In Federal rules, it isn't a "transfer". Possession isn't ownership, and "transfer" is a transfer of ownership.Whoa there. Let's not go making that statement.
The general thing here would be that you can NOT transfer possession of a firearm across state lines without going through an FFL.
You can ship a firearm to another state for your use. You can go to another state, loan your buddy your gun. You can leave your gun there, too. The GCA says that the loan of a firearm over state laws for "lawful sporting purposes" is okay. And it doesn't put a bunch of specifics on how you do that, so you can't get charged for the specifics of the loan.
Keep in mind that you are "loaning" a firearm when you hand it to someone to climb over a fence, let them try a few rounds at the range, put it in their trunk, etc. Or when you rent a machinegun while vacationing in Las Vegas. The GCA is rather sensible in making the difference between having a gun and owning a gun a pretty strong and obvious line.
When I moved out west, the rifle I left in my parent's basement did not turn them into criminals. And if Dad wanted to use it for deer hunting, that isn't a problem.
What is a problem is if you lend a buddy a gun for self defense over state lines, because that doesn't meet the criteria for sporting use. So if you were caught carrying an interstate loaned gun, that would be bad. If you shot a home invader with a loaned gun, you might be okay as long as the owner said that the loan was for sport.
That said, some states have specific prohibitions on all of that, but it is the usual suspects.
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