I was wondering on the issue of transporting arms inter-state. I am on an adventure soon. and plan on crossing several state lines with my arms. I know there are federal laws that restrict this. But have yet to encounter any diffiulty doing such actions in the past. The states involved are : Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, and finally Colorado. i know California and Utah have some special provisions regarding firearems. I also know that Federal law states that these materials must me transported through an Federaly Licencsed Dealer (FFL). Screw that. Gonna keep em with me. Any1 see problems with this scenereio?
Transporting of guns across state lines is not forbidden, on a federal level. In fact,
FOPA (click me) protects your ability to transport across state lines as long as they're properly stored and you're legal to posses the guns in both your state of origin and the destination state.
Say, for instance, I'm traveling to Arizona and the route I've chose to take goes from WA through OR and CA to AZ (I know, not the most direct route out there, work with me here). I am legal to possess rifles, shotguns, and pistols in WA. Say I wanted to bring my AR 15, a couple of pistols, and my pump action shotgun with me to AZ.
FOPA's safe passage provision (click me) protects my right to transport all of the above in a locked container (or otherwise inaccessible from the passenger compartment -- the trunk counts in a sedan) from WA to AZ through both OR and CA.
I think you're getting confused with
interstate transportation vs.
interstate sales. If you're trying to buy or sell across state lines, you need to involve an FFL. If you're just transporting your own guns, you're legal as long as it's legal for you to possess at your origin and destination.
If you feel particularly paranoid about transporting them,
print out this and keep it with the guns. (I did when moving from MA to WA last year as we had to go through some pretty anti- states (NY and IL/chicago for starters))
US Code said:
Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.