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Moving to Maryland, Working in DC

Bringtherain

Bringtherain

Private
Minuteman
Sep 28, 2020
69
136
Louisiana (LA)
found out last week I am moving to the DC area. found a house in Mechanicsville, Maryland already. under contract and should be closing in the next month. any advice or thoughts about moving to the area? besides a short one year tour in the peoples republic of Massachusetts, I have never really experienced the northeast. shit, I haven't even seen snow since then. am I going to need to buy a snow blower? I don't even know how many times a year I am going to have to get the oil/fuel?? tank for the heater filled. any good guns ranges around Mechanicsville, Maryland? good gun stores? any advice is appreciated.
 
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First off, your commute into DC is going to SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

Bringing guns into MD:
SBRs, SBSs, cans, AOWs, DDs - no problem
MGs - no problem other than an additional registration with the state
non-assaulty rifles and/or shotguns - no problem
assaulty-type things - will be problem if they are enumerated on the ban list, otherwise, maybe register with the state police depending on configuration (pistol, receiver only) (https://mdsp.maryland.gov/Organizat...LicensingDivision/Firearms/FirearmSearch.aspx)
handguns - must have a handgun qualification license (https://mdsp.maryland.gov/Organizat...ion/Firearms/HandgunQualificationLicense.aspx) then register with the state, handgun must be approved for sale (https://mdsp.maryland.gov/Organization/Handgun Roster Meeting Minutes/Disapproved List.pdf)
(https://licensingportal.mdsp.maryland.gov/MspBridgeClient/#/home)

Snow - hit or miss, can go years with no snow and then get 2 ft.; wouldn't be a bad idea to have a snowblower if you've got a long driveway or are essential personnel but it may sit idle for the whole time you're here (Western and Southern MD usually gets hit harder than the northern region).

Fuel oil - winters have been mild (night-time high 20s-low 30's), summers are swampy, though.

Ranges - Delmarva (23501 Marsh Rd, Mardela Springs, MD 21837) would be the big one (500 yds.) but they're on the other side of the bay so you've got to go north to 50 and then follow it south; St. Charles Sportsman Club would be closer but they are private membership (and I think that their facilities are closed for the moment); there is/was a public lands shithole near Waldorf but that shithole is/was only about 80 yds., and it's a shithole.
Some 25-50 yd. indoor ranges nearby but nothing of note, oh, other than Maryland Small Arms - avoid Maryland Small Arms unless you want to be followed home by some DC wannabe thugs and targeted for burglary.

Wish I had better news for ya.
 
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MD is similar to CA, good luck and prepare for the suckage

buy a house in a gun friendly state to leave your guns in
 
did you consider taxes in the housing price?

and that isn't close to DC in my book

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Bringtherain said:
I am working on the side of DC closest to Andrews. its only an hour commute for me.
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I guess you've down here and seen the traffic. Totally atypical of non-covid conditions. Rush-hour traffic into and out of DC will eventually return to stop-and-go all around 495, and on 5 and 301, etc.
And the area around Andrews is actually pretty shitty with a lot of spill-over bullshit from DC. Watch your back on your way to and from!
 
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would you guys recommend VA instead? I literally just found out one of our contingencies for buying was pinged. so its not like i am locked into that spot.
 
Bringtherain said:
would you guys recommend VA instead? I literally just found out one of our contingencies for buying was pinged. so its not like i am locked into that spot.
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I think the key is to get away from anywhere that Metro (subway/transit) services. Metro access jacks up property values but also brings crime. Many parts of VA are just gorgeous but you'll be driving as far if not further for your commute.
If you're just here for the time that you're at this job, it's doable and southern MD is still liveable (even though Ima call you a SMIB - southern maryland inbred).
Only things that are gonna complicate your life is the guns you want to bring in and the tax rates (but VA is no better there).
 
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You don't want to have to cross a bridge, so no, VA isn't going to help you any on the commute

and trying to find a new house now, you will probably pay more

Just make sure none of the guns you own are on the MD banned list, you know like a normal AR 15 is
 
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Bringtherain said:
would you guys recommend VA instead? I literally just found out one of our contingencies for buying was pinged. so its not like i am locked into that spot.
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Absoluckinglutely, Virginia over Maryland, even if the commute is longer. The traffic is a pure suck no matter where you are in that area. Other than having universal background checks our gun laws are pretty lassize faire, though the current admin is working to change them.

*********If youre only going to be in the area for a year Id look into renting, home prices are astronomical right at this time and no doubt will drop like in 2008. You dont want to get stuck underwater or upside down in a mortgage.. Forget oil furnaces, go with a heat pump and gas back up.

