Moving cross country with firearms

[11011500a]

call CON-WAY ltl trucking u pack they haul.Yellow/USF

[gcrtkd]

Whatever you do make sure you're flying into Norfolk and not DC with those firearms. Even a can of pepper spray can get you in trouble in DC.

Not to thread-jack myself, but that's something I've always wondered about. I'm sure it's been discussed before, but...

What police dept. patrols IAD? The airport is called "Washington Dulles" but is it considered part of the weird federal enclave of DC, even though it's 20 or 30 miles inside of VA? I glanced at the patches of the officers patrolling IAD on my way back from the interview, but the combination of sleep deprivation and NyQuil (oh yes, I was gloriously sick during the interview) muddled my mind. I thought the patches had some words like "Metropolitan" and "Port Authority," or something like that. Are they DC MPD officers? Are they VA police? I doubt it, but I don't know. I suppose I could google it, but maybe someone will just spoonfeed me the information.

I have always flown into IAD, never Norfolk. Question: What if I'm on a flight scheduled to land at IAD but it gets diverted to Reagan (DCA)... well, checking a map, both of these are in VA, not DC proper. In fact... I don't see any airport where I could be diverted to land in DC. Anyways, say we had to land in DC... could I get arrested for an unregistered firearm if I had one in checked baggage? Is there a safe passage law or something for travelers with firearms who intend on skedaddling out of DC? Would being inadvertently diverted to DC make you an accidental felon? What if your flight taking off from IAD or DCA had to make an emergency landing in ye-olde Potomac? Recent events have shown that this could happen. The river is DC territory so far as I understand.

[5968]

Ship the guns to yourself at your new address. This is legal.

Handguns must go overnight.

I recommend UPS.

Sell the safe and do what he said.

[11011500a]

i just checked con way sf-va $1400they are like ups but they haul larger items that can't be the going rate

[gcrtkd]

Good lord! $1400 clams is around retail for the safe brand new. Oh well, I guess it's my patriotic duty these days to redistribute my wealth or something, right?

[rod]

When I moved to VA, I used one of those PODs. I filled it up with guns and other household goods and they shipped the whole container for around $5K. If all you're shipping is guns, the POD thing wouldn't be worth it. In that case, I would sell the safe and buy a new one when you get here. Believe me, you're going to need a bigger one anyway. You can ship your guns to yourself as mentioned.

You're gonna love it here. There are gun shows almost every weekend somewhere within driving distance, you can OC just about anywhere, you can get a CC permit by just filling out a form and dropping it off at the courthouse, waiting periods for new gun purchases are about fifteen minutes, no waiting or background checks for PPT, and there are gun stores everywhere. Out of state transfer fees run anywhere from $15 to $50. Background checks cost $2 and are usually included in the price of the gun.

Now the bad news....there are very few places to go out and shoot on public land. You either have to shoot on private property or join a shooting range. There are a couple of outdoor ranges on the WMA's but those are just for sighting in your rifle. Most don't allow handguns. Don't worry, you can always come down to C'ville and shoot in my backyard.

Check out VCDL when you get a chance. VCDL is our version of CGN and we take care of business!!! http://www.vcdl.org/

Welcome to Virginia! You're gonna like it here (even though you're going to NOVA)

[JDay]

Not to thread-jack myself, but that's something I've always wondered about. I'm sure it's been discussed before, but...

What police dept. patrols IAD? The airport is called "Washington Dulles" but is it considered part of the weird federal enclave of DC, even though it's 20 or 30 miles inside of VA? I glanced at the patches of the officers patrolling IAD on my way back from the interview, but the combination of sleep deprivation and NyQuil (oh yes, I was gloriously sick during the interview) muddled my mind. I thought the patches had some words like "Metropolitan" and "Port Authority," or something like that. Are they DC MPD officers? Are they VA police? I doubt it, but I don't know. I suppose I could google it, but maybe someone will just spoonfeed me the information.

