Traveling by train with a firearm

[Garbcollector]

Sounds like a good trip never been on a train

[tanks]

Ship it to a CT FFL and take possession of it while there?

...

You do not have to do it through an FFL. it is perfectly legal to ship a firearm to yourself in another State.

[cannon]

When traveling by train.

Is there baggage or person searching and wanding etc when boarding a train at the station?

[MarikinaMan]

NYC will ruin your life just fun when it comes to firearms.

[tigerpan]

NYC will not happy.

[tawadc95]

How bout asking Amtrac.

[madland]

My vote goes to @Trailerpark Trash

[Timthetwin]

Honestly, I get not wanting to travel unarmed, but with your itinerary and means of travel, I would leave the firearm at home. Do you want to ruin your whole trip over your firearm. To many people have been messed up traveling in NYC and NJ airports with firearms.

[george223]

Honestly, I get not wanting to travel unarmed, but with your itinerary and means of travel, I would leave the firearm at home. Do you want to ruin your whole trip over your firearm. To many people have been messed up traveling in NYC and NJ airports with firearms.

No, this thread wasn't about traveling unarmed, it was about being in my house in CT unarmed. Every time I've been on the train, there were no carry on luggage checks. So it was tempting to say 'what if'. But as things go, the one time you just say F' it will be the time they do the checks. Up until now, I was never aware that Amtrak had a checked in baggage option, though I have never seen anybody do it on this train nor have I ever been asked if I wanted to check in any luggage and just wanted to know if anybody else has done it.

My original plan was to drive cross country and take a shotgun and a handgun with me. I wanted to make a few stops along the way and enjoy some of what this country has to offer, like driving to the top of Pike's Peak. My priorities changed when I realized that I haven't seen my 83 year old mother, brothers, or even my house in a year and a half due to covid and some other business I had to take care of and would not really be able to enjoy the trip the way I wanted to. I could've flown to Hartford or Providence but I just wanted to take the train.

So no, I am not bringing a firearm with me on this trip.

[george223]

You CAN ship across state lines to YOURSELF without involving an FFL holders according to the federal FOPA of 1986.

You can't ship a handgun with USPS unless you have an FFL.
You CAN ship a handgun with other carriers such as UPS, Fedex, DHL etc...
Each carrier may have their own restrictions on what service level you can use and where you have to drop the shipment off etc...
Typically, it has to be dropped off at one of the company's local hubs and shipped via overnight or 2nd day service.

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it. But now I'm concerned what the legality of me possessing a firearm or ammo in CT as a non-resident. If I had driven across country as originally planned I wasn't going to worry about it. Shipping a firearm or ammo now gets another entity involved. While in CT, my gun would never leave my house. And if for some reason, God forbid, I would need to use it, I have a pick and a shovel and there is plenty of woods back there (just kidding).

I tried looking it up on the CT gov sites but they make it complicated. I'm going to inquire once I get back there. I'll start with the State Police. There was a time a few short years ago when I could have just bought a long gun and ammo back there as a non-resident but the laws have changed. I could apply for a non-resident Pistol Permit but that require time, money, and having an LTC issued from another jurisdiction which I do not have.

[ysr_racer]

The only person I know that travels by train and likes it, is sleepy Joe.

[jeremiah12]

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it. But now I'm concerned what the legality of me possessing a firearm or ammo in CT as a non-resident. If I had driven across country as originally planned I wasn't going to worry about it. Shipping a firearm or ammo now gets another entity involved. While in CT, my gun would never leave my house. And if for some reason, God forbid, I would need to use it, I have a pick and a shovel and there is plenty of woods back there (just kidding).

I tried looking it up on the CT gov sites but they make it complicated. I'm going to inquire once I get back there. I'll start with the State Police. There was a time a few short years ago when I could have just bought a long gun and ammo back there as a non-resident but the laws have changed. I could apply for a non-resident Pistol Permit but that require time, money, and having an LTC issued from another jurisdiction which I do not have.

I did a quick search and the best I could find is from Wikipedia. It is not the best source but as a non-resident you can legally possess any firearm you can legally possess in your state of residence.

You will not be able to buy ammo in CT because you do not have a CT permit. As a non-resident, you can apply for a permit. It is a two step process. You first apply with the local PD and get a 60 day permit then apply with the state and get a 5 year permit. If you own a home in CT, you might want to do that.

You can only have magazines of 10 rounds or less.

As for Amtrak, their rules are guns must be in checked baggage and must be declared when you check in at the station. Not all stations handle checked baggage so you have to ask ahead of time if your departing and arriving stations handle checked baggage. Rarely will the station agent ask if you want to check in your baggage. They would rather not handle checked baggage, it creates more problems for them.

A few years ago, I helped my son move from CA to Illinois. I drove out with him and I had planned to rent a car to return. I wanted to make a few stops along the way and do some hiking. I brought 3 guns with me.

I ended up staying longer than planned so decided to take Amtrak back. I am familiar with Amtrak and did some research. In many stations, the checked baggage gets placed out by the tracks and is left unattended until the train arrives. Bags are stolen and go missing. Bags with guns are labelled with a tag that says gun inside. People have had their guns go missing. Security is not as tight as it is for the airlines.

Many people that travel with guns suggested that it was better to just take the guns with you in your carry on and STFU. Yes, it some cities, law enforcement, both federal and local is known to do random searches. They are not legal without without a warrant or reasonable suspicion. Many passengers do give consent. Do not give consent.

If you are in your room (if you rent sleeping accommodations) and are not present when they come by, they might look though your bags anyway. To stop that, use a lock. Keep the guns unloaded and the ammo in a separate bag to give your attorney the best chance of defending you.

