Moving gun collection from Arizona to Virginia

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WardenWolf

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Well, life has conspired to take me across the country to a new home in northern Virginia. Unfortunately, I need a way to move my collection of ~20 firearms. I really do not want to entrust them to a bulk shipper or an airline's baggage handlers. I could use an FFL to ship them, but the cheapest transfer fee I have found so far in Virginia is $40 per gun.

So what's the best way to go about this? Rent a Ryder truck? All my firearms, and concealed weapons permit, are legal from Arizona across to Florida, and from Florida on up to Virginia. I'm open to any and all suggestions.
 
Best way is to transport them yourself by POV. I trust no one and paying an FFL to get your own guns back is BS.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
Insure and mail long guns to yourself thru the post office.
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Unfortunately, I don't trust the Post Office not to damage them. I have several older firearms in excellent condition, and there is a good chance they would damage the stocks in some way. The only way I'd trust is through my gun club, which has experience with shipping firearms. The other problem is that I lack hard-sided cases for most of my guns, which makes things even more difficult.
 
Welcome to the Commonwealth, WardenWolf.

I agree with the others, Road Trip is the way to go. You might check into obtaining an additional non-resident CCW (or 2) in order to shorten your trip (as if you had not already thought of that :) ).

BTW, be sure to checkout the VCDL ... excellent organization.
 
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Either "Road Trip" (as others have said) or possibly a bonded transport.

Personally if I could I'd do the road trip and see some of our wonderful country on the way.

Where are you going to wind up in Va?
 
I drove with my collection from San Diego to Virginia Beach. A wonderful drive. Even got stopped in Texas for speeding. I explained to the officer that I was traveling across country on PCS orders to Virginia. Interaction was coutesous and the officer was very amiable. The officer asked if I had any weapons in the car. I answered in the affirmative and offered to show the contents of my trunk. The nice officer was very smitten in my 1903A3. I got off with a warning.
 
When you get here, join up NCVAguntrader.com and vaguntrader.com if you are looking for local FTF transactions.

I'd purchase hard cases for the valuable ones, use soft cases for the ones that aren't so valuable, and drive man.. rent a pickup truck, with a lockable tonneau cover, and drive em. just weight the cases down a little to keep em from shifting too much.

Warden.. I did basically that exact same move.. Sierra Vista, AZ to Ladysmith, VA. Went from Ft. Huachuca to Ft. Belvoir. As long as you are transporting, and not stopping, you'll be ok. I'd avoid IL, but everything else is smooth sailing. Hop on 40 and work your way through all the way to Knoxville, TN and then hit 81 up in VA. You'll cross the southern most tip of IL, but most all of the other routes will take you right through the middle of IL.
 
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I was planning to take I-10 East to Florida, then up to Virginia. My CCW permit is honored in all those states. The problem is I have a couple of AK's so even passing through IL may cause a problem if I'm stopped for whatever reason.
 
Actually your AK will be fine in Illinois. It's the handguns that will get you in a jam there (assuming you are not going through Chicago or environs).

Downstate Illinois is pretty much like the rest of the midwest for all long guns, including ARs, AKs and similar rifles and carbines commonly referred to by the commonly used (if not inaccurate) term that I dare not write. My understanding is that it's just handguns that all but a subset of counties in Illinois worry about (Cook, DuPaige, Lake...others).
 
You'd be passing through Southern IL.. they are much more gun friendly there. If you dont stop and stay there.. its no big deal. FOID cards are only required by IL residents.. in the south.. just dont speed, keep right unless passing, and you'll be through the states tip in just a couple of hours.
 
FFL to FFL is a problem because in order to retrieve the handguns from the FFL in Virginia you would have to prove Virginia residency to the FFL, and I think Virginia has a state law regarding ID that is more stringent than Federal law. Bottom line, your handguns may be stuck at the Virginia FFL without the legal means to transfer them to you.

Mailing the handguns via US Post Office is illegal for non-FFLs.

If you are driving anyway, I don't see any question at all why you would not just pack the guns away in the vehicle, put them under lock and key, drive carefully (which you should do anyway) and never consent to a search, let alone volunteer for one, of the locked space where the guns are.

Comply with 18 USC 926A, FOPA, during the transportation.
 
If you're moving isn't it required that you transfer through an FFL and do a 4473 again?
I'm curious as I'll be doing it soon enough myself and have never moved between states before.
 
If you're moving isn't it required that you transfer through an FFL and do a 4473 again?
I'm curious as I'll be doing it soon enough myself and have never moved between states before.
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NO.

NY, IIRC, (might be just NYC) has some strange laws regarding notifying them that your handguns have left the state. Some one will have to fill in the correct info on that.

Otherwise, when you move, your guns go with you, freely. There is no transfer of ownership to another, so no 4473 is required.

You do need to know the laws in your new home state to make sure you aren't bringing something illegal into the state, (or something that has to be registered with the state) but coming from NY and heading almost anywhere else, that's unlikely.
 
If you're moving isn't it required that you transfer through an FFL and do a 4473 again? I'm curious as I'll be doing it soon enough myself and have never moved between states before.
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Not if you are coming to VA. If you are coming to the "Old Dominion" then just bring yer' property and don't worry about it.
 
I drove with my collection from San Diego to Virginia Beach. A wonderful drive. Even got stopped in Texas for speeding. I explained to the officer that I was traveling across country on PCS orders to Virginia. Interaction was coutesous and the officer was very amiable. The officer asked if I had any weapons in the car. I answered in the affirmative and offered to show the contents of my trunk. The nice officer was very smitten in my 1903A3. I got off with a warning.
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Same thing happened to me in '95! Wasn't for speeding though, U-haul had a taillight out. Was it in Texhoma?
 
There is no need to send ffl to ffl.. but if you want I can hook you up with a couple of great FFL's in VA that can get you more info. Google Hansohn Brothers or Immortal Arms. IA is the guy that got emily her gun in the Emily gets her Gun reporting series that highlated the idiocy required to get a gun in DC.
 
arch.. not required.. but I'm in contact with Immortal Arms to clarify mailing from state to state to yourself. I should have an answer tonight.. Even asked about forms requirements if the sender chooses to use a FFL for the sending...

He's on here as well.. but I never remember that until I actually PM him on another site.
 
Sam1911 said:
You do need to know the laws in your new home state to make sure you aren't bringing something illegal into the state, (or something that has to be registered with the state) but coming from NY and heading almost anywhere else, that's unlikely.
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Don't think I need to worry about that... finally moving to NH!

Thanks for the info. I know I'll need to deal with the handguns separately but thought everything needed to go through an FFL just to move permanently between states. I'm hoping NY lets me keep my permit but I doubt it... most people here seem to wrongfully think that non-resident permits are illegal.
 
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