HOW TO transport firearms across states line

[Mojoe]

This is for people that are traveling state to state, and wish to take firearms with them.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firear...Protection_Act

 

For more information, search for Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA)

 

The intent of this act is that if the firearm is legal in the place you are leaving from, and is legal at your destination, the federal government supersedes state and local laws regulating firearms possession and allows a person to travel through that area, so long as you aren't stopping longer than for normal food and gas pit stops. It just requires that you have the firearms unloaded in locked containers other than a glovebox or console or otherwise inaccessible to the occupants of the vehicle. There are a handful of states that will hassle you as far as they can about this, so my personal suggestion is that if traveling through these unfriendly states, carry a printout copy of the FOPA in case you have a run in with the law and they are ignorant of federal law. However, reports are the New York, Maryland and DC don't care about FOPA and will probably arrest you if you have something in your possession that they don't like, so avoid those states at all costs. Flying with firearms and having a layover in those states, or DC, is strongly discouraged for the same reason.

 

Flying with firearms

 

It's actually surprisingly easy. Stolen from ar15.com:

 

Quote:

I travel with my pistol about once a month or so.

 

I simply drilled a hole through the handle of my original Glock case through which a padlock can go. Pack your bag and put the pistol case on top. When you get to check-in simply tell the clerk you need to declare a firearm. She'll give you an orange tag to fill out and put in the locked pistol case atop your pistol: it simply states the firearm is unloaded. Don't let him/her try to tell you to put the tag elsewhere (as one recently did with me) - they are sometimes misinformed as to federal laws regarding travel with a firearm. Also, as mentioned, do not use a TSA lock. A standard keyed padlock will do, and only you should have a key to it. Neither TSA nor the airline are to open the case once it leaves your sight.

 

After you've placed the tag in your case and locked it and completed your check in, a person - either the clerk or an airport assistant - will escort you and your bag (you are no longer allowed to touch your bag once you've declared and locked it up) to TSA, where they will open the bag and perform a swab check around the edges. You're allowed to keep an eye on them during this, if you wish. Once that is complete and they seal up your bag, you're free to go on.

 

Don't sweat it at all. I've done it five hundred times and never once had trouble, even having a TSA agent once give me some slack after forgetting my hard case (I know) and telling me where I could find one in the airport that she would consider suitable for travel (a "hard" case by only the most liberal definition).

 

Also, don't worry about being super clandestine about opening your case to put in the tag. I've had to open my pelican before with an AR, Win Model 70, Benelli shotgun and a few pistols splayed out before the wary travelers. A few askance looks, but nobody threw a fit or died.

 

Be professional, do your business, and go on.

 

Good luck!

It never hurts to find the rules of the airline you are flying on in regards to checking firearms, printing them out and taking them with you in case you end up with someone clueless on the other side of the counter.

 

Another thing to consider - The gun case, once confirmed to have only unloaded guns and tagged as such - gets locked by the owner with a padlock, not a TSA lock. It is not to be opened by anyone except the owner. There are no rules about having other items in the case. It's perfectly fine to use a giant rifle case as luggage with, say, a CCW size handgun in it. In this case you know nobody will be screwing with it.

This is copied information from other sources and a CR member and is subject to change.