There is also Quantico Shooting Club for shooting. If you want a good gun shore hit 95 south to Ashland, Va., about and hour and 15 minutes, depending on traffic, and go to Greentop.

Welcome to the Hood.
 
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Off topic, but I loooove Green Top.

True story, I was coming home from Richmond one day and I needed to get a pic rail for my Bergara because I had a match that weekend and I wanted to use my Atlas bipod. No time to order one but I had Green Top and Bass Pro along the way back and Green Top was the obvious choice. I don't know if anyone in Bass Pro had ever heard of Atlas bipods, let alone carry accessories. GT has always had a decent selection of long range rifles, scopes, and stuff so I figured if anyone had something that'd work, it'd be them. Not only did they have the exact Atlas pic rail I needed, they had a couple other ones on hand, some Atlas bipods, and other accessories.
 
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Just left 6 months ago,, it's a shithole and you couldn't pay me to move back. local politics are backasswards and the people aren't very nice. move south/west, unless you're getting stationed there, in which case my apologies...
 
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Bringtherain said:
yup. not my choice man. trying to make the best of it though
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I'd do northern VA, still libtards but va overall is a whole lot better. to get a cc in maryland requires stitches or owning a business, they hate guns and in general. northern VA has alot more options for outdoor activities as well.
 
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I've been in Virginia for 34 years. When I drive north there is a 1 mile drive thru Maryland. I avoid Maryland like the plague, anti gun state, anti gun politicians.
 
Id do Virginia over Maryland. On the MD side, you're three plus hours from Del Marva, or about the same to Quantico if you want to shoot over 100.

If you end up staying in SoMD, theres a range in la Plata, myrtle grove wma. It's 20$/year if you get a pass at wal-mart, or 5$/visit on site. The Parks department checks passes frequently on weekends and fridays so don't skip. 100yd rifle, clay pit, and an archery stand. Don't go on weekends, its crowded and there can be some... interesting happenings. Commuting up the 5 is going to suck balls.

I wouldn't recommend the indoor ranges either, unless you're on the VA side at elite. The clientele on the MD side is less than versed in firearms safety.
 
Bringtherain said:
yup. not my choice man. trying to make the best of it though
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Yeah I hear you, I lived in NoVA for fucking WAAAAAAAYYYY to long, I moved to Alabama 5 years ago. I like AL much much better, but for family reasons I am moving back to VA temporarily (maybe 4-5 years) I am going to be a 2 hour drive south of anything that could be considered NoVA 🤮🤮 and I have it in my future to move back to the deep south (VA is the south, but the line gets blurred in parts of the state)

I have never been to Mechanicsville, Maryland, so I can't speak for that specific piece of dirt. It may be far enough outside the Washington area to not be too much of a shithole, but all of MD is a shithole to gun owners. Looks like St Mary's county still leans conservative. You probably are not going to beat housing prices and commute time there. Housing prices look reasonable.

The handgun license and outright ban of a normal AR15 (you can install a heavy barrel (HBAR) and it becomes legal again) but they keep adding more and more guns to the list. The Springfield M1A is banned

Make the best of it with a plan to get back out :D

check out MD shooters forum for more details on the legal side, has lots of good info
 
Trigger Monkey said:
Off topic, but I loooove Green Top.

True story, I was coming home from Richmond one day and I needed to get a pic rail for my Bergara because I had a match that weekend and I wanted to use my Atlas bipod. No time to order one but I had Green Top and Bass Pro along the way back and Green Top was the obvious choice. I don't know if anyone in Bass Pro had ever heard of Atlas bipods, let alone carry accessories. GT has always had a decent selection of long range rifles, scopes, and stuff so I figured if anyone had something that'd work, it'd be them. Not only did they have the exact Atlas pic rail I needed, they had a couple other ones on hand, some Atlas bipods, and other accessories.
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And more guns than God. Well, almost more.

I was in there last week and where as all the other LGS's are really short, especially on handguns, GT has cases full.
 
VA is your best bet. All three are a bit of a disaster, but compared to DC and MD, VA looks like Nirvana. Depending on your particulars the tax savings will likely cover the increased housing prices. Schools also tend to be way better in case that's relevant. Pay close attention to commute routes and traffic patterns. Covid patterns don't count.
 
kl3309 said:
That's the shithole I was thinking about, couldn't remember the name. It's a shithole, BTW.
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It's actually not bad, they did some work to it in 2019. They put up silly structures between lanes but didn't cover the benches, and the berms got freshened up.

