Questions about a possible Alaska move.

Item #1 --Outlaw75... outstanding info from Royal Alaska on actually moving guns to Alaska - and the gun laws you'll find there.

Item #2 -- Whether you'll actually be able to live there? That's a different topic entirely... My one trip there to visit my brother -who's been living a full-bore subsistence lifestyle in the MatSu area (roughly 60 miles up the Glenn Highway from Anchorage) for many years left me with two distinct impressions... Everything I paid a dollar for here in Miami.. I paid two dollars for up there... Secondly, everyone I met was in much, much better physical condition than I was at the time (no one worked at it - you just had to be in good shape for the day to day stuff....).

As my brother noted long ago - everyone in Alaska is very polite with strangers since most of them are armed wherever and whenever you find them... He's a serious hunter (once again a full bore subsistence lifestyle - means he kills two caribou, and tries to kill a moose - each year and will add a young black bear, a "berry bear" for roasts and stews as well. His main rifles - .375 H&H... he has three of them...). Me, I'm a fisherman not a hunter (Vietnam cured me of hunting - unless my family needed the meat...), but I thought the moose was the best eating I've had, for game meat...

If it were me I'd want to leave most of my weapons and other goods in storage in the lower 48 - at least until I'd lived up there for a year or so and found it to my liking...(understatement)... My one trip there left me with no doubt that I wouldn't t consider living there at all... Of course I must admit that not many would prefer my world - since I guide in the saltwater Everglades - the opposite of Alaskan living (again, understatement...).


Whatever you decide, let us know since many dream of re-locating up there.

illinoisburt said:

When my brother was in Tacoma, he said people would use the ferry to move anything that otherwise needed a bunch of paperwork going through Canada.

Click to expand...

Wouldn't that be the perfect time for that "tragic boat accident"?

JTHunter said:

Wouldn't that be the perfect time for that "tragic boat accident"?

Click to expand...

From the pictures of the Alaska ferries (there are about 11 ships), they don't look all that seaworthy. And from the recommendation for tent camping on deck, I wouldn't feel very secure taking this trip, at least across the open waters between the Panhandle and Whittier. Anyway, I wouldn't put all 50 guns on one voyage. Split them up into several installments. Unless you want your guns to "disappear" for real.

Pick any State, say Nebraska and then choose a large city like Omaha.
As most large cities are full of liberal minded malcontents elect progressive administrations
They end up as charter sanctuary cities.
That is what Anchorage is to the rest of Alaska.
A colony of Seattle.
The City has been run by Democrats for a while, thats why Mayor Burkowitz wants to spend 22 million of CARE's act funds to buy some run down properties to house the 1200 homeless bums crawling around Anchorage.
In typical Seattle/Portland like political moves.
Only 18% of Anchorage Cares funds has actually went where it was intended, the liberals are sitting on the rest.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BMAZ6BAgHEAE&usg=AOvVaw29dOKng14uF7U8uJ9lX8Db

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BMAR6BAgEEAE&usg=AOvVaw2vDA-kMh_TokQgSSoI1Uhx

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BMAF6BAgCEAE&usg=AOvVaw27gnVVXj4-VOfz_2ewezLR

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BRAB&usg=AOvVaw1IbOjhfSiM7UAoyb0Kksx8&ampcf=1

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjADegQIChAK&usg=AOvVaw37lLyWBTfUAdZsJHXHtyA7

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjACegQIChAC&usg=AOvVaw0R9l_JubL5spJdDKVs3H6X

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQICxAC&usg=AOvVaw2PxnrLu4F7DeemGNfvR5WK

https://mustreadalaska.com/damage-c...erence-on-cares-act-homeless-hotels-spending/

https://mustreadalaska.com/breaking...ss-anchorages-planned-use-of-cares-act-funds/

In last 10 years Anchorage has gone down hill in very noticable ways.
Its a seething leftist hotbed in the state.

Progressive cities usually have a light touch on crime, the broken window theory in operation.

WTH do those homeless folks do for 6-8months of freezing temps?

Stay where it’s warm and get high... just like every where else... Wish it weren’t so.

Not all of Alaska is like Los Anchorage

Possibly try next Friday give Michael Dukes a call and pose this moving question?
Fridays are known as Firearms Fridays.

https://www.michaeldukesshow.com
The call in show pulls in callers from across Alaska and as far away as Fred from Rhode Island.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAMegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw1I1wVHJKyBK3BbihobtQS4

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjALegQICxAJ&usg=AOvVaw3SbrLICfBsQDVeX4EGGQh7

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQIBxAD&usg=AOvVaw2VuyCPm7swQmhswJf5BrDG

George P said:

WTH do those homeless folks do for 6-8months of freezing temps?

Click to expand...

Do NOT get me started on the homeless problem up here! omg

Okay, well, I didn't read every post, but I skimmed through.

I've been there, done this, got the t shirt and sold it at a garage sale. I moved in 05. Living in AK ever since.

I didn't have anywhere near 50 guns, but I had a handful. I moved to AK first without them. Then, anytime I made a trip home to visit, I would bring them back to AK as checked baggage. That may not be an option for you.

Shipping guns.

