Traveling through new England with fire arms

[rlmmarine]

In october I'm fortunate enough to be traveling to newfoundland for a moose hunt. I've decided to make this an adventure and drive there from daytona fl.it will also help in bringing back the meet I've never traveled in new England and I know there's places I shouldn't be caught with fire arms (new york city). What other areas should I avoid with a rifle and possibly a shot gun.

Thanks in advance
Robert

 

[Mattt]

New York State.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Assuming it is a non semiauto rifle and non tactical shotgun you should run afoul of any major laws as long as you are passing through. Unloaded in a locked hard case. If you are staying over, stay away from NYC and othe rbig cities.

 

[TheBigShow]

I believe if you are traveling through a non firearm state you just need to put the firearm in the rear most part of the vehicle. in the trunk of a car or behind the front seat in a pickup. Don’t quote me on this but that is what I was told at my permit to carry class last weekend.

There is a link to an article about it. Under federal law on transportation of firearms

NRA-ILA | Guide To The Interstate Transportation Of Firearms

 

[rlmmarine]

Matt
When you say new york , is the whole state bad. I know in the city they send you to jail with any firearm but is the state as bad
How is Boston can I plan an overnight there. The guns would be a tikka 300 win mag and a beretta a400 shotgun so I don't think they would qualify as assault but what does assault really mean anyway and up there I really don't want to take the chance

 

[AK Troutbum]

Remember, it's only wrong if you get caught. Just pull the bolt out of the rifle and store it away from the rest of the firearm (glove box), and store both unloaded firearms in the bed/trunk of the vehicle, and you should be fine. It probably would be a good idea to avoid the major cities like D.C. and NYC as well.

 

[Brendan]

You'll be fine. You want it Legal where you're coming from and going to, locked and cased or in a locked trunk. Lock ammo up separately from the guns in a different case/box. Have a copy of your hunting license / plans.

 

[rlmmarine]

You'll be fine. You want it Legal where you're coming from and going to, locked and cased or in a locked trunk. Lock ammo up separately from the guns in a different case/box. Have a copy of your hunting license / plans.

Is Boston a good city to plan an overnight or are their laws similar to NY city
Thanks

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Welcome to the wonderful results of state and municipality rights gone astray.

 

[Mattt]

I can't quote the law there per say, have worked in the northeast extensively. Actually started carrying a bigger knife because of New York State. Was stopped for speeding. He didn't even ask if I had a gun. Just said where is it. What? I reply, he says your gun. I ask why he thinks I had a gun. He says I see your Tennessee tag I know u have a gun in there. Well three hours later
With everything in my truck on the side of the road they leave and I load my gear up. Being legal is one thing and being persecuted is something
Else all together. Massachussetts is just as bad. I used to keep a shotgun in the fall a lot for grouse. Had to wait six weeks to get my1187 back because it could be used as an assault weapon. Never got a ticket or a summons but it was a pita. I was justified but it's still hard to deal with 1000 miles from home. Now maybe it was bad luck, as my coworkers there couldn't believe it but i don't go there anymore. Technically the traveler law should cover you as long as it is legally transported. I would do as other here stated. Pull bolt, store in a case away from u in the vehicle. Oh yea, mass sucks but the chowder is the best u will ever have

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

Be careful with MA. I don’t have any recent experience there but I spent a year studying in Vermont about....well, a LONG time ago...and I was advised not to be caught with a firearm in MA so I opted to drive through NY state instead. I know NY is also very funny about guns. Personally, I would not go to NE with ANY firearms aside from flying through JFK enroute to Africa or Europe. If I HAD to, I’d plan my route and then investigate the nuances of each state I was driving through in great detail. It’d sure ruin my trip - the worry/hassle of it all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Desk Jockey]

Matt
When you say new york , is the whole state bad. I know in the city they send you to jail with any firearm but is the state as bad
How is Boston can I plan an overnight there. The guns would be a tikka 300 win mag and a beretta a400 shotgun so I don't think they would qualify as assault but what does assault really mean anyway and up there I really don't want to take the chance

What it really means is breaking the law. If you take that same trip with an AR15 and a 30round mag or even the wrong kind of shotgun, you will be committing felonies in New Jersey, New York Connecticut and Massachusetts to name a few. Plus they won’t let youinto Canada with it.

