[Abacrombe]

Hello all! First time here and I have a question I am hoping you can help me with. I am moving from the gun hating state of California, to the gun friendly state of Florida - and none too soon. You may know you now have to go through a full DOJ background check to buy ammo in California, and your California drivers license is not considered valid ID. (yes that is true). I know I can not bring ammo into California from anywhere, but there are no restrictions for taking it out.

My question is, how can I be sure going through the following states with several thousand rounds of ammo will not land my butt in some bass-ackward jail somewhere? This will be my route and any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

California:
Arizona:
New Mexico:
Texas:
Louisiana:
Mississippi:
Alabama:
Florida:

 

[ActiveShooter]

If it's packaged correctly and the box has a ORM-D sticker and the box is a strong one not the thin chinese cardboard and shipped UPS or FedEx, it should be fine.

Greetings from the woods of New Hampshire

 

[MWAG]

Wear a Depends and don’t stop except for gas?

Shipping it is an option, probably very expensive but worth the piece of mind.
Don’t give anyone a reason to snoop in your vehicle . What would you do overnight in a motel - bring it all in with you?

 

[Abby'sDad]

Why would you get in trouble?
When I moved from NV to FL, I tool everything the moving company wouldn't in the back of my pick-up;
~100K rounds of ammo from .22lr to 12ga; ~ 48# of gun powder; ~ 50K primers, gas cans, household chemicals, etc.
I DID have to skirt around Hoover Dam as this wasn't too long after 9/11. Everything had a blue tarp on it and was left in the bed of the truck for the several days it took.

BTW, outside of CA, all of those states would consider several thousand rounds of ammo a beginner's trip to the range for a day of fun.
Where in Florida?

 

[Abby'sDad]

OH, BTW, the only bass-ackward state on that list is the one you're leaving.

 

[Golphin]

I can answer for Florida. You will be fine here as long as you are not a convicted felon. Also okay to have guns in your vehicle just not concealed under a seat or in your pants unless you have a CCP. You can have a pistol, in your console or glove box without a permit. You can have guns in your trunk here as well. Once you are here go ahead and get a concealed carry permit as it is easy to get and handy to have when buying hand guns also. Now the states between here and California I can't answer for you.

 

[mrerick]

There are Federal interstate transportation rules to deal with, and possibly fire code rules.

In most cases, you can transport ammo that is inaccessible to the vehicle occupants and in locked cases (separate from firearms) under Federal transport rules.

Some state and local fire codes may restrict the concentrated quantity of primers, powder and ammunition. This is typical of advice:

How to Store Ammo: Guide to Safe Storage and Transportation

Proper ammo storage is the key to safely transporting ammo. Our easy to understand guide will show you how to store and transport ammo the right way!

ammo.com

Interstate Transportation of Firearms

The McClure-Volkmer Act makes interstate transportation of firearms possible. It ensures that the public can travel through restrictive states with firearms

thefirearmfirm.com

Other issues are states that restrict "assault weapons" and magazine capacity bans. You need to check the laws of every state you travel through and print out a copy of anything relevant. That's basically what a lawyer doing research would do.

This gun grabber website summarizes restrictions to some level:

Ammunition Regulation

Universal background checks save lives from gun violence.

lawcenter.giffords.org

The fire codes are considerably more diverse. Many discuss "explosives" "ordinance" and other things, but most are oriented toward commercial transport. This is more difficult to research.

In any case, it should be transported in a locked case, hopefully out of plain sight and carefully packaged to prevent shifting or damage. Drive safely, adhere to all speed limits, inspect your vehicle to ensure that there are no possible vehicle violations (burned out lights, etc...) and drive safely and always observing traffic regulations.

Transporting it yourself is probably the best option considering the states you're traveling through... But... you also didn't give much detail about what "thousands" means or how the ammunition is packaged.

 

[Abby'sDad]

There are Federal interstate transportation rules to deal with, and possibly fire code rules.

In most cases, you can transport ammo that is inaccessible to the vehicle occupants and in locked cases (separate from firearms) under Federal transport rules.

Some state and local fire codes may restrict the concentrated quantity of primers, powder and ammunition. This is typical of advice:

How to Store Ammo: Guide to Safe Storage and Transportation

Proper ammo storage is the key to safely transporting ammo. Our easy to understand guide will show you how to store and transport ammo the right way!

ammo.com

Interstate Transportation of Firearms

The McClure-Volkmer Act makes interstate transportation of firearms possible. It ensures that the public can travel through restrictive states with firearms

thefirearmfirm.com

Other issues are states that restrict "assault weapons" and magazine capacity bans. You need to check the laws of every state you travel through and print out a copy of anything relevant. That's basically what a lawyer doing research would do.

