Driving cross country with air guns

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MrP

MrP

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Apr 29, 2020
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New Lebanon, NY, USA
All right these may be stupid questions but I am moving to the East Coast and couldn’t bring myself to put the airguns that I put a lot of time and money into into the shipping container that is bringing most of my stuff east.

So they are coming along in the car.

I’ll be driving pretty quickly because I’ll also have some pets with me (I don’t even want to get into the details of that, it’s ridiculous but it STILL beats flying lol) and I am wondering what if anything in need to think about.

One thing i wonder is what will motel employees think if I am carrying multiple gun cases into the room when I arrive… was thinking maybe I should buy a couple of guitar cases and ditch the gun cases just to avoid any awkward and unnecessary conversations.

How about driving with compressed air tanks: a few guns and a pressurized hatsan 1.6L fill station? Is this a problem if I were pulled over?

Anything I need to consider?

Thanks.
 
There are no technical issues that will arise from transporting them across the country. I just did the same in January. I buried my airguns in the center of the cargo trailer and packed everything else around them. If my trailer had been broken into while at a motel the thieves would have had to move a lot of furniture and appliances and household stuff to even get near them or find them.
I just made sure to park within clear sight of the motels front office where thieves would feel less likely to steal without getting caught. You sure picked a good time to move… what with gas being so cheap now and whatnot.. hahahaha
 
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I used to travel for hunting trips several years ago. I would typically find a smaller motel with direct entrance to my room from the parking lot to avoid carrying a gun case inside the main building. I’m sure you know this but cover up the guns so they can’t be seen inside your vehicle. Thieves can break into a vehicle in seconds so even a quick run into a gas station could result in having your stuff stolen. Good luck with your move and I hope you have a safe trip.
 
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I appreciate the comments and the fact that I’m not crazy to be taking it seriously.

The airguns I’m bringing are durable but expensive (modified AF guns with TJ barrel, etc) so maybe I’ll just take the scopes off and wrap each in a towel and put them all in a duffel bag. Also a Rex and Rex p that seem like they’d be difficult to damage much.

My gun cases are those cheap Walmart $45 flambeau kind so no big loss of i have to abandon them.
 
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pnwairgunner said:
There are no technical issues that will arise from transporting them across the country. I just did the same in January. I buried my airguns in the center of the cargo trailer and packed everything else around them. If my trailer had been broken into while at a motel the thieves would have had to move a lot of furniture and appliances and household stuff to even get near them or find them.
I just made sure to park within clear sight of the motels front office where thieves would feel less likely to steal without getting caught. You sure picked a good time to move…
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pnwairgunner said:
what with gas being so cheap now and whatnot.. hahahaha
Click to expand...
No kidding. I didn’t really pick the time, the time picked me.
 
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Some east coast states have very restrictive airgun laws, ny, nj, de all come to mind. Im sure you checked into your destination state, but its worth the mention of it regardless. Travelling shouldn't be an issue imo, not sure about if you are pulled over in one of those states though. Ny is arresting kids for waterblasters.
Best of luck on your trip!
 
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New York State isn't bad but be careful with air pistols, especially replica's. I suppose that's true just about anywhere these days. NYC is another matter, I would avoid all five boroughs.
When I'm carrying air rifles in my vehicle I put them in silicone gun socks or sleeves. I buy the black colored ones, lay them in bed of my suv and cover them with a blanket. You can always pile stuff on top of them, no one would ever know.
 
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Just avoid NJ all together if you have a moderator on any of your airguns. Airguns are classified as firearms there and you may be charged with a felony if caught with an unregistered "silencing device", even non-removable ones.

Even if you dont have any of those things.... just avoid NJ as a rule of thumb.
 
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Sqwirlfugger57 said:
Just avoid NJ all together if you have a moderator on any of your airguns. Airguns are classified as firearms there and you may be charged with a felony if caught with an unregistered "silencing device", even non-removable ones.

Even if you dont have any of those things.... just avoid NJ as a rule of thumb.
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Good advice. Several states have defined air guns as firearms, so an air rifle suppressor would be subject to that state's general firearms laws.
 
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MrP said:
All right these may be stupid questions but I am moving to the East Coast and couldn’t bring myself to put the airguns that I put a lot of time and money into into the shipping container that is bringing most of my stuff east.

So they are coming along in the car.

I’ll be driving pretty quickly because I’ll also have some pets with me (I don’t even want to get into the details of that, it’s ridiculous but it STILL beats flying lol) and I am wondering what if anything in need to think about.

One thing i wonder is what will motel employees think if I am carrying multiple gun cases into the room when I arrive… was thinking maybe I should buy a couple of guitar cases and ditch the gun cases just to avoid any awkward and unnecessary conversations.

How about driving with compressed air tanks: a few guns and a pressurized hatsan 1.6L fill station? Is this a problem if I were pulled over?

Anything I need to consider?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I took all the air out of my tanks to go feom
NC to Arizona. I put everything in the cases. If you get stopped and asked if you have weapons usually I say I have a pellet gun and they’re lily I’m not worried about that. But just in case I’d put the ammo in a brown box separate from the gun case. Who knows how weird cops can be state to state and cop to cop.
 
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Again thanks for the replies.

I am moving to help my aged father who has a NICE piece of land in upstate NY but is in over his head since my mom passed last summer. Been a crap year as my kid was getting her ass kicked by an illness at that same time and is only now close to recovered.

I am really not feeling great about the move East but the rainy season in Oregon is killing me and I’m separating from my wife so the distance will be good.

I will hang with my dad for a while while I scope out a place a it will have to be in NY, MA, or maybe VT. Someday I will have to take over my father’s “estate” (his sincere wishes) but he is a tough guy so that could be 10 years down the line for all I know.

Glad NJ isn’t even an option lol. Driving the northern route so I should not even pass through.

I do have suppression on the guns.

For the AF guns it is a shroud extension fit specifically to the AF frame with printed plastic baffles.

But I do have a “can” for the Rex P (again with plastic baffles) that looks a little too much like a firearm suppressor. It’s relatively fragile but I guess the thing to do would be to break this down and keep the can apart from the printed baffles and end caps or else I can just discard the baffles and print new ones when I get to my destination.
 
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18 U.S. Code § 926A - Interstate transportation of firearms​


Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof,

any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm

if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment the firearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.
(Added Pub. L. 99–360, § 1(a), July 8, 1986, 100 Stat. 766.)

​

 
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