So, I was looking around at different states gun laws. Some of them require no registration, some have differing levels of registration, and here in California, it seems you’re required to fill out a small book of paperwork and provide a blood sample.
The question my co-worker asked, and I couldn’t answer, was how transfering works.
For example: Assume I own a Glock 17. It is registered and legal in CA. I move to, say, Illinois. Do I still have to register it (assuming registration is required in IL) since I’ve already registered in CA?
How about moving to Texas or Penn, which require no registration?
I really, really hope that if you move a gun to a state that requires registration, you’re, you know, required to register it. Otherwise, they should call it something else. Similarly the other direction. I mean, the car you drove it in was registered in California, and you have to re-register the vehicle in Illinois.
In Texas, you wouldn’t have to do anything. You could even buy full capacity magazines for the G17. I believe that PA is similar in that regard.
I do know that Illinois has FOID (Firearm Owner’s Identification) card that must be held by Illinois residents owning firearms. http://www.isp.state.il.us/foid/
There is essentially no normalization of firearms laws between states; even the Brady Law (which imposed a mandate of required background checks) left it up to individual as to the specifics of implementation, and no national registration or background check system exists. So yes, if you move to, or travel through, a different state, you have to register and follow per their statues. Note, however, that interstate transport is controled by Federal regulations (overseen by the Treasury department) and you are permitted to transport firearms though a state or municipaility regardless of local statutes so long as you follow transportation requirements (gun must be unloaded and secured out of reach of the driver) and can demonstrate that you are, in fact, en route with on necessary delays.
I don’t know about Pennsylvania off-hand, but last time I checked Texas doesn’t require any kind of registration for otherwise unrestricted firearms. Check out the NRA-ILA site on gun laws, which gives summaries of Federal laws, interstate transportation requirements, and laws by state. (See, the NRA is good for something besides dunning letters for more money.)
Well, assuming IL requires them to be registered, you would have to register it there. There is no transfer of registration between various states’ justice departments.
However, you didn’t have to register it in CA to begin with. CA does not require handgun registration, except for some local county/city laws in your area that may exist.
Not too bad. You have to take a safety test, which takes about 5 minutes and $25, and you get a card thats good for 5 years. Other than that, you just have to fill out the usual backgorund check form (same one for all guns, handguns and long guns) and provide proof of residency (utility bill) and have a safety device (gun lock or safe).