Interstate ftf

swwjeff · Feb 19, 2009

As the title implies I was wondering what the laws are for buying firearms across state lines. Hypotheticly speaking, if someone lived in washington and bought a handgun in oregon ftf, and for some reason the police showed up. What charges could said "free citizens" face?

clearconscience · Feb 19, 2009

Jail.
It is illegal.
I wouldn't suggest it.
I know people who have done it.
It ridiculous really. Someone can drive 4 hours from Ashland to Portland go to the gun show and buy ftf, no problem.
But someone can't drive 10 mins over the bridge from Vancouver to Portland and buy the same gun.

You have to transfer to FFL.

fingolfen · Feb 19, 2009

clearconscience said:
Jail.
It is illegal.
I wouldn't suggest it.
I know people who have done it.
It ridiculous really. Someone can drive 4 hours from Ashland to Portland go to the gun show and buy ftf, no problem.
But someone can't drive 10 mins over the bridge from Vancouver to Portland and buy the same gun.

You have to transfer to FFL.

What he said...

... oh, and the BATFE occasionally likes to run stings where they try to catch people doing just that... OFF was trying to defend an individual who ran afoul of it if memory serves...

Coctailer on the board has an FFL in Oregon and Washington, so he can run state to state transfers for you easily...

bcp · Feb 19, 2009

If you are out of state, you can buy only rifles or shotguns, and only from a dealer. And you can sell (any) firearms only to a dealer.

Bruce

tionico · Feb 20, 2009

I wanted to get a solid answer to the same question/situation, and started a thread here a couple weeks ago. I believe the thread was in the legal stuff sections, and down toward the end quotes the relevant sections of the gun control act of 1968 or so.... what has been said up from this is accurate. Ridiculous, for sure.... a clear and blatant restriction of interstate commerce, and such restrictions are plainly forbidden in the Constitution. So, ATF is running stings? Don't they have better ways of spending MY tax dollars? I HATE it when innocent and generally law-abiding citizens are set up by government officials trying to trap them. Seems the agents ought to be able to stand for the same charges... both the seller and the buyer in such a situation commit a federal level felony when a known interstate transfer takes place between non-licensed citizens. Of course, there ARE various ways to "not know"..... and various ways to have reasonable grounds to believe the other party is resident of the same state. But that is all rather dicey.... I'd never hesitate to sell to a known friend.... but a stranger, well, its quite a risk. One extra wrinkle.... NO one can sell to a California resident except when both are within that state. Seems they jig to a different fiddle than the rest of us. No, a Calfornia resident can NOT purchase any firearms out of state. And even shipping them into the state to a FFL Dealer gets crazy, and most out of state dealers will not even ship to an in-state FFL Dealer in California. I think it would be easier to sell into Canada or Mexico, long guns only into Canada...... time to get this sort of nonsense sorted out. SOOO ridiculous.