Thinking about transporting your gun through Maryland - Maybe not

[scubadive.ri]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/30/gun-owners-fear-maryland-cops-target-them-for-traf/

 

[one-eyed Jack]

I was born in Baltimore, so I'd probably be grandfathered. Many years ago I got a speeding ticket going thru Maryland and the cop gave me the "resident" rate. Jack.

 

[CobaltBlueSteel]

The officer who stopped both gun owners is “assigned to the I-95 corridor where there is a large volume of out of state travelers,” Mr. Green said.

I always take Interstate 81 when I travel south instead of 95. Way less cops for this reason. The scenery is a lot better too... mountains and farmland.

 

[mark056]

Interesting that the new Republican governor doesn't seem like he is going to get too involved in this. Are some of you GOP fanbois payin' attention? Them elephant men ain't our friends either...think ole Charlie's gonna throw us 2A peeps a bone here in Mass?

 

[Prepper]

Interesting that the new Republican governor doesn't seem like he is going to get too involved in this. Are some of you GOP fanbois payin' attention? Them elephant men ain't our friends either...think ole Charlie's gonna throw us 2A peeps a bone here in Mass?

But but but.... that's because we need even MORE Republicans. The governor would like to do something, but there's still some democrats out there so his hands are tied. If we get enough of them, I'm sure they'll do something for us, eventually. It has gotta be true!

 

[iofneedle]

But but but.... that's because we need even MORE Republicans. The governor would like to do something, but there's still some democrats out there so his hands are tied. If we get enough of them, I'm sure they'll do something for us, eventually. It has gotta be true!

We can always dream...

 

[BattleSnail]

So they determined the stop and search were legal...on what grounds? I'm guessing the guy must've consented to a search, maybe under threats or something. Merely having a concealed carry license is nowhere near probable cause to believe a crime is being committed.

I remember hearing about this a while back. Did this guy sue or anything?

 

[Devils Paintbrush]

I am always suspicious of police officers using the, "Is that marijuana I smell", as a false basis for probable cause and then never get called on it.

“The officer who stopped Mr. Filippidis smelled the odor of marijuana in the vehicle on his initial approach of the vehicle,” Mr. Green said. “Based on the conflicting stories regarding the location of the gun, the observations made while the vehicle was being stopped and the suspected odor of marijuana, the officer had probable cause to search the vehicle for possible controlled dangerous substances (CDS) and the weapon.”

Mr. Filippidis vehemently denies there was any smell of marijuana in his car, and he didn’t know that was the excuse used to justify the search of his SUV. He did say he may have been going a little over the speed limit, and his wife was confused about the whereabouts of his gun.

“If they smelled pot, why didn’t they arrest me for pot?” Mr. Filippidis said. “This whole thing just doesn’t add up. Smoking in front of my kids driving home from Christmas with the family? Come on. We walked away from the entire incident without even a ticket — for anything.”

Cop is hoping to find some sort of other violation that will let him make an arrest and justify him bending the law.

Thankfully, this is not as easy to use in Massachusetts these days.

 

[Horrible]

I always take Interstate 81 when I travel south instead of 95. Way less cops for this reason. The scenery is a lot better too... mountains and farmland.

Same here. That route certainly minimizes your time in MD and completely AVOIDS NJ!!!

I always try to make it to VA to stay overnight.

And, as you mentioned, very picturesque mountain scenery!

 

[Reptile]

I know this story.

His dumb ass wife said:

"He's got a gun!"

They conveniently left that out.

It's been said before...

Get your wife in line buddy.

 

[rivet_42]

So they determined the stop and search were legal...on what grounds? I'm guessing the guy must've consented to a search, maybe under threats or something.

Many (most?) law abiding folks tend to assume that the police are their friends, "I'm not doing anything illegal and have nothing to hide," "If I just cooperate with the nice officer I'll be on my way soon." That's only now starting to change now that there's mainstream media attention being paid to things like asset forfeiture and the militarization of the police.

