be a pain, there are less than 20 that are a total NO GO with a Montana permit, and I can easily avoid spending ANY of my time or money in them. The majority of the western states have figured out that the honest citizens are NOT the problem and have dropped the whole permit thing or honor others permits. Only the states living in fantasy land cling to the idea that idea that restricting honest citizens will stop crime. With a Montana enhanced permit and the ability to read, I can travel to all but 3 of the states west of the Mississippi with little worry.

I'd like to renew my CCL when I renew my passport.

Yes, a federal permit would be as simple and straightforward as the income-tax code.

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Formerly Model520Fan

Maybe. But my passport application was easier than my state 'real ID' driver's license application by far.

I frankly think rules like this are stupid enough to be ignored. I can see saying that you can't carry and drink, but saying you can't carry in a place that makes more than half their money from booze is absurd if you're not drinking.

Unless the place provides armed security during all business hours to protect you from the scumbag who's walking in because he knows everyone is unarmed, I'll keep my gun on.

You’re a law enforcement officer. That works everywhere. . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Do game laws ever trump cc laws? Is a loaded rifle on atv or in truck allowed while deer hunting?

One of the nice things about your road trip is you could have a long gun in condition one next to you all the way to Texas. Many pioneer traversed those states the same way for many years going the other direction.

Sure, just ignore the law if you don't mind a felony conviction. It's 30-7-3 NMSA 1978 and has been upheld by the state Supreme Court.

Everybody makes choices.

Retired and have a regular CCL.

You can’t take advantage of LEOSA?

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I could, but have no interest. I'm just not ever going to carry a retirement badge and ID. Ever. If CCL is all everyone else can get, that's good enough for me. I also pay my speeding tickets.

The checks are nice, though.

Well, there’s no need for a badge, but you’d carry a federal permit if one was offered. Duly noted . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

The status quo on concealed carry permits is ridiculous. What is perfectly legal in one state will get you arrested in another...how patently unfair.

A marriage license is valid in all states. A driver's license is valid in all states. Some professional licenses can be transferred easily if the holder moves to another state.

This same principle should apply to concealed-carry permits. If you have a valid permit from a state that requires it, it should apply in all 50 states. If your home state requires no permit, you should be able to carry anywhere without one.

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Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins

Just like I carry my NM CCL.

Iowa effectively doesn’t care.

Weapon permit law changes that took effect July 1, 2021 remove the requirement for a permit to acquire or a permit to carry in order to purchase a handgun or carry a firearm in public places subject to certain limitations.
Weapon Permits | Iowa Department of Public Safety

The only reason New Mexico permit didn’t/doesn’t work is because New Mexico is elitist. Reciprocity is the basis of all relationships, at least according to James Ellroy.

During my lifetime I've seen gun laws go from one extreme to the other.
It's always been about which way the prevailing political winds are blowing at any given time or location.

We travel mostly in the States of AZ, TX, CO and NM. I always review the latest CCW laws in Handgun.US before we hit the road. Being that New Mexico has many Indian Reservations how do those of you living and traveling in New Mexico deal with carrying while driving through the Reservations? In AZ the Tribes do not recognize CCW permits and carrying is a violation of Tribal Laws, therefore we seldom drive on Tribal lands in our own State. That’s almost impossible in NM. US citizens have no Constitutional Rights on Reservations and are basically entering a foreign country. So what is the best way to avoid any conflicts with the Tribal police?

If you are not an enrolled member of any tribe, tribal laws cannot apply to you. Some tribal officers have state commisions which can only be used to enforce state laws with non-Indians.

