Trains, Plains and Automobiles – How I Carried on My Summer Vacation

By Dan Zimmerman

By Dr. Peter Steinmetz

On a recent family vacation from Phoenix to Chicago and Minneapolis I decided to carry my sidearm, a .45 SIG SAUER 1911, as much as legally possible. I knew from the outset this was likely to be difficult, but as an open-carry advocate, I decided to educate myself and accept this challenge . . .

Many readers will be familiar with the federal McClure-Volkmer Act permitting transport of a firearm when passing through a state. Unfortunately, this act only applies to transportation on the highways in a continuous trip. As recently demonstrated with the arrests of Shaneen Allen and Brian Fletcher, this is subject to considerable variability of interpretation.

In my case, our itinerary took us by car to Flagstaff, Arizona, then by Amtrak train through New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and into Illinois, staying for a day in that bastion of gun control, Chicago. After a day visiting, we would continue by train though Wisconsin to Minnesota. After a five-day stay, we would return by airplane to Phoenix.

As a native Minnesotan, I have obtained a pistol carry permit in Minnesota for extended visits, so knew that I would …read more

Source:: Truth About Guns