Transporting a shotgun

[nevileca]

Hello all!

I have recently bought my first firearm which happens to be a shotgun. I live in Pennsylvania and would really like to transport the gun legally to my father's home so that we can go target practicing together where he lives. He lives over 100 miles away however and in order to get to him I would have to drive on the PA turnpike. I do not have any carry permit/license. Is it legal to disassemble my shotgun and put it in it's case unloaded in the trunk of my car and separately place my ammo in another case in the trunk and drive to my father's place and then back home? It seems silly for this to be illegal, but I although I have experience with shotguns and hunting I have never been in a situation where I wanted to transport my gun when not hunting or going directly to a range. I am also confused by the way the exceptions for the vehicle transport law is written as to whether or not certain statements are made toward handguns or long guns...

Thanks for any and all input on the matter!

[LittleRedToyota]

you do not even need to disassemble it. just make sure it is unloaded and store the ammo in a separate container.

shotguns (well, except short-barreled shotguns which have to be NFA registered anyway, so you don't likely have one of those without realizing it) do not fit the definition of "firearms" used in the PA Uniform Firearms Act, so the restrictions contained therein are not applicable to shotguns.

they are governed only by the "Carrying Loaded Weapons Other Than Firearms" statute which reads:

§6106.1. Carrying Loaded Weapons Other Than Firearms.

(a) General rule.—Except as provided in Title 34 (relating to game), no person shall carry a loaded pistol, revolver, shotgun or rifle, other than a firearm as defined in section 6102 (relating to definitions), in any vehicle The provisions of this section shall not apply to persons excepted from the requirement of a license to carry firearms under section 6106(b)( 1), (2), (5) or (6) (relating to firearms not to be carried without a license) nor shall the provi*sions of this section be construed to permit persons to carry firearms in a vehicle where such conduct is prohibited by section 6106.

(b) Penalty.—A person who violates the provisions of this section commits a summary offense.

the definition of "loaded" is:

"Loaded." A firearm is loaded if the firing chamber, the nondetachable magazine or in the case of a revolver, any of the chambers of the cylinder contain ammunition capable of being fired. In the case of a firearm which utilizes a detachable magazine, the term shall mean a magazine suitable for use in said firearm which magazine contains such ammunition and has been inserted in the firearm or is in the same container or, where the container has multiple compartments, the same compartment thereof as the firearm.

also, the PA UFA definition of "firearm" is:

"Firearm." Any pistol or revolver with a barrel length less than 15 inches, any shotgun with a barrel length less than 18 inches or any rifle with a barrel length less than 16 inches, or any pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun with an overall length of less than 26 inches. The barrel length of a firearm shall be determined by measuring from the muzzle of the barrel to the face of the closed action, bolt or cylinder, whichever is applicable.

your shotgun is (almost certainly) too long to fit this definition.

[nevileca]

Great! Thanks for the quick and accurate reply! My Mossberg 500 20 gauge (I should have mentioned this in the original post...) Is 22"... So as long as its in the trunk, unloaded, and in a case away from the ammo it seems I'm good... The way they use the term firearm is... very confusing... and that's the only part of the law I could find online...

[LittleRedToyota]

The way they use the term firearm is... very confusing... and that's the only part of the law I could find online...

yeah, statutes (and contracts) often specifically redefine words, so you always have to watch out for that. it definitely can be confusing.

btw, this page has lots of relevant statutes on it (UFA, weapons on school property, use of force, etc. etc.). (i think some of the UFA is a bit out of date on this page, but it is still substantially the same.)

http://www.acslpa.org/pa_uniform_firearms_act.htm

(the page is titled "Uniform Firearms Act", but don't let that confuse you either. while the page does contain the UFA, it also contains many other relevant statutes that are not part of the UFA. the UFA is really just the §61XX stuff.)

[knight0334]

So long as you stay in PA, you need not store the ammo in a separate container unless it is loaded into a detachable magazine - then you need to store the loaded mags in a separate container. Otherwise, you can have a unchambered shotgun that has a fixed magazine that is empty, with shells in a sidesaddle carrier, or on a bandoleer, or in a buttstock quick-carrier, etc. The shotgun itself need not be encased either, only loaded mags for the gun being transported - then the magazines must be in a container, or in another container other than what the long gun is in.

[LittleRedToyota]

So long as you stay in PA, you need not store the ammo in a separate container unless it is loaded into a detachable magazine...

true. though, i personally probably would just because there a lot of police officers out there who do not know the actual law, and "the ammo must be stored separately" is a common "gun store/uninformed LEO" version of the law and, so, having the ammo separate may save you an unwarranted headache.

[knight0334]

true. though, i personally probably would just because there a lot of police officers out there who do not know the actual law, and "the ammo must be stored separately" is a common "gun store/uninformed LEO" version of the law and, so, having the ammo separate may save you an unwarranted headache.

True-nuff.. Sometimes, in some places, going a step beyond legal requirement can alleviate hassles that may arise.

[YosemiteSam]

The ammo can be in the same container as rifle or shotgun as long as it is not in a detachable magazine. The magazine can be with rifle or shotgun in said container but must be in separate compartment.

[WVBob]

Just to stay out of trouble, I carry my ammo in a box I can lock. I know I don't need to, but I want to. Some LEO's make up the rules as they go along.

[Poonie]

Does having the gun in a $5.00 gun case behind the seat of my truck, and the shells in a ripped Wal-Mart bag, lying on the floor next to it, meet the letter of the law? That's how my shotgun gets transported 99% if the time.......