Out of State Student

[Jetpm]

Hello everyone,
I am a college student in Illinois, trying to buy a long gun for plinking. From my research, it seems that to buy a gun online I would have to have it shipped to a California FFL because I am a CA resident. Are there any alternatives to this, in regards to purchasing a gun online and having it sent to my current state location? Alternatively, to do an intrafamilial transfer in California, do I need to be present? What are the options that I have to purchase the gun from a gun store without having to return to California?
Thank you all

[Quiet]

I am a college student in Illinois, trying to buy a long gun for plinking. From my research, it seems that to buy a gun online I would have to have it shipped to a California FFL because I am a CA resident. Are there any alternatives to this, in regards to purchasing a gun online and having it sent to my current state location?

Nope.

Alternatively, to do an intrafamilial transfer in California, do I need to be present?

Yep.

What are the options that I have to purchase the gun from a gun store without having to return to California?

None.

[M1NM]

Resident laws for guns are different. You can be considered a resident in IL since you are attending school there.
You'll need to get a FOID card to possess a gun in IL - https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/FOID.aspx
Students home state drivers licenses are good for driving but for FOID I don't know. If you are in student housing on campus they may have rules about guns in the house.

ATF has previously addressed the eligibility of individuals to acquire firearms who maintain residences in more than one State. Federal regulations at 27 CFR 478.11 (definition of State of Residence), Example 2, clarify that a U.S. citizen with homes in two States may, during the period of time the person actually resides in a particular State, purchase a firearm in that State. See also ATF Publication 5300.4 (2005), Question and Answer B12, page 179. Similarly, in ATF Ruling 80-21 (ATFB 1980-4, 25), ATF held that, during the time college students actually reside in a college dormitory or at an offcampus location, they are considered residents of the State where the on-campus or offcampus housing is located.

CA rules being what they are I think when you return to CA the gun will need to be shipped to a CA FFL for transfer to you - even though you legally purchased it there while the feds considered you a resident there CA still considered you a resident here.

[Quiet]

Resident laws for guns are different. You can be considered a resident in IL since you are attending school there.
You'll need to get a FOID card to possess a gun in IL - https://www.ispfsb.com/Public/FOID.aspx
Students home state drivers licenses are good for driving but for FOID I don't know. If you are in student housing on campus they may have rules about guns in the house.

Also note that...

A valid FOID card is require in order to legally acquire/possess firearms or ammunition in IL.

IL will not issue a FOID card to a non-resident of IL.

[HibikiR]

Check the driving laws in IL, some states require that people who are going to stay in-state >6mo go to the DMV and get that state's driver's license.

[morrcarr67]

Also note that...

A valid FOID card is require in order to legally acquire/possess firearms or ammunition in IL.

IL will not issue a FOID card to a non-resident of IL.

Interesting. About 8 or so years ago I was working driving cross country. It was during the last ammo crunch and I was going into Walmarts looking for ammo. I stopped for the night somewhere in IL and there was a Walmart in the town so I went in for a visit.

They had some 9mm and 22LR on the shelf so I told the guy working in the Sporting Goods department that I wanted to buy some ammo. We walked backed over to the ammo and he asked for my FOID Card and I told him that I wasn't an IL resident and that I was just passing through town, he had a confused look on his face. He then called the manager over and explained to her my situation and she entered some code in the register and scanned my CA DL. I paid for my ammo and went back to the motel room for the night with 4 boxes of 9mm and 2 boxes of 22LR.

[9Cal_OC]

Interesting. About 8 or so years ago I was working driving cross country. It was during the last ammo crunch and I was going into Walmarts looking for ammo. I stopped for the night somewhere in IL and there was a Walmart in the town so I went in for a visit.

They had some 9mm and 22LR on the shelf so I told the guy working in the Sporting Goods department that I wanted to buy some ammo. We walked backed over to the ammo and he asked for my FOID Card and I told him that I wasn't an IL resident and that I was just passing through town, he had a confused look on his face. He then called the manager over and explained to her my situation and she entered some code in the register and scanned my CA DL. I paid for my ammo and went back to the motel room for the night with 4 boxes of 9mm and 2 boxes of 22LR.

Yep, OOS residents are exempt from the FOID card requirement. Shops will still sell ammo to non-residents unlike CA which will make a person wait 20+ days to get ammo.

[jeremiah12]

My son lives in IL, so I have an understanding of their laws. As stated before, according to the ATF, as a college student, you can legally purchase a gun while you are attending college in IL, and then when you return to CA, you can legally purchase a gun while you are legally residing in CA.

The caveat is you also have to follow the laws of the state you are residing in when you make that purchase. Unfortunately, neither state is gun friendly.

To purchase a gun in IL you need a FOID card. To get a FOID card you first need to get an IL ID card. It can be a DL or an IL state ID card. Since the federal Real ID laws have been put in place, most states will not let you have State ID that qualifies as a real ID unless you first give up any other state ID or DL you have in your possession.

In the past, you could have a state ID from different states, you could only have one DL. Some states will issue you a Federal limits apply state ID without canceling your real ID from another state.

I believe though in order to get a FOID card in IL, you need an IL real ID, either a DL or IL ID. The two have to be kept in your possession together.

You could do that to purchase the rifle in IL. but when you returned to CA, you would have to first send the rifle to a CA FFL. Before you could do the DROS though, you would need to get a CA Real ID and that process would take a few weeks. Then you could do the DROS and 10-day wait. Your FOID card would be invalid then.

You could still return to IL with your rifle and as long as you had your CA DL and were attending college in IL as an out of state resident you would not need a FOID card. You can buy ammo just by showing your CA ID. I do when I visit by son. Some places will refuse to sell ammo to you or will only do so if you have an IL hunting license. It is not required by law but just like CA, they think it is the law and make up their own FUD.

That is a lot of work and a lot of money to spend, especially since you are near the end of the semester and are likely to head home for the summer.

Have the rifle shipped to a CA FFL. When you are back in CA on break, do the DROS. After 10 days pick it up. You will have to do this part anyway. Now it is done. Take it back to IL with you. Just do not take it on campus. IL is as anal as CA about guns on campus. You cannot even store them in your vehicle even if they are in a locked container in your vehicle. You cannot have them in your dorm room.

You cannot buy ammo online and have it shipped to you because online vendors are required to have a valid FOID card on record for all shipments to IL. So you will have to buy at a local shop that will sell to you or hopefully your college is close to a free state like Iowa or MO and you can simply drive across state lines and buy your ammo there.

Hopefully the ammo shortage lets up by next fall. The last two trips I made out to IL I could not find any ammo in stock at the places I stop and check at along the way. I have always found ammo at Cabelas in Sydney, Nebraska, but there was none the last two times.