Traveling from Massachusetts to Wisconsin. FOPA in New York.

roccoracer

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I am driving to Wisconsin tomorrow to visit my first grandchild. I am legal in Mass and Wisconsin to carry but I have heard horror stories of people getting pinched in new york for transport. I would lock the pistol in a compartment that I cannot access from in the vehicle as well as ammo in another. From what I have read New York had laws that contradict federal law for fopa.
Can anyone cite a person convicted or arrested for it? It really sucks. I can not leave new England without passing thru New York and it is the only state I would drive thru that has me worried.
 
I think all the cases I have read about involve either NY City (which is a jurisdiction unto itself) or the three major airports controlled by the Port Authority of NY and NJ, who have their own police force and tend not to recognize FOPA. If you're driving straight west on the NY Thruway from Massachusetts then you won't be coming near any of that.

If you really want to minimize your exposure, use I-84 -> I-81 -> I-80. According to Google Maps that routing (assuming Boston to Milwaukee) only adds 10 miles and 20 minutes.
 
If you really want to minimize your exposure, use I-84 -> I-81 -> I-80. According to Google Maps that routing (assuming Boston to Milwaukee) only adds 10 miles and 20 minutes.

This.
Whenever I've driven south out of New England I've always tried to reduce my exposure to the NY/NJ insanity to the greatest extent possible and avoid any..."Imperial entanglements".
I always take 84 to PA. From the Danbury, CT line to Matamoras, PA is something like 73 miles, so roughly an hour or so drive time.
This avoids NJ completely, and if there's a shorter stretch through the communist bloc states I'd love to know it.
 
Keep it under 10 mph over the speed limit. Going too slow can draw unwanted attention too. Snow on I-80 can really suck this time of year. I will be headed that way (to StL) the day after Christmas. I-80 also has more places to stop, if you need to and its safer than stopping along I-90.
 
First first time I drove west almost 2 decades ago I heard the same horror stories about NY. I finally ended up calling the local ATF Boston office to ask them about the legality‘s of traveling through New York with firearms. They sited the fed laws allowing me to do it and told me to print it out and carry it With me to present if pulled over. They were very helpful. Would it have made a difference if some NY JBT trooper pulled me over? who knows. But I knew I was legal.
 
I am driving to Wisconsin tomorrow to visit my first grandchild. I am legal in Mass and Wisconsin to carry but I have heard horror stories of people getting pinched in new york for transport. I would lock the pistol in a compartment that I cannot access from in the vehicle as well as ammo in another. From what I have read New York had laws that contradict federal law for fopa.
Can anyone cite a person convicted or arrested for it? It really sucks. I can not leave new England without passing thru New York and it is the only state I would drive thru that has me worried.

1. Stop worrying
2. Lock your shit up in a lockable container (guns and ammo separate) bury it in the trunk don't go more than about 5-10 over the speed limit and just drive. Stay on the major highways and out of the sticks.
3. The only people bagged in NY are the ones transiting through the airports and trying to re-plane at port authority airports with guns. Don't do that.
 
Thanks. LOL, cover?

I've yet to hear of anyone being stopped for simply being an out of state traveler. There's a lot of arm flapping on both sides- those who want to control travel but legally really can't, and those wanting to get excited over it.
Even if you get stopped, you just turn around and drive back.
 
Can't tell you how many times I've driven to PA with guns. As others have said, aim for Matamoras, follow FOPA, and don't speed. Speaking of which, it's laughable to me that driving the speed limit can in any way be deemed suspicious - there are a ton of slow drivers all over the place, no one is going to single you out and accuse you of not breaking any laws [rofl]


Even if you get stopped, you just turn around and drive back.
No, you ask if you're being detained and then continue on your way. What legal authority does NY have to turn you around? "Yeah, I pinky promise to quarantine in your shithole state." OP isn't even going to NY, he's passing through.
 