That is what I did. I had a lot of stuff because I had planned on driving both ways. So I did do the checked baggage. I carried on the maximum of 4 also. The guns were in a locked compartment of a backpack and the ammo in another backpack that was also locked. I was never asked what I had.

Amtrak still does not have metal detectors or scan the baggage though x-ray machines. They do not have the funds to purchase the equipment. They rely on profiling to determine who might be a threat.

There is no way I would take Amtrak through New York or New Jersey with guns, either legally checked or illegally in carry-on. I noticed that the few times I have taken Amtrak, that the majority of times a passenger was involved in a legal issue, they just handed them off to the local LE in the next town. They could handle it in Federal court if they wanted.

I do not want to deal with either New York or New Jersey with gun related charges. I would just fly or better yet drive and avoid both states entirely.

If I had to go through either state, I will not have a gun with me. I would just send the gun to myself at my final destination.

Good luck.

[splithoof]

No, this thread wasn't about traveling unarmed, it was about being in my house in CT unarmed. Every time I've been on the train, there were no carry on luggage checks. So it was tempting to say 'what if'. But as things go, the one time you just say F' it will be the time they do the checks. Up until now, I was never aware that Amtrak had a checked in baggage option, though I have never seen anybody do it on this train nor have I ever been asked if I wanted to check in any luggage and just wanted to know if anybody else has done it.

My original plan was to drive cross country and take a shotgun and a handgun with me. I wanted to make a few stops along the way and enjoy some of what this country has to offer, like driving to the top of Pike's Peak. My priorities changed when I realized that I haven't seen my 83 year old mother, brothers, or even my house in a year and a half due to covid and some other business I had to take care of and would not really be able to enjoy the trip the way I wanted to. I could've flown to Hartford or Providence but I just wanted to take the train.

So no, I am not bringing a firearm with me on this trip.

Is there a means to which you can store a firearm at your house over there, and not have the transportation issue at all?

[splithoof]

“I do not want to deal with either New York or New Jersey with gun related charges. I would just fly or better yet drive and avoid both states entirely.

If I had to go through either state, I will not have a gun with me. I would just send the gun to myself at my final destination.”

That is very sound advice. Avoid those sewers entirely.

[george223]

I did a quick search and the best I could find is from Wikipedia. It is not the best source but as a non-resident you can legally possess any firearm you can legally possess in your state of residence.

You will not be able to buy ammo in CT because you do not have a CT permit. As a non-resident, you can apply for a permit. It is a two step process. You first apply with the local PD and get a 60 day permit then apply with the state and get a 5 year permit. If you own a home in CT, you might want to do that.

You can only have magazines of 10 rounds or less.

As for Amtrak, their rules are guns must be in checked baggage and must be declared when you check in at the station. Not all stations handle checked baggage so you have to ask ahead of time if your departing and arriving stations handle checked baggage. Rarely will the station agent ask if you want to check in your baggage. They would rather not handle checked baggage, it creates more problems for them.

A few years ago, I helped my son move from CA to Illinois. I drove out with him and I had planned to rent a car to return. I wanted to make a few stops along the way and do some hiking. I brought 3 guns with me.

I ended up staying longer than planned so decided to take Amtrak back. I am familiar with Amtrak and did some research. In many stations, the checked baggage gets placed out by the tracks and is left unattended until the train arrives. Bags are stolen and go missing. Bags with guns are labelled with a tag that says gun inside. People have had their guns go missing. Security is not as tight as it is for the airlines.

Many people that travel with guns suggested that it was better to just take the guns with you in your carry on and STFU. Yes, it some cities, law enforcement, both federal and local is known to do random searches. They are not legal without without a warrant or reasonable suspicion. Many passengers do give consent. Do not give consent.

If you are in your room (if you rent sleeping accommodations) and are not present when they come by, they might look though your bags anyway. To stop that, use a lock. Keep the guns unloaded and the ammo in a separate bag to give your attorney the best chance of defending you.

That is what I did. I had a lot of stuff because I had planned on driving both ways. So I did do the checked baggage. I carried on the maximum of 4 also. The guns were in a locked compartment of a backpack and the ammo in another backpack that was also locked. I was never asked what I had.

Amtrak still does not have metal detectors or scan the baggage though x-ray machines. They do not have the funds to purchase the equipment. They rely on profiling to determine who might be a threat.

There is no way I would take Amtrak through New York or New Jersey with guns, either legally checked or illegally in carry-on. I noticed that the few times I have taken Amtrak, that the majority of times a passenger was involved in a legal issue, they just handed them off to the local LE in the next town. They could handle it in Federal court if they wanted.

I do not want to deal with either New York or New Jersey with gun related charges. I would just fly or better yet drive and avoid both states entirely.

If I had to go through either state, I will not have a gun with me. I would just send the gun to myself at my final destination.

Good luck.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Ya, I have read enough on this thread that has convinced me to not transport a gun on the train. Checking bags in seems iffy. I would not feel comfortable doing it. And I could probably get away with it in my carry on but don't want to chance it. And no, I would never consent to a search.

And if you think security for checked in bags is better at the airport, think again. It is better than what you described at the train station but is still lacking. Last time I flew into LAX, I had a rifle case with a couple of my prized possessions in it. As the plane was pulling up to the gate, I needed to get to the men's room real bad. Timing was bad. Thinking I had plenty of time before my luggage got to baggage claim, I did what I had to do as quick as I could in the men's room. When I got to baggage claim, there was my rifle case, sitting up against the back wall, plain as day that there were guns inside. Somebody could have easily taken it but luckily it didn't happen. With firearms, I would of thought that there would be more security at the airport. Like putting what appears to be a rifle case in the baggage claim office. It was the one of the few flights I have ever been on where I didn't have to wait for my bags to show up.