I have always flown into IAD, never Norfolk. Question: What if I'm on a flight scheduled to land at IAD but it gets diverted to Reagan (DCA)... well, checking a map, both of these are in VA, not DC proper. In fact... I don't see any airport where I could be diverted to land in DC. Anyways, say we had to land in DC... could I get arrested for an unregistered firearm if I had one in checked baggage? Is there a safe passage law or something for travelers with firearms who intend on skedaddling out of DC? Would being inadvertently diverted to DC make you an accidental felon? What if your flight taking off from IAD or DCA had to make an emergency landing in ye-olde Potomac? Recent events have shown that this could happen. The river is DC territory so far as I understand.

I just did a search on google and it appears that they only enforce the laws of Virginia. I always assumed that it was under D.C. authority. Airports Authority Police have primary jurisdiction along with the Fairfax County Police and the Virginia State Police. Traveling cross country with firearms is covered by the federal peaceable journey laws providing you don't make extended stops in an area where the firearms are prohibited and they remain locked in these areas, the weapons also have to be legal in both the places of departure and the end of your trip. There have been cases in the past however where a flight gets delayed and passengers have had to claim their luggage and go to another airport or wait until the next day for a flight and been arrested by the local police. These cases are never won by the DA but have resulted in the traveler spending a few days in jail and a lengthly court battle.

[gcrtkd]

When I moved to VA, I used one of those PODs. I filled it up with guns and other household goods and they shipped the whole container for around $5K. If all you're shipping is guns, the POD thing wouldn't be worth it. In that case, I would sell the safe and buy a new one when you get here. Believe me, you're going to need a bigger one anyway. You can ship your guns to yourself as mentioned.

Now the bad news....there are very few places to go out and shoot on public land. You either have to shoot on private property or join a shooting range. There are a couple of outdoor ranges on the WMA's but those are just for sighting in your rifle. Most don't allow handguns. Don't worry, you can always come down to C'ville and shoot in my backyard.

Check out VCDL when you get a chance. VCDL is our version of CGN and we take care of business!!! http://www.vcdl.org/

Welcome to Virginia! You're gonna like it here (even though you're going to NOVA)

Hey Rod... yeah, I'd considered PODs (heh... rod-pod)... but my company has a deal with a relocation firm and they're going to do the whole move for us. I still need to read the relo package in detail, but the firearms, bulky hobby equipment, and vehicle stuff jumped out at me. If I were stuck doing the move myself then this would be high on my list. I wonder how much of a fit the ticket agent would have at the airport if I came rolling up with carry-ons and a 5.5' gun safe on a pallate jack. "Hi, I have a firearms declaration to make... I don't think this hard case is TSA-approved though." I actually wonder how much that would cost...

Oh man, I am all about VCDL. Are you kidding me? I'm probably going to sign the whole family up when we get there. I've even been working on planting the seed with Mrs. Claus about her getting a CCW... and she hasn't thrown a fit thus far... I'll win her over... just give me time. There's a good chance we might all be spending a lot of time at the NRA range and cafe, too. See, if NRA were smart, they would open up a jewelry/shoe store nearby, or opposite the cafe... 2 birds, 1 stone.

I've tried looking around online for shooting ranges out there, with limited success. I might just have to bite the bullet and join a range. I've never shot on public land (so far as I know) in CA... just Sac Valley, Azusa, and Field Sports Park (next to the SO range) in Santa Clara County. What are range rules like out there? I do a lot of tactical shooting, holster work, El Presidente, failure drills, shooting from awkward positions, shooting on the move, weapons transitions, etc.. Are there any places in NOVA to do that? How about 1,000 yard ranges for the Remington 700? My baby needs to get out and stretch her legs every now and again. What are the high-speed, low-drag training schools out there? I've had the opportunity to train with TFTT out here in CA and with Progressive Force Concepts in Vegas... what sorts of schools are there out there like these?

-gracias!

[Seesm]

Wow, that does sound REALLY nasty. It is, however, true.

