Best way to move spoons cross country?
 

In about a month, I'll be driving from Maryland to Washington. My household goods will be in a Pod (or an ABF U-Pack trailer, which is essentially the same thing). I'm trying to figure out the safest way to transport my spoons cross country -- a shotgun, two ARs, and a couple of handguns.

The apparent options:
1 - Keep them with me, in my car. Up-side: I always know where they are. Down-side: They might get confiscated by some overzealous law enforcement along the way. Also, they take up quite a bit of the limited space in my car.
2 - Put them in the trailer with the rest of my stuff. I believe the trailer will be sealed, and I'll get it back on the other side to remove the seal, so the likelihood of theft or confiscation seems low. But having them out of my direct control makes me nervous.
3 - Ship them to a Washington State FFL. Expensive, but it's the most likely way to get a successful outcome.

Thoughts? Who's done this before? What's the Right Answer(tm)?

Thanks,
Dan

Personally I would keep them with me but you said limited space. Insured FFL transport would be my second choice

I'd keep them with you. Throw a blanket over them if they won't fit in the trunk.

I drove to a friends place a few hours north of here in Maryland in the 911. I had my AR six shotguns a couple of handguns, and a trunk full of ammo. I am sure the Maryland State boys would have had a field day with me if I had gotten pulled over

I recently did much the same, IL to TX and back. I have a FOID and CCL for IL.
Get a decent soft case for your long guns, and a safe for your handguns. Use cable locks to secure the big case in the trunk (or all the way back in an SUV), same for the pistols.
Then, don't get pulled over. I see plenty of idiots doing worse than me all the time, and as paranoid as I was about having IL plates, made it home safe and sound "riding dirty" through some pretty notorious areas.
Good luck with your move!

I would keep them with you. Field strip them and keep the slide, bolt fire control assy etc. in separate areas of the vehicle rendering them inoperable in their traveling condition. Easy to explain to LE, and makes sure you present the appearance of good citizen. Don't answer, but if your home state requires it then it would be best for them to be registered to you.

Check your route and list the states you are traveling through. Go to the WWW and research the transport laws for the states. I think the NRA has a specific page. Put the guns in a condition that meets all states' laws and go on your merry way. People travel with guns in cars all the time.

Putting the guns into the moving container most certainly is illegal. I do not know of any moving company (unless specialized) that accepts firearms.

G

Cool, thanks for the immediate and overwhelming response. I like the idea of pulling the bolt and FCG out; makes everything extra-inoperable to make sure I look like a good upstanding citizen. Also particularly like the idea of not getting pulled over. Virtually all of the horror stories I've heard start with getting pulled over -- tail-light out, speeding, or whatever. I'll figure out the space issues, I guess.

Thanks. :)

Dan

Yup. That's totes legal in VA, but absolutely against all the rules here in MD. You're allowed to transport your guns between your house, the range, the dealer, a repair shop, or a legitimate hunting site. But if it's out of hunting season and you're going to a friend's house, you're SOL. As I understand my current state's laws, that's a felony with a maximum penalty of 2 years in prison.

There is no reason for a cop to get into your car. Don't leave anything in plain sight and never consent to a search. You'll be fine.

Disassemble, make sure they are in LOCKED cases, and that you don't have any ammo in the car. Zero. They should be inaccessible as well. I would not transport them in the car if you are taking your 911.

When we moved across country, I let the moving company handle it. No problems.

Keep them with you.

We moved across country 2 years ago. The driver said it was no problem as long as they were in locked cases. All of them arrived safely at the other end.

My MAK-90 had blood all over it and hash marks carved into the stock as if someone was counting off their victims, but the point is, I got it back.

:p

Since you will not be going through New York or New Jersey most of the other states you'll visit should not cause any problems unless you give the troopers a reason to stop you. Remember on COPS they do all the stops because a tail/brake light is out, or a rolling stop or other MINOR issue and then bang. If you plan to stop for the night I would make sure the car/truck you are driving is disabled so it will not run, no matter what or take everything inside with you every night.

I am surprised no one gave any actual references so here are some I had put together for some relatives who were moving a while back.

THR

TruckVault - Gun Transport Laws by State

Cross-country moves with guns, How to do it legally? - Calguns.net

https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws.aspx

Even in those states the police would have no PC for a vehicle search after a stop for a broken tail light. Don't consent and you'll be fine.

