Moving With Guns

federali

federali

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Cary, NC
My wife and I are contemplating a move from NY to NC. I have to pass through NJ, MD and DC, three rabid anti-gun jurisdictions. I'm thinking of crating up my long guns and allowing a commercial mover to take them along with the rest of the household contents and using the Firearms Owners Protection Act to transport my handguns, unloaded, locked container, non-stop, until I reach the Virginia border.

Has anyone entrusted their firearms to commercial movers? Is there an alternative? I have about eighteen long guns. Three crates of about 50 pounds each would do it.
 
I'm no better than any other man, but some of the commercial movers have been known to misplace items. Again, just giving you something to look at. Sounds like you're a well educated man.

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Best of luck to you and your family with the move. I have old classmates that have moved to North Carolina, whine country. I myself have spent a couple years on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, loved it other than Hugo.

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Commercial movers can be extremely rough on a customers property. Many years ago a moving company came and picked up our household property. They boxed what they could and drove off.

A month later when they delivered we found that they had "repacked" several boxes, took apart our dining room table and chairs, and forced everything into a big wooded crate. Many items were broke.

I would rent a Uhaul. The guns will always be in your possession and who's gonna know?

Or you could check into PODS. PODS(R) Official Site | Moving & Storage, Solved.
Don't know much about them but I know of a few that have used them with no problems.
 
I moved over 400 guns FROM Md clear to Wyoming. in a 7 x 14 trailer. It is legal to move your property through any state even NJ.. I did not, however, go through Chicago
 
You don't say where your starting from or going to, so for the purpose of generating a set of travel numbers, I choose NYC and Charlotte.

You can avoid any possible legal problems with a detour over NJ and around MD. Between the city pair I picked, it adds about 4 hours, but you stay legal the whole way.

NYtoNC.jpg
 
federali said:
My wife and I are contemplating a move from NY to NC. I have to pass through NJ, MD and DC, three rabid anti-gun jurisdictions. I'm thinking of crating up my long guns and allowing a commercial mover to take them along with the rest of the household contents and using the Firearms Owners Protection Act to transport my handguns, unloaded, locked container, non-stop, until I reach the Virginia border.



Has anyone entrusted their firearms to commercial movers? Is there an alternative? I have about eighteen long guns. Three crates of about 50 pounds each would do it.
Click to expand...



We moved MANY times cross country.
Never once worried about weapons.
Packed in truck (usually small moving truck) among other personal items and moved. Commercial movers were never entrusted with the "important"'items.

Never ever worried about guns packed in amongst items.

Pretty tough to say they "are readily available" when it takes twenty minutes of moving items to even reach um.

People really over think this stuff





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Avoid using commercial shippers. They are very rough on stuff. Move them yourself. Pack them as the first items to go into trailer and put everything else on top of them. If you don't tell anyone you have firearms, then how will they know? Obey all traffic laws and you won't have to answer questions from law enforcement. Also remove any NRA, pro-gun stickers from vehicle as they are good reason to have the police stop you.
 
I would not entrust valuable firearms to a commercial mover, I don't care how good they are or how many people recommend them.

I'd suggest doing the detour thing. What's another four hours driving time out of the rest of your life?

Curious: Where in North Carolina?
 
FWIW......adding to Bigwheelzip's idea..........................

Take 81 South to the Pa Turnpike; if you get off the Pa. Turnpike at Breezewood (147) and take I-70 south ....you will only be in Md. for about a mile and a half before you cross the Potomac .

Take 522 down to Berkeley Springs W Va.......... and Winchester Va......the 66/17 over to hook up with I-95 just N or Fredricksburg.

This is the traditional "Burgh"/W.Pa/Ohio route to OBX

Breezewood to the Outer Banks is about 400 miles .....6-7 hours
 
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I had the movers move my guns from NV to FL without incident. I listed every gun on the manifest with serial number and paid for the full replacement value insurance (which you want to do anyway for everything). I did that because the back of my pickup was loaded with ammo, powder, gasoline, primers, household chemicals - everything the movers WOULDN'T take. Well over 100K rounds, etc.

All came through just fine.

You can circumvent NJ via PA; travel through is really no big deal - a lot of paranoia seems to think the cops have gun sniffing devices and will pull you over 50' across their border. Follow the laws and FOPA.

Best way to avoid anything to do with cops is get off the damn interstate/parkways and take a nice leisurely scenic drive through the neat small towns and villages along the way.
 