The people are the problem with that range. The midweek crowd of regulars is pretty chill. The weekend crowd, however... That, and it gets hot as all hell in the summer.
 
NOt sure if it has been mentioned above. MD is unfriendly for handguns in general, I'd suggest reading up on the laws before even driving through with any firearm. I would not count on the HBAR exception, every year they are trying to tighten exceptions, plus some of laws are not interpretable by human beings. Especially the mess around ar-15-like rifles. Also keep in mind the chance of car accident is actually pretty high because, you know, somebody feels the need to drive on shoulder or basically thinks they are in a video game.
 
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You could check out Peacemaker Range, 60 miles west of DC, in West Virginia. Good place to shoot. Plenty of matches and a good variety. Training and classes. Good people.
 
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tacotim said:
NOt sure if it has been mentioned above. MD is unfriendly for handguns in general, I'd suggest reading up on the laws before even driving through with any firearm. I would not count on the HBAR exception, every year they are trying to tighten exceptions, plus some of laws are not interpretable by human beings. Especially the mess around ar-15-like rifles. Also keep in mind the chance of car accident is actually pretty high because, you know, somebody feels the need to drive on shoulder or basically thinks they are in a video game.
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Ive seen it several time, people passing on the gravel shoulder at 70+ MPH. One had a car full of kids. WTF is wrong with people to do that.
 
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Dunraven said:
You could check out Peacemaker Range, 60 miles west of DC, in West Virginia. Good place to shoot. Plenty of matches and a good variety. Training and classes. Good people.
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Havent been but I hear its top notch. Thinking of taking some LR courses there since most of Frank's are full.
 
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Mister Ridge said:
It fucking sucks here. Out of curiosity, why Maryland? Why not Virginia or West Virginia?
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My question exactly, of course I am retired and see these fools east bound on RT 7 from Winchester to the cesspool (dc) everyday.
 
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Dunraven said:
You could check out Peacemaker Range, 60 miles west of DC, in West Virginia. Good place to shoot. Plenty of matches and a good variety. Training and classes. Good people.
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I have been a member there for the past three years probably the best range on the east coast.
 
greg1147 said:
My question exactly, of course I am retired and see these fools west bound on RT 7 from Winchester to the cesspool (dc) everyday.
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DC is east bound from Winchester ;). Route 7 isn’t bad if you hit it early in the morning and then hop on 267 to take you into DC, I avoid 66 like the plague.
 
Dude, you need to pick a house based on the commute. PERIOD. There is no viable way you can live out in Podunk MD or VA or WV. Unless you want to spend all of your time in a car. Don't look at distances on maps, because they are not an accurate indication of your commute time ... you can't go 40mph, let alone 60mph, in normal traffic conditions. Let us know the rough location of your work and we can help you. Or at the least plug in your house location and your work location into Waze or similar app and get report on driving times.

Worrying about all these gun laws and such is irrelevant if you are driving to work 5 days a week. You don't have that luxury.

The idea of renting is excellent too. Get to know the area before putting your capital down in an expensive transaction.

Life inside/around the Washington DC beltway sucks. But you can earn a good (to great) living here. I'm been here roughly 20 years earning said living and hope to exfil in another 10.
 
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Also, there are some great Americans around this area - former military, current military, patriots and good values people. I saw this last year when our Governor (VA) tried to strip us of our liberties. So many great Virginians came together and did it the right way, protecting our freedom. We need to remain on guard for another attempt by power seeking politicians. Having good folks like yourself is good news for the rest of us. Welcome to the neighborhood.
 
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I probably should have been more specific. I just don't like putting a lot of details out online. my reporting unit is in Suitland, Maryland. so its already on the Maryland side of DC. the drive doesn't appear to be to bad. 45 to 75 minutes. talking to people currently working there that's about normal.
jbailey said:
Let us know the rough location of your work and we can help you.
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I wouldn't even be able to purchase guns in VA anyways. not with a Florida residence and orders in Maryland!
 
Bringtherain said:
Suitland, Maryland.
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So that looks OK for a Mechanicsville MD house. Rt 5 all the way or maybe a dogleg right on 301. 35 to 40 miles, count on a hour, or maybe 1.25. It will suck as it gets closer to city, but that is the price to pay for living here.

I have been down that way a few times and its a good community with some interesting stuff. Patuxent River close and nice. Its not MT or WY, so don't count on a lot of range time with the firearms. But if you are a boater, you have come to the right spot.

I think you are good to go with Mechanicsville address if everything about the property is good with you.
 
jbailey said:
So that looks OK for a Mechanicsville MD house. Rt 5 all the way or maybe a dogleg right on 301. 35 to 40 miles, count on a hour, or maybe 1.25. It will suck as it gets closer to city, but that is the price to pay for living here.