Here is the NRA guide. https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150101/guide-to-the-interstate-transportation

Locked case. Unloaded. Keep it out of sight.

 

[Brendan]

Is Boston a good city to plan an overnight or are their laws similar to NY city
Thanks

You'll be fine with the laws in Mass. There are no restrictions against a bolt action rifle or an A400 - unless you've modified the A400 with an extended mag tube or something like that. You'd be legal to hunt or target shoot with both in Mass.

Keep them cased, and locked, and keep ammo locked separately. Even better if they're also locked in the back of a truck or in a trunk.

Whether or not it's worth spending a night here depends what you want to do. Some good bars and restaurants, catch a Red Sox Game, etc. Portsmouth NH is a pretty nice town / small city too.

 

[Getnlost]

Im originally from PA. I know you can travel through NY with both a pistol and a rifle as long as they are cased and all ammunition is separated. I have been to Quebec for spring bear by way of NY. I have checked rifles at the border for both sides. I have never had a problem. All my ammo was in a bag, my rifles where cased. Had no issues with the border or the state. For a pistol, it can not be accessible. I personally break down the pistol, put the frame in the holster in a bag. I put the barrel in another bag. make sure the ammo is away from both of those bags. I received this advise from a state trooper during a fishing tournament. I just had it holstered and buried in my bag which was OK but he said the more it is broke down the less questions a cop may have. You had mentioned both long guns. You will have no issues with them in NY at all if they are cased and the ammo is separate. You will have to fill out a form prior to crossing the border for the U.S. This is to show that you took this gun from the US across the border and now you are bringing it back. This form is good as long as you have the gun. You will do 1 form per rifle.

 

[rlmmarine]

Thanks everyone

 

[Trial153]

The above mentioned reference to carrying a handgun through NY is incorrect. Please do yourself a favor a disregard it completely.
You can not legally transport a handgun into Canada anyway so it’s really a non issue for this discussion.


As long as you do not travel through NYC you will be perfectly fine for the rest of NY state with a cased bolt action rifle. Technically it doesn’t even have to be cased however you will need it cased and locked for MA and CT.
As someone stated above put a trigger or bolt lock on it and then lock the case and you will be fine.

The boarder crossing into Canada though Maine is generally problem free. Have your firearm declaration form filed out. They will take a credit card for the fee. Calais is great non crowded crossing to use.

 

[rlmmarine]

Thanks for the info

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Not sure I would take what I read on a forum as gospel. Might take a look at NRA, and handgunlaw to make sure.

Esse quam videri

 

[KJH]

I flew into NYC with a semi-auto shotgun (and 4-5 boxes of ammo) about 6 years ago for a duck hunt on Long Island, NY with a client. I had zero issues at the airport or driving from the airport in a rental car. It was all locked in a hard case. NYC wasn't exactly the backdrop of the hunt, but it wasn't very far away by my standards.

I've flown to Providence, RI with a bolt action rifle (no ammo) and never had any problems there either. I got a rental car and I kept it locked in a hard case at all times during transport. I traveled into Massachusetts and delivered the rifle to a FFL dealer. I remember him talking about the strange laws they have there, and I told myself to stay far away from MA with a gun after hearing him talk. I wouldn't let that change my traveling through the state plans, but I wouldn't purposely take a gun there.

I've flown to Burlington, VT with a bolt rifle (lots of ammo). Got a rental car and also never had any problems. Again, it was locked in a hard case in the vehicle and I had no problems.

Those are my only 3 experiences with traveling in New England with firearms, but if it were me, I'd leave it all locked up out of reach. Don't draw attention to yourself and it should be easy and hassle free.

 

[AdamW]

18 U.S. Code SS 926A - Interstate transportation of firearms | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute

I'm not an attorney. Unloaded, separate from the ammunition, in a locked case is acceptable anywhere you travel through in the United States.