 

[Kevin_NH]

Do Maryland transit cops have realtime access to out-of-state carry permit databases?

Meanwhile Extrano's Alley is claiming MDTA did a database lookup to target the driver before the stop. Is this realistic?

When they see a Vermont or New Hampshire plate, do they call in SWAT? Neither state has a resident carry license database available for lookups.

As for the MDTA, officials maintain only people who are committing traffic violations are pulled over, not those who have out-of-state concealed carry licenses.
“It is important to note that no gun-permitting information is programmed into any License Plate Reader units accessible to MDTA Police,” Mr. Green said.
In Mr. Filippidis‘ case, he was pulled over because he was going 72 mph in a 55 mph zone and was tailgating the officer, Mr. Green said.
“The officer observed the concealed carry gun permit while the driver was searching for his driver’s license and vehicle registration in his wallet,” Mr. Green said.
“After personally observing the gun permit, the officer asked the driver to step from the vehicle and inquired about the location of the weapon,” Mr. Green said. “The driver denied that there was a weapon in the vehicle.
“The officer returned to the vehicle to ask the occupant of the front passenger seat about the location of the gun. The occupant of the front passenger seat indicated that the gun was possibly in the glove box or the console of the vehicle and reached for the glove box before being advised by the officer to stop.”

I find the phrasing of "...no gun-permitting information is programmed into any License Plate Reader units accessible to MDTA Police" interesting.

 

[thorin]

Its only one data point, but I had a car wreck in Baltimore this summer and I'm pretty sure the city cops saw my ltc while I fished out my license and they didn't seem to give a crap.

 

[rwl1955]

Interesting that the new Republican governor doesn't seem like he is going to get too involved in this. Are some of you GOP fanbois payin' attention? Them elephant men ain't our friends either...think ole Charlie's gonna throw us 2A peeps a bone here in Mass?

******
He's a lot better than the anti-gun clown he replaced.

 

[drgrant]

He's a lot better than the anti-gun clown he replaced.

He has the power to stop this bullshit, and if he doesn't, that makes him just as bad as the last guy.

-Mike

 

[92G]

The cops target law abiders cuz they wont get hurt by us.

if they actually go after criminals things get interesting and theyd rather play it safe. Basically we are soft targets, low-hanging fruit so-to-speak. The maryland troopers just make it so obvious even the moonbats cant deny it.


growing up in chicago we saw this over and over and over. A dozen cops raid a party of college kids and bust for weed possession. 4 miles away theres a crack house full of thugs but you wont see any flashing blue lights over there.....too risky.

 

[Asaltweapon]

I always take Interstate 81 when I travel south instead of 95. Way less cops for this reason. The scenery is a lot better too... mountains and farmland.

Much nicer route with almost no traffic. Doesn't add that much time on a long trip either.

 

[hunt4riches]

I always take Interstate 81 when I travel south instead of 95. Way less cops for this reason. The scenery is a lot better too... mountains and farmland.

Driving in MD blows a donkey rod. 81 is the way to go. Break off at Roanoke and go down through the Carolinas if you're heading to Florida.

 

[Noreaster]

"The Maryland officer asked Mr. Kramer’s client whether he had a gun in the car, and once the man acknowledged he did, the officer arrested him for having the gun and the cartridge in the same locked container — not separated, as per Maryland law."

Curious, do you have to answer that question? At this point no matter what you say, your vehicle is going to be searched, so saying no when the answer is yes is not going to end well. So are you required to answer that question?

Very sad that people who make efforts to do the right thing and are not out to cause havock are the targets, as opposed to all the other crap that is in MD.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

So they determined the stop and search were legal...on what grounds? I'm guessing the guy must have consented to a search, maybe under threats or something. Merely having a concealed carry license is nowhere near probable cause to believe a crime is being committed.

I remember hearing about this a while back. Did this guy sue or anything?

