# Transporting rifles cross-country (USA) Advice? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 4, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479 "2009-02-04T22:10:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479/1 "2009-02-04T22:10:40Z")
A friend has inherited a sizable collection of rifles and shotguns, approximately 25. He needs to move them from the East coast of the US to Oklahoma. He wants to do this legally, securely, and reasonably cheaply. So far as we can figure out, it’s completely legal for him to possess and transport the guns within the two end States. So, how is this done? You are not my lawyer, etc. We have 2 ideas so far: 1. Pay a cargo carrier like UPS or the postal service to move them. This would probably be the easiest option. Any ideas as to what it might cost or if there are any laws that would make this difficult. 2. Rent a truck or van and drive them over. This would probably be the cheap option, as it would only require 2 day rental. Would this run afoul of the law? Also, if the worst happens and they get stolen while he’s sleeping in a hotel, what kind of legal liability would he have? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479/2 "2009-02-04T22:14:41Z")
[Interstate transportation](http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/926A.html) of rifles. Rent the van. Make sure they are unloaded and secured. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479/3 "2009-02-05T05:42:23Z")
I would also use trigger, bolt locks or remove the firing pins. Just in case they get stolen. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479/4 "2009-02-05T06:22:55Z")
[These might be of some use](http://www.cameronpackaging.com/gun_boxes_custom_fit.html) [Or this](http://www.discounthomeoffice.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=374) ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479/5 "2009-02-05T14:10:29Z")
Thanks guys. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479/6 "2009-02-05T16:55:06Z")
> [@Glazer](#): > > I would also use trigger, bolt locks or remove the firing pins. Just in case they get stolen. Trigger or barrel locks are great for stopping someone from immediately using a gun they happened to find, not so much for preventing them from ever using a stolen gun. I’ve never seen a trigger lock I couldn’t have removed within 20 minutes with some power tools. Of course, given that appearance trumps reality in many gun laws, this is probably not a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479/7 "2009-02-07T07:03:02Z")
I inherited some long guns and they were transported to Hawaii in a container. Legally you have to register them within three days. It was more than a year before I registered them, mostly because one of my brothers thought they were his. They didn’t ask about the long wait time when I registered them. The cop who registered them did try one trick to see if I had also inherited a pistol and was not registering it. When I finished with the long guns, he asked me: “what about that pistol you got ?” There was no pistol. But you gotta admire someone as suspicious as that and whose job it is to be suspisious. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/transporting-rifles-cross-country-usa-advice/484479/8 "2009-02-08T00:02:23Z")
When I was a kid my granddad sent me a BB gun rifle through the regular mail. I was shocked even then (early 90s) that nobody bothered to x-ray or shake the box to figure out what was inside. It could’ve easily been a .22 or even something larger. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t legal to do, but the box came through unopened and fine. That was a long time ago, though, so I’d bet trying that nowadays wouldn’t go over as well.