Duty To Inform
Disclaimer: I am not an attorney. Nothing in this content constitutes legal advice. If you are in need of legal advice on this matter, retain a licensed, competent attorney in your relevant jurisdiction.
“Duty To Inform” is a law whereby if a concealed carry permit holder is stopped by the police for a traffic violation, the driver must inform the officer(s) if they have a firearm in the vehicle and if so, where it is located within the vehicle.
Pennsylvania is NOT a Duty To Inform state. Therefore, Pennsylvanians do NOT have to inform the officer(s) if they have a firearm in the vehicle. Repeat, Pennsylvanians do NOT have into inform the officer(s).
The following states DO have Duty to Inform laws on their books. So, if you are traveling through any of these states, know the firearms laws of these states relative to Duty To Inform:
- Alaska (Alaska Stat. Ann § 11.61.220)
- Arkansas (Ark. Admin. Code 130.00.8-3-2(b)
- Louisiana (La Stat. Ann. § 40.1379.3(1)(2))
- Maine (permit holders must respond only if asked, non-resident permit holders have an affirmative duty to inform)
- Michigan (MCL 28.425f(3))
- Nebraska (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 69-2440)
- North Carolina (N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 14-415.11)
- Oklahoma (Okla. Stat. Ann tit 21. § 1290.8)
- South Carolina (§ 23-31-215)
- Texas (must provide permit when asked for ID § 411.205)
- Washington, DC (Title 7)
Before you make any attempt at traveling through these states, know the concealed carry reciprocity laws of your home state and the state you are desiring to travel through. Here in Pennsylvania, for example, if you are a snowbird traveling to Florida for the winter and you drive down I-95, the states of Delaware, Maryland and South Carolina do not recognize your Pennsylvania carry permit. In such cases, before crossing those state lines, you must remove your firearm from your vehicle’s passenger compartment and lock it in a secure area of your vehicle, such as the trunk, the bed of your truck or in the storage compartment of your SUV. Ammo must be separate from the firearm. After you cross those state lines, you can again put your firearm in the passenger compartment. Yes, a pain in the ass to store your firearm before crossing the Mason-Dixon line or the North Carolina / South Carolina line, but it’s something you just have to deal with if you want to conceal carry.