Okay, don't anyone get all bent out of shape here....
What color is your skin? If you're white you're likely to have less trouble.
That said, there was a thread a while back about a fellow who was legally carrying a concealed weapon in a completely legal fashion. He was coincidentally pulled over. When the officer approached the window (I'm paraphrasing here), with both of his hands in plain sight on top of the steering wheel he said , " I have a firearm on me and am permitted to carry it. What would you like me to do?" By showing respect for the situation, the officer returned the same and did his job. Everyone went home happy.
As said, read every law in every state you'll go through and obey them. Including traffic laws. There should be no reason to worry.

"Shall not be infringed". God what a crock!

I'd break them down and transport. Bury the cases in the bottom under all your other junk. Don't be stupid and as Rick said, don't ever consent to a search.

If you're paranoid or dealing with a particularly nazi-like destination (e.g. D.C., Chicago, Boston, NYC, some parts of Kalifornia) it might be worth shipping FFL insured.

These two posts sum it up very well.

Suggestion: go to the local Guitar Center and find yourself a nice electronic guitar case. With slight modifications, these padded cases make a great discreet rifle and shotgun transport case. Much better than the big black sniper case with big "AR-15" embossed on the cover!

IMHO, a trigger lock is a better bet than a field-strip. A person familiar with firearms can always reassemble a gun, but that same person cannot easily take the lock off unless they have the key or know the combination.

Keeping your firearms in the trunk or a spot furthest away from the driver is also a good idea. Unless you are planning on stopping at ranges or hunting grounds along the way, I suggest not transporting any ammo on your cross country trip - doing this also minimizes the 'appearance of evil.'

If you don't have a CCW, I suggest getting one. (Utah CCW has reciprocity with the most states, and can be obtained remotely.) If you have a CCW, you are better protected under the Firearm Owners' Protection Act of 1986 (FOPA). This comes into play especially in states where there are more strict gun control laws like NJ and NY. IMPORTANT: Having a CCW from a given state does not mean that you will have reciprocity in a state you are travelling through. I am not suggesting that you have a loaded gun attached to your hip while travel from state to state - not all states honor out-of-state CCW's! The CCW will just give you an extra layer of legal protection should the need arise.

Let me explain this with an example: In NJ, local gun transport laws are subject to the bias of the local magistrate. In NJ, as in DC, there are strict transport laws (to and from the home and range, home and gun shop, home and hunting grounds, with only reasonable deviation while enroute.) If the range is further than a full tank of gas in my car, I can stop to fuel up. However, I cannot stop to pick up a friend, or buy food along the way. If I have a heart attack and drive to the hospital instead, that may or may not be looked upon as a reasonable deviation. It is the "reasonable deviation" part where a judge's bias comes in. However, if you have a CCW, you are better protected under FOPA, which will put you under federal jurisdiction, which will supersede local jurisdiction. I am probably not explaining this correctly, since I'm not a lawyer - but suffice it to say - having a CCW will give you a little extra protection.

-Z-man.

Great info! I'll need it later this year.

Z, you recommend not transporting spoon-food on the x-country trip. What's a good way to get it to your destination?

Jim:
I believe it is legal to ship sugar for your spoons, since many online places will ship ammo directly to your home.

I do not think the USPS will ship it, but UPS will: http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/packaging/guidelines/ammunition.html

If you only have a couple of boxes of sugar, then a trip to the local range with your buddies makes for a nice farewell party... :D

-Z

Jim,

Going throught this as well. I inherited two spoons from my father in addition to a green ammo can full of .45 and .38 ammunition.

UPS is the best route: https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/packaging/guidelines/ammunition.html

After doing some back of the napkin "ought times ought" I don't think shipping the ammo home will be worth the hassle since I'll only be in Fairfield for two days and it's not cheap. I plan on making a local Sacramento board member happy!

To the OP...Dan, send me a note and let me know what you will be doing.

Best.

I'll take the .38! :)

Thanks Z, Paul for the advice. It's more than a couple of boxes. :) I'll price it out sometime soon to see if it makes more sense to ship or shoot before we move out west.

I just happen to know a guy, who knows a guy that has an outdoor spoon range:D

Hmmmm :D

The 911 will either get shipped separately, or I'll caravan with it. The BMW gets the heavy load, to include the spoons. I don't ever actually carry spoons in the 911, just because the risk of getting pulled over is so much higher. (Not a dig on cops, but I recognize that I drive differently in that car.)

