I go on quite a few road trips. A lot of it is offroad. I do have a conceal carry firearm permitted in GA. With the USCCA App it makes it easy to find the laws regarding the handgun. I am having quite a bit of trouble finding info on interstate travel with a Rifle.
The rifle in question is a IWI Tavor X95 chambered in 5.56 nato. Its got a 16.5" barrel and an overall length of 26.125" so it does not fall under NFA SBR rules. Being a bullpup, it looks quite short and to snowflakes it looks like a big black mean killing machine.
Is there a website where I can reference state laws regarding the transport of rifles? What are the current laws regarding transporting these across stateliness?
From the FEDERAL side, I think the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act (FOPA) is what you want to research. This article from NRA-ILA says this:
If in doubt, a traveler should carry firearms unloaded, locked in a case, and stored in an area (such as a trunk or attached toolbox) where they are inaccessible from a vehicle’s passenger compartment and not visible from outside the vehicle. Any ammunition should be stored in a separate locked container.
It’s important to note the distinction of the firearm must be legal from where you started and also where you are going.
A common “gotcha” is NY. For example, if you were to travel from West Virginia (gun friendly) to New Hampshire (gun friendly) and NOT STOP while passing through NJ and NY (except maybe for gas and to go potty, thats grey area) then you would be fine. But if you STOPPED in NY overnight to rest before continuing on your journey, then NY is considered “where you are going” and you are not subject to their rules and your lovely X95 will find you in a heap of trouble.
That’s my understanding anyway. And of course the rifle (and mags, and ammo) must be legal in your destination. I think you can do it, but you must plot your trip very carefully to avoid the anti-2A states.
I’m hoping maybe @MikeBKY can give a better legal answer, or maybe @dawn or @USCCA can point us at an official USCCA document?
Thanks for the info. I just avoid NJ & NY altogether. There is nothing reasonable about those two states. Even California isn’t as crazy. Ive heard too many horror accounts in NJ especially.
Welcome to the Community @Herman5! The difficulty in traveling with firearms is not only how you transport them, but also what you are transporting. The Federal FOPA law is the first thing you must consider when traveling through a state as @Harvey suggested. The next set of inquiries is other specific state laws regarding magazine capacity as @Bruce26 suggested and, beyond magazine capacity, state restrictions on so called “assault weapons.” While the definition of “assault weapon” varies by state, here is a link to the proposed federal ban that was introduced in the Senate in march of this year. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/736/text. If your rifle qualifies as an “assault weapon” under the laws of a state where you are even briefly passing through, you will probably be committing a felony for possession or transporting an “assault weapon” into the state.
Other than searching specific state laws, I am not aware of a one stop source for this information.
