Gun law info needed.

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Ken C.

Ken C.

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I will be traveling out of NJ to WV through PA. I want to transport my handgun, rifle, and shotgun with me because my friend has a shooting range on his property. What laws will I be breaking, if any, by transporting them across state lines? I have paperwork on all of my handguns. Anyone have a source I can research? Google was giving me nothing solid in PA and WV laws.
 
I am in PA. Outside of going into Philly you are good. As long as good practices are followed ie: not loaded, secure in the trunk etc. PA. is very open to gun owners as long as the rules are abided by. John
 
Best thing to do is contact the PA and WV State Police by phone. I wanted to travel to Upstate NY with some .22 rifles. I called the state and got the answer. Not the one I wanted but it was quick and not second hand.

I have transported through Ohio into WV and their laws are very similar to MI. As GotDogs said, not loaded, cased, in trunk, ammo separate.
 
Yeh unloaded, and in cases and your good to go. as long as your guns are registered you wont have a problem even if for some reason your stopped and searched. Don't conceal em, if asked say exactly what you got and where it is. Pa is good to us gun owners.....for now
 
Contact the PSP and the WVSP to get a definitive answer. That said, unloaded, broken down, in locked cases, and out of reach in your vehicle with no ammunition (best) or ammo locked up in a seperate area of the vehicle (i.e. locked glove compartment) and I'm sure you will be A OK. :)
 
The FOPA says you're allowed to pass through a state with any gun that is legal both where your journey started and where it will end. That assumes minimal stops (fuel, bathroom, etc.) and not an overnight stay in the "pass through" state.

Its a good idea to comply with the most restrictive storage and transport laws of any of the states in question throughout the entire journey just to err on the side of caution.

From Wikipedia:

Safe Passage" provision

One of the law's provisions was that persons traveling from one place to another cannot be incarcerated for a firearms offense in a state that has strict gun control laws if the traveler is just passing through (short stops for food and gas) and the firearms and ammunition are not immediately accessible, unloaded and, in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment, in a locked container.
An example of this would be that someone driving from Virginia to a competition in Vermont with a locked hard case containing an unloaded handgun and a box of ammunition in the trunk could not be prosecuted in New Jersey or New York City for illegal possession of a handgun provided that they did not stop in New Jersey or New York for an extended period of time.
 
If you happen to get pulled over, knock on wood, make sure to tell them IMMEDIATELY that you have cargo. :cool:
 
dttomcat said:
If you happen to get pulled over, knock on wood, make sure to tell them IMMEDIATELY that you have cargo. :cool:
Click to expand...

This is the last thing I would do. If they don't ask, don't tell! That could cause all kinds of problems. Keep the guns and ammo locked in separate cases and in separate compartments of the vehicle if possible. Try to keep everything from view, no need for it to be out in the open.

The best thing is not to get pulled over, one less thing to concern yourself with.


Patrick
 
Just got off the phone with PA State Police. It is as I have said. "If you get pulled over, let them know right away" is the FIRST THING that the nice woman said before I even asked. Gun out of reach, ammo seperate or, better still, non-existent. Lock up whatever you can and you'll be fine. Drive safe.
 
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So if she said you have to paint FIREARMS ON BOARD across the back of your car, would you believe it? We do not have to inform a LEO we are carrying loaded and concealed, why would we have to inform about legally transporting?

Please study the links I posted and show me where any of them state you have to inform about transporting. The one thing that is clear is ammo can't be in the passenger compartment.

I don't recommend calling the police in regards to what is legal and what is not. You can't expect them to know every law, or maybe what they think or want you to think it is.


Patrick
 
The funny thing is the gray, or is it grey, area regarding whether or not the gun should be in the trunk when you drive an SUV or, GOD forbid, a mini-van. :D She had to go ask someone. :p
 
I hear ya, I have a problem with an open pickup bed. A locked cap (topper,shell) is a little more secure, but what about the ammo?

Patrick
 
I drive a Jeep Cherokee. I will be carrying the ammo in a locked ammo box and the pistols in a locked Pelican case all in the back of vehicle. I will also have my pink copies with me just in case.
 
You'll be fine. Watch you speed, which you should do anyhow, and if you get pulled over, mention right away that there are firearms in the vehicle. I'm done now. Safe travels, Ken.
 
Read fopa pa and w va aren't going to give a shit outside the liberal cities like Pittsburgh and phillie anyway better safe than sorry
I'm surprised you don't have a pa permit

Have fun
 
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