Gun Laws on transportation

From

How can I legally transport a firearm on my person or in my vehicle? Three statutory codes regulate the possession, transfer, and transportation of firearms - the Criminal Code, the Wildlife Code, and the Firearm Owner's Identification Act. Under Unlawful Use of Weapons (UUW) in the Criminal Code, persons who have been issued a valid FOID card may transport a firearm anywhere in their vehicle or on their person as long as the firearm is unloaded and enclosed in a case, firearm carrying box, shipping box, or other container. Firearms that are not immediately accessible or are broken down in a non-functioning state may also be carried or transported under the Criminal Code. The Wildlife Code, however, is more restrictive. It requires that all firearms transported in or on any vehicle be unloaded and in a case.

What is broken down in a non-functioning state? The firearm is disassembled, making it inoperable, e.g., slide or barrel removed.

Bottom line is that you're probably ok transporting the lower, unless the game warden catches you. But you're better off sticking it in a pistol case.

Paul K. Dickman

"RogerN" wrote in news:acednXkBa-p-DBPMnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.com:

It can depend heavily on the state, but most places, if it is not a complete, operational firearm, you are OK. Federal law defines the receiver as the firearm as far as purchase is concerned, but most states don't get that finicky in terms of posession.

It use to be illegal to leave a firearm in a vehicle in Massachusetts, in a locked case or not. Target shooters I know who wanted to go shooting after work would partially disassemble their pistols, take the receiver into work, and leave everything else in their cars. I never head of anyone getting any flak for this process.

The bottom line is that very few cops would haul you in for illegally transporting a "firearm" when it was incomplete & non-functional. As far as they are concerned, if it can't shoot, it ain't a gun. The finer points of federal law are not their specialty. If I ever got stopped, I wouldn't volunteer that I had a firearm in the car unless I was asked and it was operational.

Doug White

Where did that 10 hours thing appear? never heard of it before. I think most shops could make a firearm from raw stock in 10 hours or less, if fixtures are made and progams already written.

Remove 333 to reply. Randy

It's a number the ATF pulled out of the air and has no real meaning. They get to set the rules, enforce them and decide what constitutes a violation. Plus, any of their rules is always subject to their own reinterpretation, so any ruling they make can be undone.

David

The statute says "easily converted" to full-auto, ATF gets to define that on their own. And I'm pretty sure that number was pulled out of the air before CNC machines became as widespread as they are. It's generally been applied to guys trying to build semi-autos out of full- auto parts kits that have been imported. Back when surplus ammo was cheap, there were quite a number of outfits doing that.

As far as transporting a stripped receiver, it's NOT a functioning firearm, there should be no problem. FOPA '86 is supposed to protect owners when transporting interstate as long as the gun is legal at both ends of the trip and no sidetrips are taken, look it up if going interstate. Not sure they understand that up in the liberal sump northeast states, but I'd keep the thing under cover in any state and drive responsibly, particularly if you have to pass through any of those states. I'd be more worried about transporting pressure cookers in the open these days.

Stan