Gun Laws by State

Why I Stop at Every Welcome Center

Some of our best trails aren’t anywhere near home. Getting to them usually means a long haul — sometimes it’s an easy afternoon drive, other times it’s two or three states and a full tank of gas before we ever air down the tires. Somewhere along the way, stopping at every state welcome center became part of the routine — not just for coffee and a bathroom break, but to check one thing: what that state expects of me if I’ve got a firearm in the vehicle.

It’s easy to lose track. Open carry is fine in one state and a serious problem two hours down the highway. A magazine that’s legal in the truck at home might need to be unloaded and cased somewhere else. The rules genuinely change at the border, and “I didn’t know” has never gotten anybody out of a citation — or worse.

So checking became as routine as checking tire pressure and topping off fluids before a trip. I started keeping notes for myself, state by state, so I wasn’t starting from scratch every run. This page is that notebook, cleaned up and put online — built so anyone else towing a trailer or airing down for a weekend can do the same quick check, respect the laws of the state they just entered, and get back to the part of the trip that actually matters: the trail.