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transporting handgun thru liberal Northeast

silver salmon
I'm going hunting in Maine this fall an that means driving up Rt 95 thru NY, Mass., NH, Conn. from my home in Pa.
What hoops must I jump thru in these liberal states to transport my Ruger BH 7" in my trunk?....er, legally[;)]
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12 comments

Date Votes
  • nononsense
    silver salmon,

    While you're waiting for the Experts opinions on the laws of these states, you can search out the answer online by using a search for 'transporting firearms' in each of the state's statutes. Each state will have different laws so please pay attention. Making assumptions is not an excuse in the eyes of the law.

    The other method of achieving the same result is to have the firearm shipped to your destination and held there for you to open and use, based on the fact that it is legal for you to possess it and use it there in the first place.

    Best.
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  • joel_black
    You are protected by Federal as long as it is in your trunk, in a locked case with the ammo in separate case. You must be passing through and not planning on staying in the other states.
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by joel_black
    You are protected by Federal as long as it is in your trunk, in a locked case with the ammo in separate case. You must be passing through and not planning on staying in the other states.

    +1.

    Individual states may have MORE stringent rules (eg if I remember right, New Jersey is one of them), but in general, you can travel THROUGH a State with the gun UNLOADED, in a SEALED package or container in the TRUNK of your car (ie NOT the passenger compartment).

    Ammo must be in a separate container.

    I'm not sure whether or not your "sealed" container has to be locked, but it can't hurt. If you happen to have a triggerlock device, it can't hurt to use it.

    While travelling, do NOT take the gun out of the trunk for ANY reason whatsoever, short of a life-or-death emergency.
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  • tsr1965
    If it is legal for you to possess and hunt with your handgun in Maine, then have it shipped there. That is the only way to be 100% sure to get you and it there on time.

    I live in NY(with many friends and relatives in law enforcement), and I will tell you, that if you are traveling thru, and do not have a NY permit for it, you or your handgun will not make the hunt. It is NY, and it SUCKS.

    Best
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  • 260
    i thank GOD that i live in TEXAS and can hunt in TEXAS. to hell with OBAMA
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  • RCrosby
    It's been several years now, but I once asked this question to the chief of police in a small Mass. town. (At the time I wanted to transport some inherited firearms from CT. to Maine, traveling by car through Mass. and New Hampshire.)
    At that time he told me the only legal way to do it was to obtain a permit from every town through which I would be traveling. His "unofficial advice".....
    Break them down, lock them in the trunk, and leave them there while driving as directly and quickly as possible through the state.
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  • guntech59
    quote:Originally posted by tsr1965
    If it is legal for you to possess and hunt with your handgun in Maine, then have it shipped there. That is the only way to be 100% sure to get you and it there on time.

    I live in NY(with many friends and relatives in law enforcement), and I will tell you, that if you are traveling thru, and do not have a NY permit for it, you or your handgun will not make the hunt. It is NY, and it SUCKS.

    Best


    Not true.

    http://www.nysrpa.org/nygunlaws.htm

    Down the page a little bit. The federal exemption thing, as long as you are legal in the state you're coming from and going to.
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by RCrosby
    It's been several years now, but I once asked this question to the chief of police in a small Mass. town. (At the time I wanted to transport some inherited firearms from CT. to Maine, traveling by car through Mass. and New Hampshire.)
    At that time he told me the only legal way to do it was to obtain a permit from every town through which I would be traveling. His "unofficial advice".....
    Break them down, lock them in the trunk, and leave them there while driving as directly and quickly as possible through the state.


    With due respect, the chief is probably wrong. Gun control has been so drilled into the skulls of the MA powers-that-be that lots of cops (wrongly) assume that EVERY gun is ALWAYS illegal in MA. They'll act under the theory of "seize gun first and make arrest, then have courts fix problems later". I know of multiple incidents where legal LTC carriers had their guns seized and had to appear in court. Its shameful, but that's the reality.

    There are provisions to legally transport firearms THROUGH the State of MA. I'm pretty sure there is even a State law permitting transport of guns INTO MA for use during sporting events there without further licensing (EG IPSC matches, etc). Yes. . .believe it or not, there ARE IPSC matches in MA!

    Again, if you keep the gun locked in your trunk, sealed in its own container, out of sight, unloaded, you should a. avoid any attention by law enforcement (or anybody else) and b. be on the right side of the law.
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  • nmyers
    And, don't leave it in the trunk overnight; in much of the East, it will rust unless in a sealed plastic bag with dessicant or VPI.

    Neal
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  • liquidorange
    i hunt maine quite a bit and drive from new jersey. i was told to not even stop for gas in massachusetts. good luck with the hunt!
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  • bigbossman
    [?] Ain't this Mass. state thing a crying shame? Especially when you remember that both the SPRINGFIELD ARMORY and the SMITH & WESSON FACTORY are there, within a few blocks of each other in the same area?
    Sounds like time for the voters to vote some idiots out of office...
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  • tsr1965
    quote:Originally posted by guntech59
    quote:Originally posted by tsr1965
    If it is legal for you to possess and hunt with your handgun in Maine, then have it shipped there. That is the only way to be 100% sure to get you and it there on time.

    I live in NY(with many friends and relatives in law enforcement), and I will tell you, that if you are traveling thru, and do not have a NY permit for it, you or your handgun will not make the hunt. It is NY, and it SUCKS.

    Best


    Not true.

    http://www.nysrpa.org/nygunlaws.htm

    Down the page a little bit. The federal exemption thing, as long as you are legal in the state you're coming from and going to.


    The way that should read, is that NYS does not care about the federal provision, and it is up to you to provide the defense after you are arrested and charged...which will happen as soon as a handgun that is not registered in NY if found. It has happened, and will happen again, untill, we, the citizens of NY get fed up, and put a stop to it.

    Best
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