Transporting a Shotgun

[mudman]

Just a quick question. I live in CT and my father (who lives in NY) would like to visit me to (among other outdoor sports) do some skeet shooting. Is it legal for him to bring his shotgun from NY to CT (obviously unloaded, locked and not readily accessible to driver or passengers)?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Estela216]

For sporting purposes, he should be fine. It is generally o.k. to travel this way (disassembled, locked and out of immediate possession) from state to state. I have traveled this way a number of times as have many of my friends and associates. It can not hurt to go to the NRA website or packing.org and print out a copy of the firearm owner's travel guide or rules to keep with you. That will generally end a debate with anyone who may question your intentions. Hope this helps.

Best,

Kev

 

[geekWithA.45]

Disassembled is overkill, I'm not aware of anwhere except DC that requires you to take it apart.

The general requirements of for Federal defense from local laws during interstate travel with arms is that:

-Posession of the armament is legal at the trip's origin
-Posession of the armament is legal at the trip's destination
-The armament is unloaded, cased, and trunked, and separated from ammunition
-The travel is "direct", meaning that you can stop for food, rest or fuel, but a sidetrip to a relative's house on the way to a further destination would throw your defense into question (unless that state was OK with that armament)

Examples from my everyday life:

Origin: PA
Destination: VA
Armament: Handgun
GFW State I must pass through: MD.

Stopping in MD would be a problem, as MD has a beef with handguns. If the armament was a non controversial long gun, MD would have no complaint.

Problematic Jurisdictions:

DC: DON'T STOP FOR NOTHING! (If you run out of gas, jump out and push!)
NY: Lots of anecdotal cases of out of state handgun owners being arrested after declaring their handgun luggage @ airports.