I think you've got 3-4 options, but container shipping is your cheapest.:

Look for an FFL in your current city and ship them to an FFL in your new city in Alaska. That may be your cheapest alternative. $25-$35 per gun transfer fee here in Anchorage. (EDC Alaska is the cheapest in the area.) up to $50 shipping charges. (I base that on quotes I've received from Gunbroker, Classic Firearms, and Bud's Gun Shop.) plus whatever the FFL charges you in your current city. (Both FFLs may cut you a deal, who knows.) So you're looking at up to $100 per gun. 5 grand total ain't bad LOL.

Drive it all up yourself Contrary to popular belief, not all guns are illegal in Canada. If you have basic "hunting" type firearms, you can easily bring those through. You do have to declare them at the border and fill out some forms to get a temporary possession permit, but it's not that big of a deal. However, if you're bringing paramilitary firearms, semi autos in general (handguns of certain barrel lengths and/or calibers), then it gets ugly. If you do this, you will be required to have the guns locked and relatively inaccessible.

Container shipping. When my last parent died, I cleaned out my childhood home, and brought a lot of stuff to AK. I used ABF Freight Forwarding. For $3k I got a container dropped in my mom's yard for 3 days. We loaded it about 1/4 - 1/3 full. They brought it to AK (took a while, several weeks) and dropped it in my yard for 3 days to unload. I suspect they may have restrictions on haz mat, which brings us too...

Haz-mat (loaded ammo, reloading components.) Basically, forget it. Sell your ammo locally at the currently inflated prices. The new rules on haz mat shipping fess make it absolutely impossible to buy ammo or components online and have them shipped to AK. You simply can't afford to ship ammo up here. Your ONLY options for this is to drive it up yourself, up the Al-Can or Cassiar Highways. Do some research with Customs and Immigration Canada as they may have limits. Also, I moved here in early September, and it was already cold on the Al-Can. Another month, and you will be driving it in snow. Services are scarce and expensive, especially in winter. Plan accordingly. (I've driven the Al-Can five times.)

Be aware, however, that once you sell your ammo and move here, it is going to be very very very difficult to replace it. The Obama ammo drought was very hard on us up here, and it impacted us for a lot longer than it did the lower 48. (I was buying ammo while visiting back home and bringing it up as checked baggage because it was absolutely impossible to buy in Alaska. We didn't see 22LR or any powder or primers on shelves FOR YEARRRRRRRS.

Send me a PM if you want to talk shop about AK in general or any questions you might have. I've lived here 15 years now. I came up for a job, like you, but I only planned to work a year, do the AK vacation thing, then return. (Which is actually pretty common; the average tenure in AK for people moving here is 4 years and then they leave.) Once I got here, I never looked back. AK turned my life around.

ETA: Can't believe I forgot about the ferry. As others have mentioned, that's an option. Load your vehicle with as much as you can and put it on the ferry at Bellingham. The ferry does NOT go to Anchorage. It goes to I think WHittier in Prince WIlliam SOund (about an hour drive to Anchorage) and Seward on the Kenai Peninsula (about a 3 hour drive to Anchorage.) Schedule is limited in the winter (budget cuts). I don't think any of the ferries are unseaworthy, however, they've broken down a few times and left people stranded for a while. (Again, budget cuts.) Many of them parked right now. I don't believe you bring all of your household goods onboard, just what you can carry and what you can have in your vehicle. (But trailers are allowed for an exra charge, so UHaul may be a good deal here.)

Good luck, and May the North Be With You.

y'all make that place sound horrible. ive never been, but if was the op I'd be making a trip up to check it out before i jumped in with both feet.

how can there be lots of homeless up there in the long cold winters? they make igloos? govt has shelters? guess wrong site and forum to discuss, sorry i asked.

interesting on guns and ammo issues learned something new......never thought about it before.

You can find the good in any place if you choose to look for it.
Alaska can be as small or as large as you make it.
Its old land with lots of history, neat and interesting people.
Its not a cheap place.
It will eat your lunch if you let it.

I moved from PA to AK two years ago. The plan was to only live in AK for two years and move back, but Alaska and COVID delayed that.

Reason for my story is, I found that it was too expensive and difficult to get my guns up here for a only a short time.

They are locked up at my parent's house and I just bought new stuff up here.

As other's said, your options are limited.

You have the ferry. Pricey and limited in spots and time. Unlikely to find a slot to come up if you read up on the state of the ferry system. They have limited season and spots are booked like years in advance last I checked.

You can drive them through Canada. That's limited types allowed and lots of paperwork. Basically forget ammo.

You can air ship them. Pricey and then you'll need to transfer them at an FFL. Which means you'll need to get an AK ID in state before you can pick up your own guns and pay a transfer fee.

Or, pallet and freight them through an independent shipper. I wanna say a company up here does it for $650 for 500 pounds. Which is a bargain. If you really need, I can get more info on that for you.

Last option is to pack a trailer full, hide them inside, and throw them on a shipping barge from WA to AK, and fly yourself the rest of the way. While it's not illegal, it's against company policy to load vehicles with firearms and ammo. I almost did this, but thought better of breaking rules.

Oh, and what line of work are you in and what area you looking to move?? I can help with other advice if you need, as I've gone through lots of stuff to get here, from vehicles to guns to airlines to boats/ships. You name it.

George P said:

Maybe POD or similar offers that?

Click to expand...

I'm considering a move and have been checking around.

Every one I've checked into doesn't allow firearms or ammo.

Just dont move to Anchorage and you’ll do just fine.