Possibly moving to TN, need some advice on laws

[MrJones79]

Hi all,

 

This is my first post and visit to this site, so please excuse me if I am in the wrong topic area.

 

I currently live in the horrible state of Massachusetts (Boston area), but there is a fairly decent chance that my wife and I will be relocating to Nashville this fall. We have family in TN and KY, so we are trying our best to make this happen even though it will be a stress fest getting it all put together.

 

My question is in regards to how in the hell to get my firearms down to TN should I move. I know about FOPA law, but I also know states like NY and NJ don't typically give a damn and have arrested people in the past for trying to move firearms through the state, even when clearly in compliance with FOPA. I believe TN honors my MA LTC (license to carry), so I think I'm all set with possession once I cross state line, though I if I understand correctly, I'd need a license in TN to actually conceal carry(?). 

 

At any rate, just looking for suggestions on how to get them down there safely, legally and in one piece. I could ship I suppose, but not sure if law allows private citizen to private citizen interstate, even though it's no a sale or transfer. I do have family in both Nashville and Louisville, so if I could some how legally get the stuff down there, I could just pick it up on the way (Louisville) or when I get to Nashville.

 

Thanks for any advice, and I realize you guys aren't firearms lawyers, so don't worry, I know this is all just general advice/opinion.

 

 

[Dolomite_supafly]

It is perfectly legal to mail your guns to yourself in another state. Hunters typically do this on hunts in different states.

 

If not then I would pack them up in cases without ANY ammunition present. Remove any, and all bumper stickers, and drive with the flow of traffic. The way to prevent an issue in some of those states is to keep from getting pulled over.

 

Please do not bring a single ounce of the Massachusetts liberal mentality with you.

[MrJones79]

It is perfectly legal to mail your guns to yourself in another state. Hunters typically do this on hunts in different states.

 

If not then I would pack them up in cases without ANY ammunition present. Remove any, and all bumper stickers, and drive with the flow of traffic. The way to prevent an issue in some of those states is to keep from getting pulled over.

 

Please do not bring a single ounce of the Massachusetts liberal mentality with you.

Thanks for reply. Didn't realize I could just ship them to myself; that may be the easiest and safest option.

 

And don't worry, I'll gladly leave any liberalism in MA. I'm a conservative, so I'm a fish out of water up here to say the least. Boston is a great city, but it's just not someplace I can live anymore. Between the liberal point of view and sky high cost of living, we need to get out of here.

 

First thing I plan on doing is stopping at the first gun shop I see in TN and buying some 30rd PMags. Being in MA, I've never been able to buy them with our laws. As a matter of fact, I've never even seen or held one. Ever. Sit back and take that in for a minute...could you guys ever imagine that down there!?

Edited May 16, 2015 by MrJones79

[gregintenn]

Just load em up in the car and drive south.

 

As Dolomite eluded to, Tennesseans are friendly, but wary of yankees. Try to assimilate, and for goodness sake, NEVER tell anyone here "That isn't the way we did it in Massachusetts"! That'll incite an altercation you don't want.

 

Enjoy our humidity! It's weather you can wear.

[MrJones79]

Just load em up in the car and drive south.

 

As Dolomite eluded to, Tennesseans are friendly, but wary of yankees. Try to assimilate, and for goodness sake, NEVER tell anyone here "That isn't the way we did it in Massachusetts"! That'll incite an altercation you don't want.

 

Enjoy our humidity! It's weather you can wear.

Good lord, you're not joking on the humidity - it's the worst I've ever experienced. We get hot/humid streaks in New England, but it's not even on the same planet as compared to down there. On the plus side, I'll gladly trade the monstrous amount of snow for some heat.

[none]

Good lord, you're not joking on the humidity - it's the worst I've ever experienced. We get hot/humid streaks in New England, but it's not even on the same planet as compared to down there. On the plus side, I'll gladly trade the monstrous amount of snow for some heat.

Scratches head and wonders what humidity?

[btq96r]

Welcome to TGO.  As a fellow former resident of the Boston area (Malden to be specific) you're going to miss the food and spread out seasons more than anything else.  Tennessee has about a seven to eight month summer, with roughly one month each for spring and fall, along with a two month winter.  If summer or winter are going to be longer, spring and fall are sacrificed accordingly.

 

The cost of living is like the difference between night and day.  Keep a poker face when dealing with real estate agents so they don't see you're flabbergasted by the prices for property.

 

Also, the only magazines here that hold ten rounds are for larger caliber pistols.  15rd for a 9mm pistol, and 30 for an AR are norms around here.  I'd also look at getting some trigger work done on any of your weapons as we don't have that 10lb trigger pull for pistols sold in state.  

