Firearm Transfer Question -NJ to CA - With No Paperwork

[ripcurlksm]

I am home for the holidays from CA and visiting my family in NJ. My father has a Remington 550-1 .22 rifle that he wishes to give to me. Here is the catch, this rifle was given to him by one of his construction coworkers. My father was talking about wanting to get a rifle and this guy offered his .22 and simply gave it to him. No paperwork, no FFL transfer or whatever, nothing. My dads friend pretty much brought it in to work all wrapped up, and my father brought it home and its been in our shed since then, unused.

Here is some info I was able to dig up on the Remington website:
http://www.remington.com/library/history/firearm_models/rimfire/model_550.asp
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Description: Autoloading rimfire rifle
Introduction Year: 1941
Year Discontinued: 1970
Total Production: Approximately 764,573
Designer/Inventor: K. Lowe, C.C. Loomis
Action Type: Autoloading
Caliber/Gauge: .22 short, .22 long, .22 long rifle
Serial Number Blocks: N/A
Variations: Model 550A, Model 550P, Model 550-2G, Model 550-1 (Redesigned with only one ejector in 1946)
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I want to legally own this firearm and be in the "right". My question for you guys is what should I do? Should I bring it to my local FFL dealer in NJ and request for it to be put in my name? Please keep in mind that I am living in CA so I want it to be registered or whatever in CA, NOT NJ. Should I simply pack it in my shotgun case (that I have home with me for the holidays) and declare it at a FFL dealer in CA? If I register it in NJ at my FFL dealer will they be able to ship it to a FFL dealer in CA where I can pick it up? Please advise!

I have attached pictures that I found on the web for the Remington 550-1

 

[Prince Yamato]

If all three of your residences are NJ and all three of you have the FID cards, you just engaged in a perfectly legal FTF transfer. If only your father and his friend have them, then THEY will have to ship the rifle to you through FFLs in NJ and California. If NEITHER You nor your father have NJ FID cards, I would tell you father that all he legally did was "borrow" the weapon. In that case, have his friend with the valid FID "sell" you the gun interstate through FFL dealers. The last case I mentioned is the safest bet, because legally, I believe, you can't transport the gun to an NJ airport, assuming they would seize it, given you have no NJ FID and were not instate for competition or shooting related sporting event.

 

[ripcurlksm]

To clarify, my father and I do not have a NJ FID card. I am not sure if the guy who gave the gun to my dad has a NJ FID card, but he might- nonetheless this is irrelivant because my dad is no longer in contact with this person. My father has worked with many people and he does not have the contact information to the person who gave him the rifle. Also there is no serial number on the rifle upon inspection, also from the Remington website it also says that there are no serial numbers.

When I transport my shotgun back to CA, I do not have a NJ FID card. When I purchased my shotgun in CA, there is no state law to require a CA FID card. Will this be a problem in the airport? I do have proof of ownership, I have the recipt and info from the shop I purchased the shotgun from. With this said, how do they know that the rifle isnt mine as well, as CA does not require a FID card for rifles or shotguns. It is only handguns that require a card. I am not trying to be difficult, I just want you to know all that I know so you can advise me to the best of your knowledge.

Please keep your thoughts coming, as I have a week to work this out.

Regards,

 

[GRIZ22]

No serial numbers on inexpensive guns made before the GCA 68 is common.

You don't need a NJFID card if you are an out of state resident and are travelling through NJ or to hunt or a competition. The NJ State Police make this clear on their website and even have The Firearms Owner's Protection Act on it. Prior to this you could get arrested travelling through NJ without a NJFID card.

A NJFID card is not needed if you are not transporting the firearm if you are a NJ resident. If you move into the state with legal firearms there is no requirement to register them. If you never take them out of your house you don't need a NJFID card.

There is no requirement for any FTF sale as long as the receiving party has a NJFID card. To cover yourself there is a "Certificate of Elgibilty" for long guns on the NJSP website. I don't think it's a requirement but I'd use one if I sold a long gun to someone I didn't know (as long as they had the ID card). There is no requirement to register any long gun FTF purchase in NJ.

ripcurl, under federal law you can ship a gun to a FFL in another state. I don't know what CA law is in this matter but if CA has no law against it the gun can be shipped to a FFL there for transfer. Some dealers won't take a shipment from a non-FFL and I can understand that.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Is it not legal to ship a firearm to yourself? And doesn't the USPS allow mailing rifles?

There's no serial number, so it's not on paper in any way. Mail it to yourself the day before you leave NJ, and be waiting for it in CA when it arrives.

 

[GRIZ22]

Acquila, that would work but is there registration for long guns in CA? I don't know. Federal law allows you to purchase a long gun out of state as long as there's no state laws against it. A NJ resident can purchase in PA using his FID card but I don't know if a PA resident can purchase in NJ. A NJ resident could purchase the gun in PA and mail it to himself.

The out of state purchase has to be made at a FFL though.

 

[Ed Ames]

There is no registration of long guns in CA... but also no FTF transfers of guns under 50 years of age. So unless you had it when you moved into CA, or received it before the law barring FTF transfers changed, you can't have have legally purchased the gun without going through the DROS process. If you were not a CA resident you could bring it with you when you moved here. If it was a C&R (and you had a C&R license) you could buy it and bring it back legally. Otherwise there are few options.

As I understand it (and I last researched this 5ish years ago and things can change -- if I'm wrong I hope someone will correct me) Federal law only allows you do to what would be legal in your home state. In CA, there is a 10 day waiting period and long guns less than 50 years old must go through an 01 FFL... which means you are supposed to follow those rules anywhere you go. That's why gun stores in Nevada typically don't sell to CA residents.

Also, I don't think it is legal to do a face to face sale or transfer to a resident of another state, or while in another state. So this transfer must go through an 01 FFL. Which is probably the easy answer... find an FFL in CA who will help you and ship the gun to them. Then, when you get back to CA, go through the DROS process, wait your 10 days, and take the gun.

 

[gezzer]

Welcome to becoming a FELON and having NO RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS!!

This is a public forum you are had. Do it legally or suffer the rest That is the state this country is in. Go ahead and do the deal IS IT WORTH IT?

 

[ripcurlksm]

So far I have spoken with my local sheriffs department in CA and also with my local FFL dealer here in NJ. I am going there on tuesday to do a transfer and get the paperwork in order. They will probably ship it to my FFL dealer in CA and I will have to wait 10 days to pick it up. No sweat! And I have me my first .22! Cant wait!

Big thanks to everyone and have a happy and safe holiday!