Federal Law on Transportation of Firearms

A provision of federal law serves as a defense to state or local laws which would prohibit the passage of persons with firearms in interstate travel.

Notwithstanding any state or local law, a person shall be entitled to transport a firearm from any place where he may lawfully possess and transport such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and transport such firearms if the firearm is unloaded and in the trunk. In vehicles without a trunk, the unloaded firearm shall be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. Necessary stops, e.g., gasoline and rest, seem permissible.

Can I drive in ammunition I bought out of state?

No. On Jan. 1, it will be illegal to import into California ammunition purchased in another state. The legislature passed a bill in 2016 that would have allowed hunters to bring in up to 50 rounds from out of state without taking it to a dealer, but Proposition 63 overrode that, according to the Department of Justice.

spirit4earth wrote: Fri Feb 01, 2019 10:58 pm I could get a couple of 10 rd mags, but it might not solve the problem. My understanding is that even spending a night in a hotel with an unloaded pistol locked in a vault is illegal.

I could only pass through the state. I’m not afraid of California by any means, but I do want to take my gun while traveling alone around the country. I can’t leave it at home...too far away! Maybe they’d never know I have it, but....
And then there’s the ammo. NO outside ammo is allowed, unless you’re a hunter, so I’d have to stash that somewhere, too. I won’t have much, but I’ll have some for sure.

Q: What if I am not a California resident and/or do not have a California ID?

A: We have spoken with the CA DOJ on 12/19/2018, and they have confirmed that we cannot sell ammunition to non-California residents. You must have a valid CA driver's license in order for us to run the eligibility check and sell you ammo.

shinzen wrote: Sat Feb 02, 2019 12:16 pm Oof. That really shines a light on the fact that this law was poorly thought out and poorly executed.

spirit4earth wrote: Sat Feb 02, 2019 10:44 am I’ll be traveling from NC, and I’m a woman traveling alone. I did this last summer also, unarmed but and with no problems. Now I have my 9c, and it’s coming with me. I think it would be a farfetched scenario where CA law would even know I had a gun and ammo, but in that unlikely situation, I’d be screwed. Ammo can only be bought at an FFL in CA, right? Or is that still being fought in court? And I’ve read in multiple locations that, technically, spending the night in California counts as more than “transporting through the state”.
But, like K9s said, I can’t be the first to face this problem, and I’m sure people don’t disarm at the state line.

BKinzey wrote: Sat Feb 02, 2019 2:14 pm Keep the conversation to why the officer pulled you over. It's unlikely the officer will ask you about weapons in the trunk. If you do mention you have a firearm in the vehicle the officer can check that firearm to see if it is being transported legally. Which, if they are on a fishing expedition, they can use as an excuse to search your entire vehicle. Who wants to stand on the side of the road while the police search your vehicle?

If your interaction with LEO goes so wrong that they are searching your vehicle, discover your firearm (that you legally carried locked up) and start asking about ammo... SHUT UP! STOP TALKING! Tell them you need to confer with a lawyer before answering any questions. Remember, if they want to charge you with bringing ammo into the state they have to prove you did. Did they follow you from the state line to where you are now? Is there anyplace along your route you could have bought ammo? You don't have to carry receipts.

Don't bring any greater than 10 round mags.

I transport in a soft nylon nondescript case. One that has double zippers and loops on the zippers. I put a lock through the zippers. That meets the requirements in CA for transportation. If you place the case in the locked trunk you don't need to have a lock on the case itself but it is a gray area when you transport the case from your trunk to your hotel/ motel room. Should I need the firearm I won't bother with the key, I'll twist the lock and break the zipper loop.

You can have loaded magazines in the same case as long as they are not in the firearm although some cops aren't aware of that, they think a loaded mag is a loaded gun. That came from a law about gang members, say you have the gun and your BFF has the loaded mag. You aren't a known gang member are you? Still, some won't have loaded mags and some carry ammo separately.

It's a secondary reason I have a lock on the case itself. The cop will have to explain why he searched my vehicle and whatever he was looking for might be in the locked case. This will also be at a point where I have hopefully heeded my own advice and shut up.

I keep loaded mags in the same locked case as the firearm.

Even if your glove box or "utility compartment" locks, don't put the firearms in there. They are specifically excluded in the law for storage.

Your chances on being stopped by police are small, that they ask about firearms in your vehicle are much smaller.