Lock your shit up in a lockable container (guns and ammo separate) bury it in the trunk don't go more than about 5-10 over the speed limit and just drive. Stay on the major highways and out of the sticks.
Lock the container with a combination lock. Don't give up the combination unless a judge tells you to.
 
I may or may not have once driven from Indiana to Massachusetts with what NY would consider to be a veritable arsenal. Fuel up before you enter NY, do the speed limit, and don’t stop until you hit PA. You’ll be fine

Yeah, I drove through in August with about 40ish guns and a little bit of ammo(I shipped the rest of my ammo via Pods separately). PA-VT. I did make sure they were legally stored and knew I was in compliance federally.

Speed limit, no road raging, no stopping, nice calm driving.
 
Drive during the day and do the speed limit.
... From the Danbury, CT line to Matamoras, PA is something like 73 miles, so roughly an hour or so drive time.
4of9y9.jpg


Fuel up before you enter NY, do the speed limit, and don’t stop until you hit PA.
Those NYS Gas Station Police are the worst, man.

... I finally ended up calling the local ATF Boston office ... They sited the fed laws allowing me to do it and told me to print it out and carry it With me to present if pulled over. They were very helpful. Would it have made a difference if some NY JBT trooper pulled me over? who knows. But I knew I was legal.
New York is not a Must Inform state,
and they gave you a Federal gun law to flash at a traffic stop?
Good-Fellas-Hilarious.jpg

Did the piece of paper start with,
"I have a gun, and I know how to use it!"?
That's a real icebreaker.


No, you ask if you're being detained and then continue on your way. What legal authority does NY have to turn you around?
Cuomovirus memos outrank the Supremacy Clause and the Interstate Commerce Clause.
So travelers are totally scrod.
 
4of9y9.jpg



Those NYS Gas Station Police are the worst, man.


New York is not a Must Inform state,
and they gave you a Federal gun law to flash at a traffic stop?
Good-Fellas-Hilarious.jpg

Did the piece of paper start with,
"I have a gun, and I know how to use it!"?
That's a real icebreaker.



Cuomovirus memos outrank the Supremacy Clause and the Interstate Commerce Clause.
So travelers are totally scrod.
Never said I was going to inform Dumbass. Was carrying it in case I got jammed up for whatever reason. Better to be informed than talking out your ass While pulled over on the side of the road.
 
BTW, did ATF ask you to spell the name of the town you were visiting?
[rofl]
They were actually great and said NY was a Well Known pain in the ass. Didn’t ask any personal questions whatsoever. Gave me all the info I needed to push back if it got to that point With some podunk barney.
 
it's laughable to me that driving the speed limit can in any way be deemed suspicious
That is/was a common profile for drug runners driving up from FL. Not saying it is right but they justified pulling cars over that were going the speed limit as likely criminal.
 
I am driving to Wisconsin tomorrow to visit my first grandchild. I am legal in Mass and Wisconsin to carry but I have heard horror stories of people getting pinched in new york for transport. I would lock the pistol in a compartment that I cannot access from in the vehicle as well as ammo in another. From what I have read New York had laws that contradict federal law for fopa.
Can anyone cite a person convicted or arrested for it? It really sucks. I can not leave new England without passing thru New York and it is the only state I would drive thru that has me worried.

A professional acquaintance of mine got tripped up in NY carrying a handgun (9mm semi) in his vehicle when he went to visit his son at college. I am not sure of all the details (he kept it pretty quiet) but I know he was pulled over on an interstate and somehow acknowledged (or stated) that he had a weapon in his vehicle (I think he thought, or the officer was, for some reason, going to search the vehicle). Ended up being arrested, spent thousands on lawyers, etc., had to go to court - it went on for quite some time and there was the possiblity that he would have to serve some time (he didn't end up having to). He also had issues with his LTC in MA as a result (I think it may have been revoked but I am not 100% sure). So it does happen, maybe one in a million, you just have to use your best judgement and determine whether the risk is worth it.
 
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