Question on Interstate transport of firearms for a friend

hikerlt

hikerlt

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Our neighbor in South Carolina has a recently widowed friend in New Mexico - she's planning to move to South Carolina.
Before she moves though, she wants him to drive her deceased husband's gun collection from New Mexico to South Carolina, where she'll store the items at his house until she moves there. She plans to sell the collection later in the future.
Assuming he follows the FOPA rules and has each firearm locked in a case ( He'll be driving a SUV) - CAN he transport these firearms across state lines even though he is NOT the legal OWNER of these items ? Would it help to have a letter from her, giving him permission to transport ?

Can the firearm have a trigger lock only and NOT be in a locked case, in the back of the SUV.?
 
Despite the “O” in FOPA, you do not need to be the owner.

Absolutely use a locked case. That’s one of the requirements of FOPA, and even if it wasn’t, it’s good practice because cops don’t know the law sometimes.

And keep the cases under a blanket so there’s no reason for a cop or anyone else to look twice.
 
unloaded, secured and out of reach of the driver

firearms must be able to be legally posessed both in origin and destination

legally posessed is not "ownership"

Letter from owner might be useful, but more useful is proof that transporter can legally posess the firearms in origin and destination.
 
allen-1 said:
unloaded, secured and out of reach of the driver

firearms must be able to be legally posessed both in origin and destination

legally posessed is not "ownership"

Letter from owner might be useful, but more useful is proof that transporter can legally posess the firearms in origin and destination.
Click to expand...

South Carolina to New Mexico likely means at least one or two hotel stays.

The usual advice is, drive straight through, especially states like NY or NJ.

You've traveled a lot with these rules, at least in another direction.

Thoughts on breaks like that while transporting guns under FOPA?
 
namedpipes said:
South Carolina to New Mexico likely means at least one or two hotel stays.

The usual advice is, drive straight through, especially states like NY or NJ.

You've traveled a lot with these rules, at least in another direction.

Thoughts on breaks like that while transporting guns under FOPA?
Click to expand...
Two drivers. Or nap in rest areas. Don’t leave car unattended.
 
That's not a short drive,. so plan your stops/stays accordingly, but since it's the south there is less to worry about versus the northeast.
I wouldn't want to do that drive alone. Put them in locked cases and cover those cases with blankets and stuff. How many are we talking about? Long guns or hand guns?
 
1sern said:
NM to SC via NY & NJ? Is that the scenic route?
Click to expand...

That would be scenic, but no. You didn't REALLY think I thought New Jersey was between So Carolina and New Mexico, did you? This was a broadly applicable question using an example specific to the region most members of this forum are familiar with and specifically calling on the subject matter expertise of one member, (@allen-1) likely having better insight than most based on past comments.

I would think they'll mostly follow interstate 20, which leads through states I'm not familiar with. There's Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia to traverse.

Specifically, are any of those states place to think twice about stopping for gas, food or sleep?

Generally, in what states are travelers using FOPA rules more at risk of the police breaking / misunderstanding the rules?
 
556USER said:
Yup, nobody carries "deeds" for their guns. LOL
Click to expand...
I dont even think cops can tell who owns the guns. They might be able to run the serial to find out if it is in some stolen database, but that is about it.

Unlike MA, real America doesn't have gun registration and sales don't require FA10.

Think about it (for the OP). "A" buys a gun in Kentucky. "A" doesn't like it, so he sells the gun to "B" - no registration required - . "B" decides he needs money for another gun so he sells to "C". "C" asks "D" to move the gun to another State.

LOL ... good luck proving ownership.

Real America is not MA.
 
namedpipes said:
That would be scenic, but no. You didn't REALLY think I thought New Jersey was between So Carolina and New Mexico, did you? This was a broadly applicable question using an example specific to the region most members of this forum are familiar with and specifically calling on the subject matter expertise of one member, (@allen-1) likely having better insight than most based on past comments.

I would think they'll mostly follow interstate 20, which leads through states I'm not familiar with. There's Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia to traverse.

Specifically, are any of those states place to think twice about stopping for gas, food or sleep?

