Seth Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I'm going to be shooting the Lim Nationals in Vegas and have convinced my wife that we should do a family vacation on Coronado Island in San Diego (we used to live there). I am trying to understand the logistics of traveling into CA with my STI and 12 140mm mags, with the intention of driving to Las Vegas to shoot the Nationals. I'm pretty sure that I can bring the gun, but the mags seem to be a problem... however, I was a california resident Pre-Ban (with mags ;-) ). Can I bring the gun to CA with high caps only to cross state lines? Can I bring the mags to CA at all? Can I cross state lines with the gun? Is there a better way? Any RELIABLE gun dealers in Vegas I can send it all to FFL to FFL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshidaex Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) I'm no lawyer so research what I write before starting your trip. I recall reading somewhere if you were an ex resident and owned hi caps before the ban, and were moving back into the state, you can bring them with you. Don't quote me on this one. In your case you're not coming back to be a resident so I guess it the above won't apply to you. Its possible to bring your magazines in pieces and call them a "parts rebuild kit". Its not considered a magazine but a bunch of parts. Again, I'm no lawyer so research what I write before starting your trip. Also you can check the CAL DOJ website for info or you can call them. If you have time on your hands you can wander over to calguns.net and do search using "travel" as one of your keep words. Sorry I'm not much help but hopefully I pointed you in the right direction. Edited April 22, 2009 by yoshidaex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamGE Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I'm going to be shooting the Lim Nationals in Vegas and have convinced my wife that we should do a family vacation on Coronado Island in San Diego (we used to live there). I am trying to understand the logistics of traveling into CA with my STI and 12 140mm mags, with the intention of driving to Las Vegas to shoot the Nationals. I'm pretty sure that I can bring the gun, but the mags seem to be a problem... however, I was a california resident Pre-Ban (with mags ;-) ). Can I bring the gun to CA with high caps only to cross state lines? Can I bring the mags to CA at all? Can I cross state lines with the gun? Is there a better way? Any RELIABLE gun dealers in Vegas I can send it all to FFL to FFL? Seth, You can bring to and drive through the state with the gun, no problem. The gun must be in a locked case or trunk with no access by occupants of vehicle. If you are really worried about it, disassemble the mags, and now you have a pile of parts, which are totally legal. Mag parts are bought and sold here every day. California law does outlaw the selling of and importation of high cap mags (I know that is not your intent), but it is written in such a way that even out of state competitors are not allowed to bring them in to use them in a match. Any resident of the state can own and use high caps that they owned before the law took affect. I can tell you that I have never been asked to verify my mag capacity flying or driving in or out of this state. So the enforcement of this law seems to be non existent, I think, because it is such a gray area of the intent of the law. Don't hesitate to call if you have any other questions. (Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and do not claim to be one. I am a born and raised Californian, a law abiding citizen of the USA, with the right to own and bear arms, living in a state that has been invaded by some stupid lawmakers (and people who support them)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 Beven, Thanks for the info. I called the DOJ and they were utterly worthless. All they could was repeat the law over and over without actually answering any questions. I recognize the gun needs to be in a locked box, unloaded ALL the time and out of reach. The mags seem to be the gray area, but I have gathered that disassembly is enough to prevent any common headaches... but if I do some thing ACTUALLY illegal, it may be a problem (law abiding citizen on vacation with my family - not looking for trouble in the slightest). I suppose that a stack of papers with the law written on it should help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precision40 Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 So your flying into Kali, taking a vacation then driving to Vegas? Ship all your shooting stuff (except the gun) to the match hotel in Vegas if your worried about it. Or you can do what everyone else does and just throw them in your shooting bag and press on (even go so far as disassembling all 12 of them if you so desire...what a royal pita). Last time I flew to a match we shipped everything to the match hotel in advance and it made things 10x easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 Shipping to the match hotel occurred to me, but since they've not announced the hotel yet, I'm unable to discuss it with them. I'm starting early and making sure my ducks are smartly in a row. I don't want a whisker of surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 One can possess > 10 capacity mags that were personally possessed in CA before the Caliban. Unlike some other states, CA vigorously enforces the > 10 round limit and one cannot count on individual officers accepting the argument that a magazine not in a gun is in fact a "firearm" and covered by FOPA86. There is such a thing as a CA high capacity magazine permit, however, these are generally available only to dealers. I have heard of cases where someone with high cap rounds had a separate felony count charged for each mag in possession. The most interesting CA case I read about was someone jailed for an AW who found out the gun was not really an AW. He had already served his time and been sentenced, but a pro-gun attorney took the case. The prosecution did not disagree that the gun was incorrectly called an AW when the subject was charged, but successfully argued against the convict's appeal since he had missed a filing date. That's CA gun owner justice for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 That's CA gun owner justice for you. Because anti-gun laws are solely the problem of California? I'm pretty sure we're villified in more than a few states. I'm not going to try and tell you what the law is, but I'll say this. Common sense is king. No one is going to be at the border waiting to tear your car apart looking for mag's. Do what you can control (i.e. what you've already discussed about firearm storage and if you're worried mag disassembly) and call it good. I moved back to CA in '08 and we spent a total of 30 seconds at the check point. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 30 seconds? That's about 30 times longer than I ever have... lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKSNIPER Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I would find out the hotel for the match and ship them there. No sense taking a chance on a flat tire or accident scenario where suddenly an LEO comes on scene and sees your high cap mags lying on the side of the road with other assorted trunk junk. Ship them and avoid all problems. JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 30 seconds? That's about 30 times longer than I ever have... lol Agreed. They were suspicious of my window tinting, but when I rolled the back windows down on the Magnum, they saw that it was packed. That "search" was over. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 Thanks guys. I was a CA resident from 97-04, but am NOT interested in needing that information. All I want to do is make my wife happy and have a vacation, make me happy and go to Nationals, and not go to jail. I'm not interested in bending, modifying or ignoring the law, just complying completely. If it means that my mags travel separately, I won't be dry firing the week before the match! I'm betting that the good folks at the Hotel Del will be MUCH happier if I'm not running around with a gun on the beach (JUST KIDDING!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 If you have or can get a couple, bring a couple 10 rounders to DF with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 or the CRTC Safety mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Hotel Del?? Livin' large, aren't we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 Yep. I rented a house on Coronado for about 18 months and we swore we'd come back on vacation and stay at the Del. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgood Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I could be mistaken, it happens sometimes, but I believe there's a federal law that says if you are traveling interstate with firearms for a lawful purpose (hunting trip, competition, whatever) and your gun is legal in the state you're from as well as in the state you're going to, then no state in between can prevent you from passing through with your gun. You still have to comply with laws such as having it locked, separate from ammo, out of reach of vehicle occupants, and whatever else. There might be an issue since California is not on a direct route from your home state to Nevada. Not sure on that one. I don't have a reference to cite, so someone help me out if they can verify this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry cazes Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Beven,Thanks for the info. I called the DOJ and they were utterly worthless. All they could was repeat the law over and over without actually answering any questions. That is because the CA law on hicaps as it is written today is essentially unenforceable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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