Exactly. Lawful possession a license in no way constitutes reasonable suspicion of illegal activity. this search - provided he did not consent - violated his 4th amendment rights.

When cops pull you over and start down this road - never answer any questions. They're only asking to get you to incriminate yourself. Your only statement to them should be "Am I being detailed?" and "Am I free to go?" and "I will not answer any questions and I do not agree to any searches". Other than that shut your damn pie hole.

I think this needs to be watched by everyone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

 

[ThePreBanMan]

"The Maryland officer asked Mr. Kramer’s client whether he had a gun in the car, and once the man acknowledged he did, the officer arrested him for having the gun and the cartridge in the same locked container — not separated, as per Maryland law."

Curious, do you have to answer that question? At this point no matter what you say, your vehicle is going to be searched, so saying no when the answer is yes is not going to end well. So are you required to answer that question?

Very sad that people who make efforts to do the right thing and are not out to cause havock are the targets, as opposed to all the other crap that is in MD.

"I will not answer any questions" + "I do not consent to any searches" + "Am I being detained" + "Am I free to go?"

Other than that - shut up. Contrary to popular belief you don't HAVE to answer their questions. If they're asking those questions then they're trying to jam you up. So why help them? At that point you should only be concerned about yourself - not making their job easier to jam you up.

 

[Dadstoys]

Interesting that the new Republican governor doesn't seem like he is going to get too involved in this. Are some of you GOP fanbois payin' attention? Them elephant men ain't our friends either...think ole Charlie's gonna throw us 2A peeps a bone here in Mass?

Depends on the context of "Bone".

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Bad move - having a carry permit visible ANYWHERE any part of it may be seen while retrieving drivers license or registration. A friend had a similar issue in NY, which became a non-issue only because one of the passengers in the car had badge immunity.

 

[IvIax]

Are republicans all pro gun?

 

[Mudfish]

Are republicans all pro gun?

Ask Scott Brown.

 

[Christian]

“After personally observing the gun permit, the officer asked the driver to step from the vehicle and inquired about the location of the weapon,”

And that's exactly why my AAA card is behind my DL.

 

[coachjpg]

"I will not answer any questions" + "I do not consent to any searches" + "Am I being detained" + "Am I free to go?"

I recommend a minor variation on this approach.

As with any confrontation, you want to de-escalate the situation. "I will not" could serve to escalate, which is not what you want. An LEO with authority issues might then escalate further by trumping up probable cause for a search, like they smell weed or something.

If you say, "I am not at liberty to discuss anything." that's slightly less confrontational. It implies someone in authority (in this case, your lawyer) has forbidden you to talk to LEOs. If they ask why you're not at liberty, or who told you you can't talk, your only answer is "I am not at liberty to discuss anything."

If the LEO has any military background, they may recognize this as what folks with access to classified information are trained to say when someone asks them to talk about something classified.

 

[LowSpeedHighDrag]

Bad move - having a carry permit visible ANYWHERE any part of it may be seen while retrieving drivers license or registration. A friend had a similar issue in NY, which became a non-issue only because one of the passengers in the car had badge immunity.

I carry two wallets, one with the ordinary stuff and another with anything gun related.

I have always assumed that's why pants come with two back pockets.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Down South it seems to be SOP for police to get people out of the car and request (by intimidation) to search the vehicle even for a broken tail-light, non-functioning license plate light or speeding violation.

At least in MA, officers are taught in the police academies to keep people in the car for their own safety as well as officer safety. Totally different mentality vs. the South.

 

[The5thDentist]

I think this needs to be watched by everyone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wXkI4t7nuc

This was great.

Oh, and not to assume, but I bet that anyone with a MA, CT, RI, NY or even most from NJ would likely have an easier time as long as they are maintaining the speed limit than someone from FL, TX, NH, PA, or other freer states. MD state police have probably instructed their officers as to which state's residents make easy targets.