Generally, in what states are travelers using FOPA rules more at risk of the police breaking / misunderstanding the rules?
Click to expand...
None of those states are problems. Problem is car being broken into by thieves while unattended. Don’t leave it unattended.
 
namedpipes said:
That would be scenic, but no. You didn't REALLY think I thought New Jersey was between So Carolina and New Mexico, did you? This was a broadly applicable question using an example specific to the region most members of this forum are familiar with and specifically calling on the subject matter expertise of one member, (@allen-1) likely having better insight than most based on past comments.

I would think they'll mostly follow interstate 20, which leads through states I'm not familiar with. There's Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia to traverse.

Specifically, are any of those states place to think twice about stopping for gas, food or sleep?

Generally, in what states are travelers using FOPA rules more at risk of the police breaking / misunderstanding the rules?
Click to expand...
It's not the cops that one needs to really be concerned about. It's the predatory scumbags that inhabit all of the rest areas, hotels, motels fast food joints and gas stations along any major highway all across the country.

I had an incident in Florida (first and last time I've ever been in the state) where I was eating in the parking lot of a Burger King at about 11:05 PM. I was the last customer served before they closed. I pulled away from the drive up and over to a parking space and began eating....it wasn't two minutes and the scumbags were coming out of the woodwork like hyenas surrounding a lion with an antelope.

The Glock on the console and the 12ga pump shotgun on the back seat were comforting company. When they started surrounding me and getting within twenty feet of the truck and desperately trying see in, that's when it was time to exit, stage left. I almost ran one of them down who was deliberately trying to box me in.

Always have your head on a swivel when travelling. These criminal scumbags know that most travelers are weary, fatigued and not thinking real straight. They count on that and capitalize on it.

Never leave a vehicle with anything of value in it unattended.....not even to run in and grab a coffee.
 
Uzi2 said:
Never leave a vehicle with anything of value in it unattended.....not even to run in and grab a coffee.
Click to expand...
What's the best way to move across the country and you need to rest and sleep to break up the drive and you have your entire 'arsenal' with you aka 12+ long guns and 8+ pistols?
 
G4Y4HK said:
What's the best way to move across the country and you need to rest and sleep to break up the drive and you have your entire 'arsenal' with you aka 12+ long guns and 8+ pistols?
Click to expand...

Two drivers.

Failing that, do what I did when I brought my guns/ammo home from CT. Everything under cover, locked up, and just nap behind the wheel at rest stops.
 
G4Y4HK said:
What's the best way to move across the country and you need to rest and sleep to break up the drive and you have your entire 'arsenal' with you aka 12+ long guns and 8+ pistols?
Click to expand...

It’s a good thing you put quotes around “arsenal”, or surely you’d get mocked for your starter kit. :)
 
All of the advice above. It's going through friendly states so as long as nobody does anything goofy it should be an incredibly mundane trip. Also, I think we are all assuming that the driver is not a prohibited person since that would throw a wrench into things.

And had to ask, anything interesting in the collection?
 
G4Y4HK said:
What's the best way to move across the country and you need to rest and sleep to break up the drive and you have your entire 'arsenal' with you aka 12+ long guns and 8+ pistols?
Click to expand...
If possible, DON'T travel alone. If you have to travel alone and stop to sleep, stop at a rest area that is well lit (yes it sucks sleeping where it's not dark) or at a hotel that has a night security guard and get a room where your vehicle is right outside your door on the ground floor.....and set your vehicle alarm. Also, have a loaded gun or two IN THE ROOM with you and a couple of spare mags.

In my most recent travels, I always just slept in the front seat of the rental truck I was driving, doors locked and with a .45 nestled up to me and an 18.5 inch barreled pistol grip shotgun loaded with #4 buck on the floor under a towel.
 
milktree said:
It’s a good thing you put quotes around “arsenal”, or surely you’d get mocked for your starter kit. :)
Click to expand...
Lol I stopped collecting guns when the safe had no more room. Ammo is continuously hoarded though whenever possible.
 
It's only legal if you put one of these on the rear window behind the driver

Gun on Board.jpg

add a little "s" or multiple stickers if you have more than one !!!
 

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