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Book Review by Monte DunnThere are more than a few books all gun own-

ers should have as cornerstone volumes in theircollection. They include the works of MassadAyoob, John Lott, Dave Kopel, Don Kates and afew others. They may deal with self-defense, pro-tection of fundamental rights, and the historicalbasis of both the Second Amendment and Ameri-ca’s gun culture. Some are a necessary part of thepro-gun, pro-self-defense, pro-hunting movementof which every gun owner should be a part. Travel-er’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States byJ. Scott Kappas, Esq., covers a topic that will helpensure your immediate freedom. This ounce ofprevention may well prove to be worth more thanan almost inestimableweight in cure.

Americans as apeople have proventhemselves travelersby nature. In our tur-bulent time more thanever we tend to travelby car. As gun peoplewe often like to have afirearm at hand. In ourtrips, often from agun-friendly jurisdic-tion to another placewhere the gun cultureflourishes, we mustoften pass throughplaces where the hos-tility to gun ownershipis palpable. None ofus wants to go toprison, face fines,have a favorite firearmconfiscated or, worse,lose the very right tokeep and bear arms, tovote and so on. Kappas’ book can help you stayon the right side of the law in your travelsthrough the United States.

Kappas is an attorney, a pro-gun activist and aClass III firearms dealer. While he points out fromthe start that his book is not a substitute for thepersonal advice of an attorney, he gives you theinformation you will need while preparing for atrip as to the places where you are most likely torun afoul of the law. While the Gun Owners Pro-tection Act (known as Volkmer-McClure when itwas a Reagan-era bill which became law) general-ly allows the transport of firearms (locked andunloaded and other conditions as well) from aplace where you may legally possess a certain gunto another such place, in some jurisdictions thelaw is only honored in the breach.

At the top of each page, one for each state (and

the District of Columbia), we are shown a scale of0 (total prohibition) to 100 (total freedom). Belowthat is a travelers checklist which covers handgunownership, rifle and shotgun ownership, “assaultweapon” ownership (the Clinton definition),machinegun ownership, firearm law uniformity(i.e. can individual cities or counties have lawswhich do not conform to state law), open carry,concealed carry, as well as vehicle carry and trans-portation. Below that is an explanatory text. Welearn that while in one place a gun need only havean empty chamber to be legally “unloaded,” onestate over, even if the chamber is empty, a loadedmagazine in the firearm makes it “loaded.”

Likewise we may also find that while a loadedhandgun on your frontseat is absolutely legalin jurisdiction “A,” ifit’s under your seat orin the glove compart-ment in the same area,it is now “concealed”and a criminal act.Also, state “B” mayrecognize your home-state carry permit (evenif your state doesn’trecognize theirs) whilein state “C” any permitis worthless and instate “D” you musthave an FFL to evenpossess a handgun! Instate “E” you may havea long gun, but it mustbe unloaded and in alocked case in alocked trunk, yet downthe road you can haveit loaded in a visiblegun rack.

After reading the 2005 Traveler’s Guide, youmay decide to boycott some states or simply drivearound them to get to where you’re going. Sincethe first Guide in 1996, much has changed. Inaddition, the language used in some state laws isso parsed as to make one actually wonder “whatthe meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” For this reasonwe are given the addresses and phone numbersof the various agencies (attorney general, statepolice) which handle such matters. If you make acall, write down the date, time and with whomyou spoke. Mail is good also as you will, hopeful-ly, have the reply in writing. And again, as Kap-pas points out, there is no substitute for profes-sional legal advice. You can network through theNRA, your local gun club, etc., but no matterwhat, know before you go. Buy this book – it’s agold mine of good advice. DP

An Ounce of Prevention:Traveler’s Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States

See Page 32 to orderbook. Dillon Leather by Mitch Rosenis on Pages 20 & 21.

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