Hello, my friend and I will be flying to Portland this December and a few of us will be bringing our firearms since our Airbnb will be in the middle of the forest of Welches (right side of Portland), but we have a layover in LA, California for 5 hours (Sadly) til our next flight that will bring us to Portland. Knowing that California has a Magazine Ban over 10 Rounds and my firearm is a FN509 Full-size with 17 rounds. Will I have an issue traveling?
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Hi Carlos!
Welcome to the Community! Here is some helpful information from the āAir Travel with Firearmsā resource from the USCCA page.
" If you encounter an unexpected travel complication that results in your aircraft landing in a state with no reciprocity and strict possession laws such as New York or New Jersey, do not take possession of the luggage where your firearm is stored. Request that the airline forward that luggage to your final destination."
You can see that and more information here:
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/traveling-with-firearms/airports/
Assuming you never take possession of your firearm when in CA then it sounds like you should be ok. I would also recommend double checking with your Airline as well to see if they have anything specific that they recommend for people in similars situations.
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I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.
I would not intentionally take a layover in CA with magazines known to be illegal in CA.
I would also be careful about anything and everything safety and possession wise (check 114, not sure how it is, recently passed) in Oregon.
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This infringement also requires reduced capacity magazines instead of standard capacity magazines.
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Hereās are a couple of references you might consider. Granted, this is the opposite coast, but itās an example of the headache you can get in the airport.
There was an infamous case of a U.S. Marine being arrested at a NYC airport as he was returning from overseas, because TSA found an empty M4 mag in his seabag and called NYPD. I remember that one because it made my blood boil, but I canāt find the article.
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Itās almost like landing in CA due to recent gun restrictions in OR. Do you have 10-round mags you could bring instead?
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If your flight gets cancelled in LA and you have to re-check your luggage with the firearm in it, you could trigger issues. Last time I flew, my fight to Portland was cancelled in Dallas after a layover of more than 5 hours. Had to claim and then re-check my luggage for a flight the next day.
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I recall someone posting in this forum, fairly recently, that he had to re-check his luggage when a flight changed, so he just rented a car and drove home.
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One thing to consider, if the magazines are the issue, you could ship the magazines via UPS to a UPS store close to your destination.
You could still travel with the firearm itself. I donāt think I would risk shipping that, but the magazines I would consider. Just a thoughtā¦
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It is a lay over your checked baggage is in custody of the airlines so you shouldnāt have a problem on a layover you do not have possession of your firearm.
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Not bad advice if one is confronted with the risk of how an airline employee in CA (or NY or NJ or MA or IL) might react when confronted with an āillegalā firearm in checked baggage.
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Donāt fly, driveš
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Checking Maps, that would be a 16 hour drive for just the second leg of that flight (LA to Portland), plus however long for the first leg.
Might be a 3 days each way drive or longer you are suggesting.
Not many have the time to drive for nearly a week round trip (or however long it would be for OP)
Edit: Not to mention, driving around entire massive states like CA might make it an even longer trip in addition to the extreme difference in speed.
The USA is pretty huge
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As long as the firearm stays in the possession of the air carrier you should not have any issues. The air carrier, from my career, will keep the luggage with the passenger, not sending it on to their destination.
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I live about halfway between LA and Portland and do crazy one-day road trips to either one. Highway 5 is a straight shot and depending on how desperate one is, LAX to PDX could be done in two days with plenty to spare. Welches looks like an hour away from PDX.
The issue is both states have magazine capacity restrictions.
The OP has no choice but to bring 10-round magazines.
Or, make NV his destination.
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Do these laws just prohibit the residents or visitors also?
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Ok, so that applies to everyone. Thank you.
If the firearm is inside the customerās luggage after it has been cleared by TSA then it is legally in the possession of the air carrier, which is under supervision of the FAA, not the State.
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