This gun grabber website summarizes restrictions to some level:

Ammunition Regulation

Universal background checks save lives from gun violence.

lawcenter.giffords.org

The fire codes are considerably more diverse. Many discuss "explosives" "ordinance" and other things, but most are oriented toward commercial transport. This is more difficult to research.

In any case, it should be transported in a locked case, hopefully out of plain sight and carefully packaged to prevent shifting or damage. Drive safely, adhere to all speed limits, inspect your vehicle to ensure that there are no possible vehicle violations (burned out lights, etc...) and drive safely and always observing traffic regulations.

Transporting it yourself is probably the best option considering the states you're traveling through... But... you also didn't give much detail about what "thousands" means or how the ammunition is packaged.

Exactly, thousands of .22lr fit in a small bucket like the ones Remington sells as a "bucket of bullets". Thousands of rounds of 9mm can fit in a few .30 cal green metal ammo cans, etc., etc......

 

[Abacrombe]

Thanks for your answers! Here is some more information to clear things up. I will be driving the ammo from CA to FL through the states previously listed. No guns will be in the car as they will be sent separately. All ammo will be in army surplus cans, but they don’t lock. Since I have a large SUV, the ammo will be in the back under heavy blankets. My ammo ranges from 22LR, to 308. Add some 556 and 223, and a pile of 9MM.

I looked into shipping UPS and the shipping cost will be close to the cost of the ammo, and in some cases more. So that makes no sense. I googled the ammo laws in each state I am going through, and it looks like it may be OK, but I don’t trust google. This whole thing makes me nervous.

 

[Abby'sDad]

WHY? What is there to be nervous about? Did you read how much I transported? I was a rolling bomb at the time with all of thew ammo, powder and flammable/hazardous liquids. You are allowed to move your stuff; stop making this out to be a bigger deal than it is. Unless you start tossing your empty beer bottles at cop cars on the highway, no one is going to care about a SUV traveling on the road. When I made that move, I even shipped all my guns with the moving company - THAT would give a lot of folks here a brain hemorrhage, because - according to the internet - they'll surely get stolen and destroyed. Nope didn't happen.

Enjoy your trip and welcome to Florida.........What part are you moving to?

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

You'll be fine unless you are stopped and vehicle is searched. Then you'll be at the mercy of the badge regardless of written law. LEO might just grin and say so long, or your vehicle could be towed, impounded and you investigated. I would be especially weary around El Paso where they have interstate check points. Last time I went through there (years ago) some uniformed guy who could barely speak English started questioning me about my citizenship, where I was from... blah blah blah... while another one was looking though the windows of my vehicle.

 

[MWAG]

What kind of SUV and what color?
Just kidding, stay clear of trouble.

 

[Digger]

i once had some padlock hasps spot welded onto my 50 cal cans. Nobody gets in without some saw work or a key. I have since moved to the MTM boxes that include a padlockable lid.

 

[ShooterGranny]

When we moved from "north" to "mid south" hubby loaded all of his ammo in our company van to bring to the new home. I told him to drive VERY CAREFULLY.

It was a deluxe van and I didn't want to lose it to a fire!

 

[Layne12gun]

First of all Who is going to know you have it ?? Second of all who are you going to tell? ThirD are you planning on breaking the law somewhere ? i have transported Ammo with me all across this country including Illinois and California in my car and pick up truck. . No problem. Just avoid breaking any kind of laws. . However if you in a crash the BOOM might be a little upsetting to some officers LOL.

 

[Abacrombe]

To answer some of you, no I have no intention of speeding, or breaking the law. We are too old for the Bonnie and Clyde life style. However we will be towing a small u-haul and I worry we will go over a weight scale and they will question the weight inside a small space. This stuff is heavy! One of the cans can weighs over 40 Lbs and I have about 20 cans. That's a lot of weight in a small space and my get a second look at a check point scale. That's why I am worried.

 

[Abby'sDad]

Why would you go over a weight scale? Have you ever moved a good distance before? Those scales are for commercial trucks and rental trucks; you're talking 800 pounds.3 good sized guys in a truck will weigh damn near that amount.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

800lbs... I thought you said you had a lot of ammo?

 

[ButterSmooth]

Don't worry legally about moving it, but be sure you're within the weight capacity of your vehicle. That much weight directly (or nearly) over the rear axle may be too much. And think about how your SUV will handle for evasive maneuvers and panic stops. And it needs to be secured so it won't smash you in your seat in a collision or panic stop.

I think California has made you paranoid about activities that everywhere else considers normal.

 

[MWAG]

I'd try to put as much as possible on the floor in front of the back seats.