YES you can carry a loaded gun in your car/truck while hunting. In fact IF the our Fish and Game dept had such stupid a rule it would be impossible to enforce as here, my car truck is an extension of my home and they would need a warrant to search it or anything inside of it without a visible violation. Even if I had a gun with a magazine in it there is no visible proof it is a loaded magazine. Plus, even if I am driving around in the country wearing an orange vest, there is no real proof I am even hunting. Maybe I am just driving around and have a rifle, which I have every right in the world to have. If they tried to say some rounds in one of those deals people put on their stock constituted a loaded rifle, a jury would laugh them out of court if they could get a judge to let it go that far. There is such a rule about loaded guns in vehicles on the CMR but that is a federal rule on that federal reserve and it is patrolled by the federal wildlife guys. I don't bother hunting there, but I have never heard of anyone being fined for it. It isn't a rule on national forest of BLM land either. A warden or Sheriff can't enter my tent here without a warrant either, once again, extension of my home.

But, I have never had a single problem with a warden here. They have always been polite and friendly and in over 40 years I have only been asked for my license twice. The last time I was sitting in a chair fishing on the river, I told him its in that open tackle box. He picked up the plastic envelope in my tackle box and said this is an elk permit, I said keep looking, he pulled out more, deer license, keep looking, then trapping permit, final fishing, I never left my chair. He asked if he could check my stringer, I said go ahead, he pulled it out, checked the sturgeon to make sure it was a shovelnose and not a pallid and was on his way. Polite friendly professional even though I didn't go out of my way to help him do his job. I was comfortable and fishing. IMHO it is impolite to bother a man so engaged.

The other time my brother and I had parked, got out and had just started walking towards a small dam face to try to jump shoot some ducks. 2 of em in a pickup drove up and asked to see our paper, showed them, they said good luck and left, never checked our guns or ammo.

We have a bunch of native reservations. Some honor a permit, none of them will bother you on any of the state or federal highways. Once off those I would be careful, but unless your visiting someone there is little reason to do so. Can't hunt there, their casinos are not much different that ours, . But, once again I have never had a single problem on a reservation or with a native. I got stopped for speeding once, on a reservation, by a county sheriff, who was also a native, warning and on my way,

During an Arizona CCW class years ago the question came up about reservations. Two instructors had identical responses; driving through on State or Federal highways it's legal to carry, once off the highway and onto tribal land you are not. An example is the town of Parker Arizona along the Colorado river. The local tribe operates many gas stations, a Burger King, a Walmart and a Safeway grocery store, and many other businesses. It is illegal to carry there and anywhere else in the town that is owned by the tribe. No signs to that fact are posted anywhere in town, nor in any of the businesses. When I am carrying...which is 24/7...we do not stop anywhere in the town of Parker. Tribal Police patrol the town, but do not enforce highway laws.

A couple of years ago a woman tripped and fell in the Walmart parking lot. Due to her injuries she was going to file a lawsuit against Walmart. Being that the accident happened on tribal land she could not hire her own attorney unless the attorney was a tribal member. Needless to say that was the end of the lawsuit.

I assume traveling in New Mexico would have similar restrictions and consequences for getting caught with a firearm on tribal lands., permit or not.

A couple of links:

INJURIES ON INDIAN LANDS | personalinjury

What Happens When You Get in an Accident on Indigenous Land in California? - Ehline Law Firm Personal Injury Attorneys, APLC

I am, in principle at least against a federal permit for carry. Once you give that power to the federal government there is no knowing what will happen.

As to Texas, the 51% signs are almost impossible to miss. There are also specific signs, with specific wording, letter size, color, and posting locations for no concealed carry, no open carry, no permitless carry. They also have to be in both English and Spanish. Alternatively, a premise owner can verbally warn people what is and isn't allowed. I've never heard the latter anywhere, but it's in the law.

As to Muss's comment that LEOs can carry everywhere, as if. While that's the letter of the law, some states in the northeast are decidedly unfriendly to off duty out of state officers carrying.

