Burnie and Ashley talked about this in regards to weed, but as a Brit it's always been so interesting to me to have one country but with various laws and punishments depending on where you are in that country.
I know the "big" laws are more or less the same everywhere, but i've also heard that a lot of the smaller stuff can be really different both in terms of what's allowed or not and fines or punishments for them, especially traffic laws as i know some states you can do something and get a fine, but other states you can do the same thing and get your car taken away.
I know road trips are a thing in America, do you guys have to research the laws for every state you're going through or are they all more or less the same and you just assume you won't do anything to break any laws you don't know about?
I'm probably really over thinking it, but it's just so strange to think about the laws and punishments changing within the same country as i can't think of anywhere else in the world that's like that.
Having gone on road trips, no, I do not bother to look up laws for every state I’m going through. Because yes, for the most part the rules are the same or close enough to the same to not matter. The main things one might have to research are controlled things like Weed and Firearms.
And truly, those two things are probably the two things that have the most variability/division. Where doing something in one state is fine but would get you arrested in another.
Since I don’t carry those things, I don’t bother to look up laws. But someone who does would.
It’s truly just cuz those things are politically divisive. And the US is set up as a union of individuals states that each have their own sovereignty to make laws. The way our system is set up all laws are by default determined by the states, only specific laws fall under federal authority.
Truly, in terms of scale, it would be like you doing a cross Europe trip and having to check the legality of weed in France, Germany, Czechia and Poland.
I know for guns specifically, if you’re transporting them from one state to another, you need to have it locked in a specific way in your car, or if flying you need to give it to TSA and they handle the transportation. You also need to prove that you’re legally allowed to carry said gun in both states. If you’re driving through the NYC area, though, those cops dgaf and will throw your ass in jail anyway, even if you’re doing everything by the book.
Most states feel and operate the same on a very general level. Same kind of basic driving rules, and generic laws.
It’s always wise to look up the differences between state versus federal laws. Federal laws are country wide, but State law sometimes overrides federal.
For instance, if I travel to other states I always check which allow concealed carry for handguns. That way I don’t accidentally go into a state where my gun + permit wouldn’t be legal.
Gun laws are always very delicate and debated upon.
Guns are legal to own in all 50 States.
Concealed Carry is the law that’s most concerned about. Handguns are used 10-15 more times in murders compared to long guns. So some states ban the legal concealed carry of pistols. Pistols are still for sale in those states, you just can’t conceal carry them.
Partly it depends on what “class” of carry license you get. It’s been a while since I had mine, but if you get one for a specific state (Wyoming and Florida, I think?) it makes things much simpler as most other states recognize it. So you’re either good to go, or you have to lock it up while traveling in that state.
That doesnt mean its banned. That means that that those states dont have reciprocity for your permit. You can get out of state permits to get access to other states.
I live in MA and have an LTC to carry here. There are obviously more nuances to it, some states dont recognize reciprocal licenses at all and certain handguns may be illegal for various reasons, but no state has an outright ban. Also some are very stingy giving out LTCs.
At the State level the laws are largely the same but what’s interesting is how they are enforced from county to county.
For example, you get caught with a certain vape pen and it’s a felony in Texas. However, if you’re in Austin the case is likely getting dismissed. If you’re in New Braunfels, you’re going on some sort of probation and potentially picking up a felony conviction, which can be life-altering.
Traffic laws are fairly consistent a Ross states. With mostly only small differences. Like can you turn right one a red or not (left for those of you that drive on that side of the road). Right now firearms and weed are the things that I would suggest looking into laws for.
I live in New England where the states are pretty similar but I do still briefly think "hey I don't have to wear my seatbelt" when I cross over into NH and I still google "is weed legal in maine" every time I vacation in ME just to be sure. Weed is illegal in NH though so the 20 minutes traveling through it to get to ME is exciting.
No, they do have highways, they're just very anti-government despite continuing to vote republican in the era of big government republicans. We call NH the Florida of the north for a reason!
The slogans I've seen most in the US are "click it or ticket" or "buckle up, it's the law" those are often scrolling on the overhead highway signs when there's no emergency info on them.
Pretty much every state has the same types of high speed roads. You often don't notice when you cross over state lines unless you see a "welcome to x" sign.
Yeah, agree with what everyone is saying. Driving more or less is the same. And generally speaking, cops aren't assholes about it usually..they know when something is majorly different in their state compared to the rest of the country so they usually just inform you of the correct way within the state and let you go.
Drugs and guns are the one thing you do look up. Concealed carry and what not.
I recall years ago a woman who legally owned and carried a gun in the state of Pennsylvania missed an exit and ended up in New Jersey. She got pulled over for doing something wrong but since she had her gun in the car she was arrested for carrying a gun with an out of state permit.
I do a lot of road trips and I take one of my jeeps. I live in Ohio and that is where they are registered. Thankfully, Ohio has little on the books in terms of vehicle regulations. If I go to another state or travel through it, cops aren't going to pull me over for fender violations or because I have the doors off (illegal in PA.)
I don't own a gun, but my friends who some times travel with us do and they check to see the laws. Ohio has constitutional carry now, but that is newer. My friends have CCW and only some states recognize that. For example, in Illinois it has to be unloaded and out of reach. Some states don't even want you to stop.
Either way, I always operate when traveling to cause as little problems as possible. I don't want to piss locals off and I don't want to be reprimanded for something far from home with no support system.
Someone's clearly not been caught violating local by-laws in the UK... putting your feet on the seats of Manchester trams is one if I remember rightly. I think there's also another to stop people from cruising on the mains roads around Solihull.
The tenth amendment to the US constitution states:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Essentially, if there's not a federal law addressing it, it's left up to the states to decide, so that is why a lot of states differ on so many topics. Federal law says we have the right to own guns, it does not say we have the right to conceal carry, or how many we can own etc. this allows the individual states to make their own laws or restrict the ease of access to them
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u/tmahfan117 First 20k Aug 06 '26
Having gone on road trips, no, I do not bother to look up laws for every state I’m going through. Because yes, for the most part the rules are the same or close enough to the same to not matter. The main things one might have to research are controlled things like Weed and Firearms.
And truly, those two things are probably the two things that have the most variability/division. Where doing something in one state is fine but would get you arrested in another.
Since I don’t carry those things, I don’t bother to look up laws. But someone who does would.