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Need Advice for trip to California

ChronoSphere

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I'm attending my fraternity's convention in Reno, NV in March of this year. Myself and girlfriend have decided to extend the business trip to a vacation for an additional couple of days to San Francisco. I will be flying to RNO, and taking a bus from Reno to San Francisco. I have checked firearms into luggage before on domestic flights, so I am familiar with the process.

Travelling to San Francisco is another story. I do not intend on conceal carrying the weapon, or open carrying in CA, only in NV. The weapon will remain locked in the hotel room once I arrive. After reading the Bureau of Firearms website, since the weapon will be locked on the bus luggage unloaded, I am ok there. Are there going to be any issues flying OUT of San Francisco back to Florida? When I fly, I usually have a box of hollowpoints in their factory case in the gun case with the pistol, and 2 10-round mags and a 12-round mag. Is the 12-round mag going to be problematic? What about the hollowpoints?

Any advice would be welcome.
 

CA_Libertarian

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ANY mag over 10 rds is prohibited to be imported, sold, traded, manufactured, etc in CA. DO NOT bring your 12-rd mag into CA. It is possible that your firearm will be inspected before it is checked onto the plane. If the screeners is astute enough to notice the 12-rd capacity you may end up staying in CA longer than you want... though I hear we have some of the most hospitable jails.

There may also be an issue with bringing certain handguns into the state. I know there are some severe restrictions on what you can manufacture and sell. Hopefully someone else here can fill in the gaps... I seem to recall a 'safe firearms list' or some such nonsense.

Your standard hollow points are legal here. I think you just can't have incendiary rounds or anything designed to penetrate body armor.

As for flying out of SFO, I don't think there will be any issues. Just make sure your case is locked while transporting it.

If you want to learn more about OC in CA, I suggest you check out the CA OC flyer we have posted in another thread. We're not attorneys, but I think you'll find it is accurate.
 

CA_Libertarian

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There may also be an issue with bringing certain handguns into the state. I know there are some severe restrictions on what you can manufacture and sell. Hopefully someone else here can fill in the gaps... I seem to recall a 'safe firearms list' or some such nonsense.

OK, I did a little checking up: it looks like this only applies to gun sales/transfers (According to the CA AG website).
 

AlanR

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CA_Libertarian wrote:
There may also be an issue with bringing certain handguns into the state. I know there are some severe restrictions on what you can manufacture and sell. Hopefully someone else here can fill in the gaps... I seem to recall a 'safe firearms list' or some such nonsense.

OK, I did a little checking up: it looks like this only applies to gun sales/transfers (According to the CA AG website).
And only new ones at that; for example, Joe can move to California with a handgun that's not on the "safe" list and not otherwise prohibited (leaving his standard capacity magazines behind and remembering to register it with Ca. DoJ within 60 days and pay the related fees). Joe can then sell that handgun to his new neighbor, Bob (via an FFL). If Joe chooses he can even inflate the price because that model isn't readily available in the state.
 

tarzan1888

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ChronoSphere wrote:
.........since the weapon will be locked on the bus luggage unloaded, I am ok there. ...........

Not so! if you are traveling by bus. Read the following from the Greyhound baggage page;

Prohibited Items for Checked Baggage
Acids, ammunition, animals, combustible liquids, compressed gases, corpses, cremated remains, explosives, firearms of all types, fireworks, flammable liquids, furniture, hazardous materials (poisons, radioactive materials, etc.), materials with a disagreeable odor, matches, merchandise for resale, protruding articles, or any unsecured articles including those in plastic or paper bags are prohibited. Electronic equipment (television, stereos, etc.), film (flammable), and perishable items (food) may be sent using Greyhound PackageXpress with appropriate packing. Items such as money and prescription medication may not be checked as baggage and are to be carried in the customer's possession.

http://www.greyhound.com/home/en/TicketsAndTravel/BaggageInformation.aspx

Tarzan
 

CA_Libertarian

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Greyhound is not the only bus service available. Also, Greyhound and Amtrak (the other big company in the bus business) don't x-ray or look through your luggage. So both their anti-gun policies are pretty meaningless.

I'll assume ChronoSphere is using a gun-friendly bus service (lots of charter services run between Reno and various parts of CA). I'll also assume he's travelled enough to know what his bus company of choice allows.
 

tarzan1888

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CA_Libertarian wrote:
Greyhound is not the only bus service available......

This is true and I was not advising you not to go. I just wanted to acquaint you with the facts so that you could make an informed decision.

I would never publicly suborn illegal activity.



Tarzan
 

tarzan1888

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ChronoSphere wrote:
I'm aware of Greyhound's policy, and it is a policy, not law. .........

This is true.

My purpose in posting was to make sure that you knew.  It would be a rude awakening to be put off the bus if your weapon was discovered and you had no way to store it.