I have been down that way a few times and its a good community with some interesting stuff. Patuxent River close and nice. Its not MT or WY, so don't count on a lot of range time with the firearms. But if you are a boater, you have come to the right spot.

I think you are good to go with Mechanicsville address if everything about the property is good with you.
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yeah we were able to find a semi fixxer upper that a VA loan was still good for. I think its worth the drive. I had about the same commute in San Antonio for much less house or land. the gun laws will be a bitch but it is what it is.

I appreciate the advice
 
I don't know where you are working, geographically... but if I were you, I would move into Pennsylvania, somewhere in the area of Gettysburg, or slightly south... you don't have to tolerate the Gun Madness in Maryland, D.C. or Virginia... you can avoid the mass confusion on the highway by taking rt 15 south to Frederick, Md., go west on 340/15 about 5 miles and then left down 15 to Leesburg... pick up the Greenway and it feeds you into the Dulles Airport area... you can pick up the Metro outside of the city at Reston.... will take you anywhere you want to go in the District, easy walks to specific destinations from a large number of stations... believe me, it will save you grey hair in world class traffic jams, and you don't have to put up with the firearms restrictions... Pennsylvania is a haven for hunting, ranges, and county sheriff's (especially in South Central Pa.) who are steadfast supporters of the 2A...

I live north of Gettysburg by about 25 minutes... going that route, I can get to the Reston Metro Station in 1 hour 15 minutes, tops... If I were to use 15 south and 270 into the teeth of the rush hour, I would be on the road for 3 hours... there are few choices using the main highways otherwise where you won't be involved in the same type of traffic... And, housing prices in the area suggested are not affected by the DC real estate jack up..
 
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My condolences to you and your family.
 
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i'd really try to spend a week or two in the area and see what commutes (morning and evening) are like from the various venues BEFORE you even consider buying anything. suitland was a craphole when i was a kid and i'm sure it hasn't gotten any better.

i would try to live in VA somewhere close to the 495 beltway and east of where I-95 intersects near springfield, at least for commuting purposes. at least currently, VA has pretty much no restrictions on handguns, rifles, magazine etc; carry permits are relatively easy to get and OC is legal.
 
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Bringtherain said:
I wouldn't even be able to purchase guns in VA anyways. not with a Florida residence and orders in Maryland!
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can't think of any you'd have to sell or stash, though, living in VA. MD has some hoops to jump thru, if not outright bans. thinking you could buy long guns in VA, from an FFL of course?
 
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davsco said:
can't think of any you'd have to sell or stash, though, living in VA. MD has some hoops to jump thru, if not outright bans. thinking you could buy long guns in VA, from an FFL of course?
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And we have Virginia Gun Trader, a great place to get decent deals on all sorts of firearms and related gear. If you get a Virginia DL then you have no problems.

www.vaguntrader.com
 
Unless you're planning on being here for at least 4-5 years, I wouldn't buy. Renting is far more sensible. Especially when you're looking to buy a fixer upper. You will lose money overall when you sell. Especially once you figure in closing and other sunken costs you won't recover.

@kl3309's post was mostly accurate, with a couple small exceptions. You will not need an HQL unless you want to buy more handguns while here. It is required to purchase new pistols and stripped AR lowers. There is no specific need to apply for one if you're just bringing already-owned items with you.

You'll need to register all your handguns that you're bringing into the state within 90 days of arriving. Anything you leave out of state does not need to be registered. AR/AK/assaulty pattern weapons can't be registered. The cutoff for that was the 2013 ban. Depending on their configuration, they're either allowed and treated no differently than a pump action shotgun, or they're banned outright and can't be brought, period.

AR-15's in 5.56/.223 are banned unless they have a "HEAVY" barrel or are non-mil spec. Piston AR's are 100% kosher. So are proprietary guns like a KAC SR-15 with a different bolt, firing pin, cam pin, gas system, etc. However, AR pistols have no specific restrictions - you can bring any AR pistol with you and it just needs to be registered. AR's in other calibers have no restrictions either.

SBR's have a minimum 29" OAL. If you have a real shorty, you can't bring it with you. There's no feasible workaround for this one.

It is essentially impossible to get a carry permit unless you are a business owner which it doesn't sound like applies to you. DC however is shall-issue. Get a DC permit for DC and a UT non-resident permit which will cover you for VA and DE. You can't get a PA permit unless you already have an MD permit issued, so that is tough.

MD isn't the worst place I've ever lived, nor is it the best. Enjoy your stay.
 
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