Trip to California

[Gabby]

I'm planning a trip to California this summer and want to take a handgun. I know I can lock it up to get thru Illinois and Kansas. I've read that I can transport in this manner to anywhere, as long as I'm going from a state (IN) where I can legally carry to another state that I can legally carry. Which I can't in CA. But I'm unclear if I can leave it locked in the trunk and be legal. Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

[BooneDoomer]

Wouldnt bother with it if you asked me. California is not very gun friendly. You go looking for trouble and you find it; everytime. But if you insist on taking your firearm to California it would be unhealthy to your wallet to be caught with it. California does not honor our Indiana permits and the same rules would apply as if you were walking around with your pistol without a permit entirely. But police do not have authority to search the trunk of your car without a justified reason. If you do something to give them reason your gun is most likely gone forever. Using it to defend yourself could also backfire since youre not permitted to have it in that state.

 

[IndySSD]

Wouldnt bother with it if you asked me. California is not very gun friendly. You go looking for trouble and you find it; everytime. But if you insist on taking your firearm to California it would be unhealthy to your wallet to be caught with it. California does not honor our Indiana permits and the same rules would apply as if you were walking around with your pistol without a permit entirely. But police do not have authority to search the trunk of your car without a justified reason. If you do something to give them reason your gun is most likely gone forever. Using it to defend yourself could also backfire since youre not permitted to have it in that state.

^^ Pretty much this ^^

This is also the reason I will probably never go back to Cali after having spent a couple of vacations and a long summer as a teenager in San Diego area (LaJolla). That is unless I find a way to obtain a carry license that is valid in Cali.

 

[Snayperskaya]

I would say just don't go to California. Why would you want to spend any money there anyway?

 

[CVictor]

If you insist on doing it, hide the gun so that it would not be found (but then what's the point?). If you are forced to use it in a self defense situation, you're screwed.

Personally, I wouldn't do it.

 

[Gabby]

Ok I figured out what I could do. Take it with me and pawn it in Utah then pick it up on the return trip. Now can I pawn it in Utah? What do you think?

 

[lashicoN]

Would you rather be screwed or dead?

I agree, just don't go if you don't have to. Take a trip to somewhere free.

 

[CountryBoy19]

You should be gtg in CA if you follow a few small restrictions.

You can carry openly as long as the gun is unloaded (no round in the chamber, and no loaded magazine in the firearm). Many people just carry with a loaded magazine readily accessible.

For more info look here, http://www.californiaopencarry.org/CaliforniaOpenCarry.pdf

So basically, you only have to worry about locking it up in the trunk etc going through IL, and Kansas because you can legally possess the handgun in CA.

ETA, I'm not completely clear on travelling in a car in CA so unless you find clarification on that I would advise you to lock it up in the trunk to be safe while driving around.

 

[mrjarrell]

If you do take the decision to have a firearm with you, check it against this list. Not all handguns are legal in California.
Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale - Firearms Division - California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General

 

[Dr Falken]

I wonder just how many of us make travel or vacation plans based on the "gun friendliness" of a particular state. Might be interesting to quantify...the unofficial boycott going on!

 

[Gabby]

Thanks for the website mrjarrell, I couldn't find either handgun I'd plan on taking on the list. Sucks to live in that state I really wasn't going to "carry" I just wanted it with me on the trip out and back. And lock it up while I was in Crazyfornia.

 

[Gabby]

I was looking thru the California Penal Code and came across 12025 on page 28-29. A person can keep a handgun locked in the trunk or lock box and be legal while on an extended stay in the state.

 

[BooneDoomer]

Dunno about you but to me I think it would be safer in my safe back home than my car trunk while im out partying it up in CA.

 

[Gabby]

You're probably right. But I think about the what ifs. It's at least three days going and three days coming back and a lot of "good" states I'll pass thru. I'd hate to think, God forbid, a person would need to defend themselves in Mo. but couldn't because in three days they would be in CA. so he left it home. Does that make sense? As for the gun being safe, I'll lock it in the safe at the hotel when I arrive. Gun value is a lot less than the value of my family or myself.

 

[SSGSAD]

Go to Az., instead. Boycott Ca...

 

[Gabby]

I am going to AZ. on the way back.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Ok I figured out what I could do. Take it with me and pawn it in Utah then pick it up on the return trip. Now can I pawn it in Utah? What do you think?

No idea if you can pawn it there, but I think you can't pick it back up. Federal law prohibits out of state handgun purchase/transfer. And I pretty sure retrieving it from a pawn shop counts as a purchase/transfer. But you could always get a safe deposit box and it would probably be almost as cheap as pawn fees and you wouldn't have to worry about the pawn employees fingering your piece.

ETA You could have them ship it to a FFL in IN for pickup though.

And one other thing if you do take it with you, CA doesn't allow magazines of more than 10 rounds.

 

[kramnor54]

if you take the gun to calif. and try to conceal it somewhere an get caught wiyh it your screwed major it kind of defeats the purpose of taking it in the first place

 

[Gabby]

I'm not going to conceal it in CA. I'll keep it locked up and unloaded. I'm just thinking about the rest of the trip.

 

[CountryBoy19]

If you do take the decision to have a firearm with you, check it against this list. Not all handguns are legal in California.
Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale - Firearms Division - California Dept. of Justice - Office of the Attorney General

That is a list for sale, there is nothing about possessing them. Last I knew a person could permanently move to CA with guns that aren't approved for sale and take them with them. You just can't "buy" one in CA. In this case "buy" means buy one that doesn't already legally belong to a resident. If a resident legally has one not on the list, that particular gun can still be bought and sold in CA.

Some people have actually made a fair amount of money buying up lots of guns that aren't on the list before they move to CA. Once you move to CA and you register or get a license for all of them, you can then legally sell them to other CA residents.

They may have closed this loophole, but last I knew it was still open. I would seriously suggest checking into it. Call the CA DOJ or State Police. Ask questions on CA firearms forums (there are several).