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Travel to California with handgun
gatorhide
Member Posts: 562 ✭✭
Merry Christmas to all ! My question is this: My son lives in L.A. and has returned to Texas for Christmas, he will soon return home aboard a commercial airline. He is thinking of acquiring a handgun here in Texas through private party. Can he place a handgun inside his luggage for his return trip without any special announcement to the airline about contents of luggage ? Thanks to all for your time & advice. All comments are welcome. Thanks, gatorhide
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I bought a hi-cap 9mm in CA in 1995. Yet I couldn't sell back to a resident in 2014. Through a out of state sale.
Safer IMHO, to have it transferred through a FFL dealer in Texas, to a FFL dealer in CA.
Merry Christmas to all ! My question is this: My son lives in L.A. and has returned to Texas for Christmas, he will soon return home aboard a commercial airline. He is thinking of acquiring a handgun here in Texas through private party. Can he place a handgun inside his luggage for his return trip without any special announcement to the airline about contents of luggage ? Thanks to all for your time & advice. All comments are welcome. Thanks, gatorhide
My experience is no - don't just toss it in & cross fingers it won't be found. I used to do that years ago, times have changed.
I fly out of CA frequently with a handgun, haven't in about 2 years so I may miss a point. The basic steps are to put it in a locked container, no ammo. You'll need a lock for the case. When you get to the head of the line to check in tell them "I'm traveling with a handgun in my checked baggage" rather than "I've got a gun". [;)]
They'll take you to the side, you'll show them the pistol is clear. That's such fun - standing amongst a few thousand Californians racking a slide while hoisting the gun up high. I generally get brought to the TSA baggage screening area and am told "stay behind the line, give us your bag". They check the gun, lock it and label the luggage bag for destination. I've not had them put any "Gun Inside" tags on the outside of the bag, although IIRC they do slap something on the gun case itself.
When he lands in LA he'll go to baggage claim, pick up his bag and go home. I've never had anyone check me where I've landed, my main worry is getting there before the baggage arrives on the carousel. Since he's a CA resident he should have an HSC or FSC card.
I've never had a problem, so long as the gun has always been in a locked case from start to finish. Don't bring any hi caps or anything that would be considered an "assault pistol" - that would be a semi auto with a threaded barrel or one that carries its magazine outside the grip - a Ruger Charger would be an example of an assault pistol, mag outside grip. In TX no one will care and in CA there shouldn't be anyone checking his bag, but you never know.
When he returns he has to self register the gun, it's a $19.00 form completed on line.
Others may know a bit more, but I believe it's legal to ship a gun to yourself. He can't use USPS, but UPS or FedEx is OK. He'll have to tell them it's a gun. My experience is that UPS handles it better than FedEx, he's have to ship from a "hub" and not one of those MBE stores.
Don't expect the airline or TSA to know anything about guns or gun laws. You could show up with a full auto HK 89 and most likely they'd check it and not bat an eye. But you never know, someone who knows a bit might notice.
Regarding transfer through an FFL, that's a good option but you have to deal with the "CA OK Handgun Roster". Since the gun is coming in from out of state it will become part of the CA FFL's inventory, so it has to be CA OK. It's not as easy as you'd think to know whether the handgun is CA OK, even though there's a list on the CA DOJ site. A new model Smith 10-15 with a 4" bbl may be OK, but unless the 6" version is listed too, it's not. A 80's made Smith 66 isn't OK, a new model one is. The exact model down to the SKU must be listed and a match. Having said that, a handgun not on the CA roster can be transferred by the FFL under the "interstate, intrafamilial transfer" exemption. So long as the CA FFL a) knows about it and b) is willing to do it. Basically, you the dad are transferring the pistol to your son. I'm not aware of any exact paperwork designed by the state to document that you're sending the gun, so whether a note from you saying "this is my gun and I'm sending it to my kid" suffices or whether a notarized letter with a sample of your DNA and birth certificates are needed.
Or if the seller comes to California do the Private Party Transfer that's a different story. This is little looser on what gets in. As long as the handgun isn't "banned" the paper work can be done. This goes without saying make sure it's 10 rounder or less or don't even bring in the magazines. This is where owning pre-ban magazine comes in handy.
That reminds me is L.A. one of those cities got a law even owning pre-ban high cap. magazine illegal? You need to get that figured out.
Hell if "you" gatorhide bought the gun and made a trip out (as long as the handgun or magazine wasn't banned). Then did the private party transfer at the FFL in person. Might get a California vacation out of it. Kind a trouble some for a .25 caliber Raven [:D].
Correct me if I'm wrong regarding Dad coming here and doing a transfer - that won't work. Dad isn't a CA resident, doesn't have a CA ID and the CA DROS system won't take an out of state ID. So a face to face "Private Party Transfer" of an off roster handgun doesn't work between the two of them. And to clarify for those in normal states, a "private party" transfer in CA isn't the same as other states, there's nothing "private" about it. It's not "I got the dough, you got the gun?" but rather the buyer and seller go to a gun store, do paperwork and 10 days later the buyer gets the gun. True that "off roster" guns can be PPT'd, but only between CA residents.
I'll bet driving from TX to CA is looking better all the time - day & a half on Rte 10 and all this stuff is avoided, and you can stop in Vegas. [;)]
Merry Christmas to all ! My question is this: My son lives in L.A. and has returned to Texas for Christmas... He is thinking of acquiring a handgun here in Texas through private party....Thanks to all for your time & advice. All comments are welcome. Thanks, gatorhide
Out of state visitors who do not hold a valid FFL, and it makes no difference what the state is, may not acquire handguns from any source (including a licensed firearms dealer) outside of their home state. Doing so is a violation of state and Federal laws.
This law has been in effect nationwide since 1968 so tell your son not to do it.