As others have said, check the laws in any states where you are traveling. One of the reasons I'll be getting my Texas LTC is because there are reciprocity benefits with southern states to which I may travel.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Having a federal permit system WOULD NOT make the confusion go away. Every state would want and get its on rules as to what, where, ammo, etc etc. My Montana drivers license may well be valid in all 50 states, but I know for a fact I can't drive 70MPH on every states 2 lane and I bet some states would have a baby if I drove my legally street licensed Polaris Ranger on their streets and here we drive them all over. I can pull my camp trailer and have another small trailer hooked behind it here but not in every state.

Here to get a carry permit takes a the same background check as buying a gun, no finger prints and about 4 or 5 days.

The state just made a rule for an enhanced permit, just so our permits will be honored by a few more states. Got to be 21 and a bit more safety and shooting qualification. Spoke with the sheriff about it, here he will actual come to the phone and speak to you or meet you at his office, him the guy who put on NRA gun classes are hashing out a how to get it going. I shoot with the NRA instructor regularly, so called him and I will have any problems once they get a program figured out/

Ha! I'm just now getting used to driving 70-75 on highways and 60 on one lane roads. Or 80 on the toll roads.

If I ever go back east and rent a car I'll have to relearn how to drive on those Yankee roads.

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Can open, worms everywhere.

Yeah I get that the idea of one federal permit sounds easy but think if someone like Governor Gavin Newsome becomes president. You should be very worried about that. In my opinion he gets paid by the Chinese Communist Party to among many other things which weaken our nation to advance senseless gun control laws leading to the eventual confiscation and ban of private firearms ownership. He recently visited his boss (my opinion) President Xi in China. In California we used to have about one new gun law each week. Now we have multiple new gun laws each week proposed in the 80% Democrat controlled Legislature. There are some good people in California but the news media here is part of the brainwashing machine that gets this absolute one political party control to make our lives hell. Most states are going in the right direction with gun laws letting honest citizens exercise their 2A rights to protect themselves and their families. Trust me President Newsome is a scary possibility. You don’t want him in charge of your federal CCW permit.

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Accuracy supercedes Speed

Yes our "only one concealed firearm" rule here in New Mexico is pretty stupid. We are open carry, and you could (unless in a prohibited place) carry a dozen or more unconcealed weapons on your person, but heaven forbid that more than one of those is concealed.

Our "brain trust" (legislature) meets again beginning next week, and a 14 day waiting period, mag restrictions, and AWB are all up for discussion even though this is only a 30 day "budget only" year. One of these days I am going to pack it in and move either east or west.

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Only a cold warrior

In Arizona you don't need a gun permit to carry, BUT if you do get a CCW then you can carry inside a business that serves alcohol as long as you do not consume any AND they do not have a sign posted saying no firearms are allowed. AZ also recognizes a CCW permit from ALL other states.

Lee, as you noted later-on...if you are traversing their land/s on a Gov't road, you are good. I believe that the Navajo now honor the Az permit anywhere you are in The Nation.

Best advice for the several reservations in our state is to carry something you won't cry over when they confiscate from you.

That's for sure. There are plenty of places in MA where 80mph does not qualify you for the left lane, unless you like being passed on the right.

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Formerly Model520Fan

Same for Northeast Illinois. If you're not going at least 75, you better be in the right lane.

You are 69 years old. I have trouble internalizing the Mogadishu references. Every contractor I am aware of gets out when you’re eligible for Medicare

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

You likely just don't know enough about contracting. I'm not the oldest one in this project; different skillsets required in difficult places are often filled by those of us with experience best measured in decades and numbers of continents on which we've worked.

I'd rather that CCWs from every state be recognized as legal in all states under the Constitution's full faith and credit clause just like drivers licenses and marriages.

No need for detrimental federal involvement in their issuance.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that law prevents you from defending yourself even if you are NOT drinking, based solely on your presence at a place that allows drinking. So, no gun at a restaurant dining out, even if you are not drinking. No gun at a bar, if you are there to meet friends and having a soft drink.

Yup, put me in the "loss of rights" column.