I am most certainly keeping the guns. Who told you I wasn't?! (I don't use those winkey-smiley things... too cool for me.)

I'm in San Jose... The safe is very nice. The woman's father came by a few weeks back. He is a very quiet man and has probably only said 10 or 20 words to me, or even around me, in all of the time I've known him. I took him in the back room and he took one look at it and he just blurted out, "Now I LIKE that!" Can't do much better than that. It's the burgundy gloss Colonial model seen in the photo at http://www.libertysafe.com/safe_colonial.php T'is less than 2 years old and is in mint condition. Hell, all I did was put guns in and take guns out of it. If the price is right and someone buys it and lives nearby, I might even be willing to help them move it... I'm just that kind of gun... erm, gun... I mean g-u-y. (Yes, I really did type "gun" twice. Oh lord.)

I will still be a CalGunner at heart and follow your exploits via the internets. Luckily we get that out there. Which is nice.

No I said ship em I was not thinking you should or where selling guns... Keep them all and love them all.. I am 1 1/2 away from you so if you PM I may come get the safe when your ready... No worries just let me know what you want for it. Thanks

[rod]

Hey Rod... yeah, I'd considered PODs (heh... rod-pod)... but my company has a deal with a relocation firm and they're going to do the whole move for us. I still need to read the relo package in detail, but the firearms, bulky hobby equipment, and vehicle stuff jumped out at me. If I were stuck doing the move myself then this would be high on my list. I wonder how much of a fit the ticket agent would have at the airport if I came rolling up with carry-ons and a 5.5' gun safe on a pallate jack. "Hi, I have a firearms declaration to make... I don't think this hard case is TSA-approved though." I actually wonder how much that would cost...

Oh man, I am all about VCDL. Are you kidding me? I'm probably going to sign the whole family up when we get there. I've even been working on planting the seed with Mrs. Claus about her getting a CCW... and she hasn't thrown a fit thus far... I'll win her over... just give me time. There's a good chance we might all be spending a lot of time at the NRA range and cafe, too. See, if NRA were smart, they would open up a jewelry/shoe store nearby, or opposite the cafe... 2 birds, 1 stone.

I've tried looking around online for shooting ranges out there, with limited success. I might just have to bite the bullet and join a range. I've never shot on public land (so far as I know) in CA... just Sac Valley, Azusa, and Field Sports Park (next to the SO range) in Santa Clara County. What are range rules like out there? I do a lot of tactical shooting, holster work, El Presidente, failure drills, shooting from awkward positions, shooting on the move, weapons transitions, etc.. Are there any places in NOVA to do that? How about 1,000 yard ranges for the Remington 700? My baby needs to get out and stretch her legs every now and again. What are the high-speed, low-drag training schools out there? I've had the opportunity to train with TFTT out here in CA and with Progressive Force Concepts in Vegas... what sorts of schools are there out there like these?

-gracias!

I don't hang out in NorVa but I did some looking around for you. Check out Quantico Shooting Club. They might have something you're interested in. Here's a link..http://www.quanticoshootingclub.com/

Here's another link to find some shooting places...http://www.wheretoshoot.org/Find_Ran...subresults.asp

There are lots of ranges all over the place, but you have to join in order to shoot at most of them. It's not so bad though. Membership fees are reasonable and there's very little FUD. You'll never hear "Hey! that's illegal to shoot here". You can even own FA here if you pay the tax man.

I had my truck shipped cross country on a car carrier. It cost about $900. I was thinking you might find a trucking company willing to bring your safe and guns. If you find someone who ownes their own truck and is looking for some extra income....you might be able to work out a deal. Another idea is try looking into a train. I knew a lady who shipped some heavy stuff via train and it was cheap. I forget the details but it might be something to look into.

[gcrtkd]

Thanks for the information, Rod. I will look into your suggestions. Is it wrong to love shooting as much as I do? If it is, I don't wanna' be right!