The last time I moved was two years ago and local. The mover I used would not move firearms. They were insistent on that. They had no issue with my ammunition or reloading supplies.
 
21 years ago I moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia. Mayflower moved the long guns (I didn't tell them what was in the crate) and I moved the handguns. No problems. Been a lot of water over the dam since then though. Good move, I like it here.
 
I've transported my carry gun thru MD legally while traveling from PA to NC. I plan on doing it again in the near future. I follow the law. I can't do any more than that.

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federali said:
My wife and I are contemplating a move from NY to NC. I have to pass through NJ, MD and DC, three rabid anti-gun jurisdictions. I'm thinking of crating up my long guns and allowing a commercial mover to take them along with the rest of the household contents and using the Firearms Owners Protection Act to transport my handguns, unloaded, locked container, non-stop, until I reach the Virginia border.

Has anyone entrusted their firearms to commercial movers? Is there an alternative? I have about eighteen long guns. Three crates of about 50 pounds each would do it.
Click to expand...
I would ship your handguns and high value long guns FFL to a FFL near your new home from one in PA to NC. I would not ship anything from NY, as they might take some of your firearms. The state of New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, & Virginia use the database to find out if you own handguns to decide to stop you. I understand it is illegal to ship firearms, except by authorized carriers. Do not transport any firearms thru New Jersey, Maryland, & Virginia. I would get every firearm appraised before shipping by any carrier and make sure your firearms have an insurance plan from your car insurance company or homeowners insurance company.

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I don't know what you're driving, but when I moved I rented a panel van and put all my guns in cases, laid them on blankets, set a few metal ammo cans around and between them and then cut a sheet of plywood to fit the back area over the guns and on top of the ammo cans.
I then covered all of it with several blankets and put the dogs back there.
They had a nice big cushioned "bed" to sleep on and unknowingly protected my guns underneath them.
The guns couldn't be seen and the dogs would have discouraged a nosy trooper.
Plus, no way were they easily accessible with all the other luggage and stuff stacked and strapped on top with the dogs.
 
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Yes, rent a truck, drive it yourself, plan your itinerary carefully.
No need to know as we used to say in the Army. Keep quiet about it. I live in New Jersey, whenever I hear of someone arrested with a gun in a car, they were doing something to attract attention-speeding, driving erratically, going through lights and stop signs, expired inspection sticker-"borrowed" a vehicle, license expired or suspended, outstanding warrants, gun in plain sight, etc. The cops stop them, detect alcohol and drug use and BOOM !
 
Truly it is NOT illegal to move your personal property including firearms through any state especially if they are not readily accessible. Even NJ Md or Ma. Just don't tell anyone you are traveling with guns. It is legal to own firearms in every state so what is the big deal? ..all that said I did get stopped by a NJ State trooper for having a gun rack(empty) in the back window of my pickup once. We went to visit his duty Sgt at my insistence. who proceeded to chew his hind end a fair amount. If you happen to get stopped for a traffic violation or something just tell them you are moving personal items to your new home in NC. I do have a question though..if you were moving to a state like NJ or Illinois(are there more?) that require things like a FOID to own a firearm...how do you handle that?? Is there a grace period like there would be for drivers license?? How about if they denied you an FOID?
 
Have moved guns just about every way.
Including using commercial movers.
For the OP's move, I would just take them with me.
 
Im not used to that line of thinking and NOT advocating "breaking laws" but, what they dont know will not hurt them. But sinse they would be packed away in crates--out of any easy reach and all--why in the name of Sam Hill--would that not be legal??
 
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Once I wound up in a motel out in West Texas with a big box of guns in pickup, which has a shell.
I had the guns in a crate that I guess looked sort of like a coffin with a screwed on lid.
I backed in against a pole which was right in front of my room.
Slept with one eye open and a Smith or three handy.
No problem!
 
Any chance you're located in the Brown Mountain area... Lol, they say aliens frequent the area... That's what I get for responding while watching a movie.
 
I have always moved my firearms and other irreplaceable valuables my self either in the trunk of my car (early years!) or in a trailer. If I had to stay overnight I would securely lock the trailers doors and then back the trailer up as close as I could get to an immovable object and as near to my room as possible. I would get up several times during the night to make sure everything was Ok .Paranoid? Perhaps but I never lost anything nor fortunately was I ever stopped by the police. My advise: Be cautious as it's a crime infested world we're dealing with today
Jim
 
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