I think we all need to be Smart when we Carry.   ;)

 

Tarzan
 

ChronoSphere

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Problem solved, a fellow fraternity brother is flying into SFO instead of RNO, and renting a car, I'll be riding with him :)

Can someone give me the rundown of the peaceable journey laws in CA? Does the weapon simply need to be unloaded and in a case, or unloaded in a case and in the trunk, or some such thing?
 

swillden

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MudCamper wrote:
The safest (from LEO) way to transport a handgun in your motor vehicle is unloaded, in the trunk, or unloadedin a locked container other than the vehicle glove or utility box.
By my reading of the law, it doesn't matter where the container is, as long as it's locked and the weapon is unloaded. I have a small safe with an electronic combination that I can open in less than a second. If I were to place that safe within easy reach, with the unloaded gun and a full magazine in it, I'd be 3-4 seconds away from ready to fire (assuming I didn't have to keep my hands on the wheel).

Less useful than loaded and on my hip, but not too bad.
 

CA_Libertarian

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swillden wrote:
By my reading of the law, it doesn't matter where the container is, as long as it's locked and the weapon is unloaded. I have a small safe with an electronic combination that I can open in less than a second. If I were to place that safe within easy reach, with the unloaded gun and a full magazine in it, I'd be 3-4 seconds away from ready to fire (assuming I didn't have to keep my hands on the wheel).

Less useful than loaded and on my hip, but not too bad.
Under CA Penal Code 12031, a loaded magazine in or attached to the firearm is considered a loaded firearm. To be within the 'law' you would need to keep the magazine detatched from the gun.
 

swillden

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CA_Libertarian wrote:
swillden wrote:
By my reading of the law, it doesn't matter where the container is, as long as it's locked and the weapon is unloaded. I have a small safe with an electronic combination that I can open in less than a second. If I were to place that safe within easy reach, with the unloaded gun and a full magazine in it, I'd be 3-4 seconds away from ready to fire (assuming I didn't have to keep my hands on the wheel).

Less useful than loaded and on my hip, but not too bad.
Under CA Penal Code 12031, a loaded magazine in or attached to the firearm is considered a loaded firearm. To be within the 'law' you would need to keep the magazine detatched from the gun.
Sorry, my language was less than clear. I intended "it" to refer to the safe, not the gun. So the safe would contain (a) the unloaded gun and (b) the full magazine, not inserted in the magazine well.
 

joekareca

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swillden, i lived in san francisco and if you are driving you must have the loads in the trunk and the gun in the car or the other way around. But if you have louisana plates on the car the same applys. and they don't fool around in san francisco. I used to carry my gun on my person the whole time i was in the city. I was lucky and never had a word to a cop the whole time. but if they would have found the gun on me i would have had to go through alot of legel crap and went to jail and lost my gun as well. but it saved my ass a couple of times. I got away both times without shooting it and got home before he could call the cops on me. but being down here if i'm at a red light on my Harley i have two choices, if he is walking towards me he is going to rob me and or take my Harley. if he has a gun in his hand i will shoot him and sleep good that night. but if i don't see any wepon i would most likly run the red light and that will end that .
 

swillden

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Karecajoe54 wrote:
swillden, i lived in san francisco and if you are driving you must have the loads in the trunk and the gun in the car or the other way around. But if you have louisana plates on the car the same applys.
Is that because CA state law doesn't pre-empt local ordinances?
 

cato

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Karecajoe54 wrote:
swillden, i lived in san francisco and if you are driving you must have the loads in the trunk and the gun in the car or the other way around. But if you have louisana plates on the car the same applys. and they don't fool around in san francisco. I used to carry my gun on my person the whole time i was in the city. I was lucky and never had a word to a cop the whole time. but if they would have found the gun on me i would have had to go through alot of legel crap and went to jail and lost my gun as well. but it saved my ass a couple of times. I got away both times without shooting it and got home before he could call the cops on me. but being down here if i'm at a red light on my Harley i have two choices, if he is walking towards me he is going to rob me and or take my Harley. if he has a gun in his hand i will shoot him and sleep good that night. but if i don't see any wepon i would most likly run the red light and that will end that .
There is alot of mis-understandingof the law in that paragraph. I'd suggest reading and understanding this (as already recommended twice in this thread as it has info which applies to non OC transport) http://www.paul.net/guns/CaliforniaOpenCarry.pdfand look up the relevant penal codes here http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cacodes/pen.html
 

MudCamper

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swillden wrote:
Sorry, my language was less than clear. I intended "it" to refer to the safe, not the gun. So the safe would contain (a) the unloaded gun and (b) the full magazine, not inserted in the magazine well.

This is perfectly legal. Karecajoe54's comments are a mix of misinformation.
 
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