Driving from PA to DE with long gun

[JRS]

Do DE laws permit having an unloaded long gun in a vehicle when driving from PA to DE? I have a PA LTCF.

I've searched for the answer and could not find it.

Thanks!

[96D]

I would say if you put the unload longgun in the trunk & ammo up front you should be fine.

[mpan72]

I do not know the laws of DE. I do know that you will need to follow the laws of both states and the federal laws. I believe federal laws are in place to allow people to travel from state to state and through those in between. I would not take the advise of a stranger on the net for this important info unless they link to the actual laws.

There is also a lot of stuff that people just keep repeating some of it is true and some of it is false. Most of it is a little of each and that is the worst of all.

[10PointHunter]

Need to check DE laws, as stated before FOPA only protects you if you are passing through an unfriendly state on your way to a place where it is legal. Better to go on their state police website than to ask on a forum, because some of us, no offense, have no idea, including myself.

[mpan72]

Need to check DE laws, as stated before FOPA only protects you if you are passing through an unfriendly state on your way to a place where it is legal. Better to go on their state police website than to ask on a forum, because some of us, no offense, have no idea, including myself.

I would never go to a police department website for the correct laws. I would go to the official state website and find the actual text of the statute. I would then look for case studies and case law to understand what the laws mean.

[SauerGrapes]

Federal law allows for transportation of firearms from state to state. I go over to NJ all the time to shoot sporting clays.
Seperate the gun and ammo until you reach your destination.

[tl_3237]

A good place to start is the NRA Guide To The Interstate Transportation Of Firearms. It's link and preamble is below. I would read it over and look for specific information on each State you will pass through.

http://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/artic...portation.aspx


FEDERAL LAW ON TRANSPORTATION OF FIREARMS

A provision of the federal law known as the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, or FOPA, protects those who are transporting firearms for lawful purposes from local restrictions which would otherwise prohibit passage.

Under FOPA, notwithstanding any state or local law, a person is entitled to transport a firearm from any place where he or she may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he or she may lawfully possess and carry it, if the firearm is unloaded and locked out of reach. In vehicles without a trunk, the unloaded firearm must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. Ammunition that is either locked out of reach in the trunk or in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console is also covered.

Since the trip is between two contiguous states, FOPA transport arguably does not apply except while in any intervening states of the trip and to the exclusion of PA and DE.. LINK

Federal law allows for transportation of firearms from state to state. I go over to NJ all the time to shoot sporting clays.
Seperate the gun and ammo until you reach your destination.

It's not Federal law that allows your NJ 'clays' trips, it's the individual laws of Pa and NJ. Specifically, in NJ, you have the exception of NJS 2C:39-6f(3). Since PA and NJ are contiguous my comment above also applies to the inapplicability of FOPA transport while you are in PA and NJ..

[JRS]

In my case, a shotgun sometimes stays in my vehicle because it's used regularly for trap shooting.

But I live close to the DE border, and I'd like to know if I need to remove it from the vehicle when traveling to DE (and returning to PA).

Thanks for all the input so far!