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[otterpop]

My Dad retired from the Department of Agriculture and I spent many of my formative years out in the lanes asking people where they were returning from or how far east have they been (playing inspector)? Never saw any shake downs like you are describing. They have an interest in certain states during certain times of the year when harvesting is taking place. They may ask to see your ice chest if you indicate you may have brought something back and may take your cherries or other produce if from these states. Firewood is a big concern because of the beetle infestation. Boats will be looked at closely because zebra mussels may be hitching a ride.

No I'm very familiar with reasons and their importance to our Ag industry, still an licensed AG consultant although not in the industry anymore...But I leave the state for extended summers EVERY year except one. (and I'm 50). Usually north but sometimes east...and those are the only two times it happened.

I guess I should have paid attention to see if anyone else was getting checked, I just shrugged my shoulders and obliged, had nothing to hide, was just a pain.

[HKMadness]

**** this stupid *** state and the people that run it

[Jerry62]

Thats what you say now, until we start seeing people hauled of to jail for bringing ammo into Cali

[heidad01]

A few more posts here and they will errect a separate check point just for ammo check.

No, the Agricultural people do not give a s#It if you have ammo, and may be one out of 10000 cars going throu may carry ammo. Not worth the hassles for an infraction.

Any other eventuality not covered here yet.

[jeremiah12]

My Dad retired from the Department of Agriculture and I spent many of my formative years out in the lanes asking people where they were returning from or how far east have they been (playing inspector)? Never saw any shake downs like you are describing. They have an interest in certain states during certain times of the year when harvesting is taking place. They may ask to see your ice chest if you indicate you may have brought something back and may take your cherries or other produce if from these states. Firewood is a big concern because of the beetle infestation. Boats will be looked at closely because zebra mussels may be hitching a ride.

I have experienced inspections at the Ag. station on I-5 just south of the Oregon border where they took everything out of my truck and opened every box to look inside. In the larger boxes, they took the things on top out and left them on the side of the road and I had to put everything back. This was during the time I was commuting between OR and CA for graduate school. My research was in CA while school was in OR.

Three times I was moving plants that were grown at Oregon State to UC. Davis that I had the proper permits for issued by the CA Department of Agriculture and the inspectors at the station did not want to let me through because they were on a power trip. I had to spend an hour on the phone making calls until I could finally get someone to authorize their supervisor to tell them to let me through.

After the third time with the plants and proper permits and still being held up my contact at the Dept. of Ag gave me directions on how to bypass that station. It involved a few miles of dirt roads but was well worth it. I was not doing anything illegal, I had the proper permits, I was just avoiding the idiots who could not identify plants and were sure I had something other than what was on my permit even though the identification had been verified by a botanist at UC Davis and another at the CA Dept. of Ag.

Way back in 1985, when my wife and I had graduated from Oregon State with our Bachelor's degrees and were moving back to CA with the help of our families, at the same inspection station, they had my mother pull her station wagon over and unload everything we had packed in it. I stopped to help her. Because I stopped, they decided I had to open my trunk (I had a 65 Mustang) and empty it out along with everything in the back seat. My FIL was driving his van towing a trailer. He started to pull over and I waved him through because I knew if he stopped they would do the same to him.

We had to open every box and let them poke around. It was 100 that day and I was not happy. My youngest sister does not take heat well and they would not let her wait inside. I did ask what would happen if I said no to the inspection. The answer was I would have been turned around and sent back to OR. If it were to happen today, I would take them up on that offer.

I have no idea why they choose my mother's car that day other than they decided to pick on the woman with two young children in her car on a hot day.

After my experiences with the I-5 Ag. Inspection station, I started to regularly bypass them. The only time I do not is when it is snowing. At those time they either just shut them down or the inspectors stay inside their booths where it is warm and wave people through. They do not bother to ask where you are from and if they do they are not going to verify it with a check of the license plate because it is covered with snow. If you want to ensure they believe you are a Californian, lock up your brakes briefly. That little bit of sliding will convince them you are from CA and do not know how to drive on snow.

[TRICKSTER]

Thats what you say now, until we start seeing people hauled of to jail for bringing ammo into Cali

People don't get hauled off to jail for infraction violations.

[CaliforniaLiberal]

Seems legit. I've had CHP pull me over and ask me how fast I was going.

There is a reason LE asks that question. There is also an appropriate non-incriminating response to it. Both are trade secrets that you would have to become an LEO to find out. So for now, slow down and no one will ask you that question.

That question is the opening of an interrogation. He's encouraging you to confess to a crime. You have the right to make no reply or say something charming and noncommittal.

[Redeyedrider]

That question is the opening of an interrogation. He's encouraging you to confess to a crime. You have the right to make no reply or say something charming and noncommittal.

I believe I was doing the speed limit........... Sir

[CALI-gula]

No problem for rich people like me. I just fly my Airwolf to America then come back loaded.

What does downing a fifth of Jack Daniels while flying have to do with this?

.

[Eureka1911]

I have experienced inspections at the Ag. station on I-5 just south of the Oregon border where they took everything out of my truck and opened every box to look inside.

Wow. I've been through the Ag station on I-10 maybe 120 times and the I-15 station another 25 or so times. I have never been searched and only once in a rare while asked if I have any fruits or vegetables. I was driving mostly passenger cars or a pickup truck with either a lid or shell on it.

[Pranqster]

Pick a neighborhood in some local town, give them that zip code and area code.
Get over this "moral honesty trip"; the politicians who created this mess are just by their nature liars themselves; it's OK to play their game.

Last time I was out of town buying stuff, they asked for my zip code. I said "whats the zip code here?" and when she said what it was I responded "thats it!"
She was on to me and laughed.

[Pranqster]

Can you just pour in the ammo in containers and discard the packaging, how would they know where the ammo was purchased. There is no law that prohibit going to ranges out of state.

Bingo!

[AceGirlsHusband]

This law is virtually unenforceable. Its designed to be more of a nuisance to firearms owners, another barrier to encourage the casual shooter to quit, rather than a serious crime to be enforced by the state's expensive LE assets.

[Marauder2003]

Just arrived in Vegas. Just north of the new CHP office/weigh station on the southbound side of the I-15 within sight of the NV line there is a new structure going up. It looks like the AG checkpoint just north of Barstow.

Either they are moving the Barstow AG checkpoint closer to the NV line or it is an Ammo checkpoint that is hard to get around being so close to LV.

[morfeeis]

HAHA, do you think you're going to have much of a choice in California for too much longer?

All they have to say is that they smelled gun powder. i mean they have to make sure they get home safe right...