It's def legal to ship "sugar," of all kinds, to most states. I do it all the time. But it's kind of pricey. I've got a bunch of local buyers for the leftovers, though I'm still planning on reducing inventory by doing at least one more really good range day. Whee! :) Good call.

This is an excellent idea. I actually have a case from thugcase.com which fits a grand total of one (1) rifle. It's not a high quality thing, but it looks awesome, and I love showing up at the range with it. What I'm actually hauling in is basic rectangular black nylon cases. They could be electric pianos, I suppose. Maybe I should get musical-looking stickers for them. "Sir, why are you carrying 3 electric pianos?" (sigh)

If only we had, I don't know, some kind of Constitutional-level law that recognized the inherent right of a citizen to carry weapons.

Regarding Utah CCW: I live in Maryland, can I still get a Utah permit?

That would be a great idea! That's like the second best idea I've heard since the constitution! ;)

Yes you can.
Clicky here:
UtahCCW

-Z

I worked years ago for District Attorney's office. We are on the i75 corridor. As many previous posters have said, most stops for dumb infractions. Many many drug and gun busts for that very reason. Tail light, failure to signal etc.... Go over your vehicles with another each day of trip to make everything is operable.

I think the Sons of Anarchy are now available.

Z-Man almost got it right.......Buy one or more TSA approved hard cases that are used to ship guns to meets even over seas like the black powder guys do the So. Africa or Germany. A guitar case would probably raise some really hard issues especially if the stopping officer was a GUITAR PLAYER. And no matter what Rick sez, if you don't agree to a search then......

Crazy idea which would both reduce the space required in transport and ensure that the spoons couldn't possible be mistaken for operable weapons: Ship the barrels and magazines separately to my parents' place in Idaho ahead of time. They're "parts," not actual spoons, so it's legal, and it avoids any possible confusion on the part of law enforcement over my intent.

Thoughts?

I like that idea, dj. I might do that, too.

Maybe you guys all are just having fun by now, but it pains me why you don't just check what the law is and follow it in every state you drive through. If it is impossible, then just send the guns to yourself. That appears perfectly legal.

G

https://www.atf.gov/files/firearms/industry/0501-firearms-top-10-qas.pdf

Stop trying to be so logical. :D

Edited original post - I had assumed stuff that wasn't correct...

dj: I would double check to make sure you can ship your firearms to yourself 'in care' of another person. I thought shipping a firearm required that the receiver of the shipment have an FFL. In New Jersey, that is a requirement.

If you do ship firearms, they must be declared with the shipping company, and I am pretty sure the USPS will not ship firearms.

-Z-man.

I live in Maryland, and have had a lot of long conversations with other MD shooters about this topic, and we collectively do not understand our own state's laws. Even if there was some reasonably efficient place where each state laid out their safe transit laws for firearms (which there isn't), actually making sense of how laws are enforced is a different matter entirely. Additionally, let's say I research the laws for North Dakota, but end up changing routes and using South Dakota instead. There's a lot of states between Maryland and Washington, and a lot of possible routes.

Thanks, Z-Man; from Aigel's link to the ATF, it looks like this is technically legal. Or at least, it's legal at the Federal level. I know that it's not legal to ship an actual firearm to someone in either Maryland or Washington without going through an FFL, though, so I think there's a state-level complication that makes the ATF's sane and rational position somewhat less useful.

That said: It's legal to ship gun parts. In fact, most of my gun stuff has been shipped. I've obviously either purchased registered parts at dealers or had them shipped to FFLs, but things like barrels, mags, optics, and the like aren't considered firearms for most purposes.

The entertaining twist that just occurred to me, of course, is that I'm not sure it's legal for me to drive to the FedEx store with gun parts in my trunk. I've forgotten whether MD requires the registered component to be present for it to be considered a firearm. (sigh) Time to go study the law on that one.

I've shipped rifles via FedEx for $25-30, handguns from $15-20. For a hundred bucks or two you could save yourself lots of worry and free up space for other items. I've always been a nervous wreck driving with firearms in my vehicle, even though perfectly legal, you never know with police these days. Would not consider a cross country trip while being stressed out the whole way so shipping for me is a no brainer.