Edited May 16, 2015 by btq96r

[MrJones79]

Welcome to TGO.  As a fellow former resident of the Boston area (Malden to be specific) you're going to miss the food and spread out seasons more than anything else.  Tennessee has about a seven to eight month summer, with roughly one month each for spring and fall, along with a two month winter.  If summer or winter are going to be longer, spring and fall are sacrificed accordingly.

 

The cost of living is like the difference between night and day.  Keep a poker face when dealing with real estate agents so they don't see you're flabbergasted by the prices for property.

 

Also, the only magazines here that hold ten rounds are for larger caliber pistols.  15rd for a 9mm pistol, and 30 for an AR are norms around here.  I'd also look at getting some trigger work done on any of your weapons as we don't have that 10lb trigger pull for pistols sold in state.  

Nice to hear that you made the move. I am definitely looking forward to cost of living down there, and the home prices. 

 

I also will take your advice as on the trigger work. I do have some firearms that would benefit from that (10lb M&P triggers off the top of my head). Also, I could finally undo the mods on my AR's for compliance to make the normal again. 

 

Looking forward to coming down and contributing to this forum and the firearms community in general. 

[EssOne]

Also scratching head about humidity. Not a problem in the Tri Cities except after a thunder bumper in the afternoon.

 

Once you get here, if you can't find the mags you want locally, take a look at the internet suppliers of mags like www.44mag.com, www.gregcotellc.com, www.cdnnsports.com, and www.palmettostatearmory.com. The latter one can help you with the parts you need to return your AR's to normal.

 

And welcome from a former Californio. You'll love it here.

 

EssOne

Edited May 16, 2015 by EssOne

[Pain103]

 In Tennessee we have a Handgun Carry Permit. This allows you to carry any pistol loaded on your person, open carry or concealed. You can carry a loaded firearm in your personally owned vehicle in the state as long as you not prohibited by law from possessing it. When you move down here go ahead get the process started to get your HCP and get your license swapped over too. Good luck on your journey. Oh yea stock up on some mags never have enough of those.

[Sam1]

Make sure to take a shower when you arrive, we don't want anything contagious coming in from that place.

 

Outside of that, hope everything works and you'll be warmly welcomed down here!

[Oh Shoot]

It is perfectly legal to mail your guns to yourself in another state. Hunters typically do this on hunts in different states.

 

Unfortunately, if you obey both federal law and Terms of Service with carriers, there's no way to do that with UPS or FedEx unless you send to or from a licensee.

 

Which only leaves USPS for long guns, and YMMV with them too.

 

If you obey both law and carrier TOS, that means there is now no way at all to send handguns between unlicensed individuals.

 

Carry your guns down here according to storage requirements of FOPA. In all the horror stories I've read regarding NJ, MD, NY, et al, not one of those folks was complying with the "safe passage" part of FOPA.

 

- OS

Edited May 16, 2015 by Oh Shoot

[enfield]

I unloaded all of my guns, wrapped the long guns in bubble wrap, and packed them as far from the passenger compartment as I could. Edited May 16, 2015 by enfield

[Jeb48]

Still in Western NY but will be moving to Jonesborough in June. As long as you obey all the Federal  laws and avoid the NYC area you should be fine.  Most of the state accepts the Federal law. But the other advice given about not drawing attention to yourself is not a bad idea.  You do want to pick a path that skips Maryland, they don't believe in the Federal law either, pretty much state wide.

[MrJones79]

Once I move down, would purchasing a new long gun be possible before I get a TN ID, or do I have to wait? I have an HK MR556 that has been put into "compliant" form for state law. Instead of spending money on gunsmithing to get the comp unpinned/welded and stock unpinned, I was contemplating just selling it up here and buying a new one down there. As a matter of fact I'm not sure I could even get the stock unpinned. The set screw on underside of HK stock has red loctite on it in addition to a blind roll pin.

[kckndrgn]

Once I move down, would purchasing a new long gun be possible before I get a TN ID, or do I have to wait? I have an HK MR556 that has been put into "compliant" form for state law. Instead of spending money on gunsmithing to get the comp unpinned/welded and stock unpinned, I was contemplating just selling it up here and buying a new one down there. As a matter of fact I'm not sure I could even get the stock unpinned. The set screw on underside of HK stock has red loctite on it in addition to a blind roll pin.

When you move down here, take your DL and new proof of residency to the DMV and get your new DL. Go to the nearest gun store and buy your firearm of choice. You may be able to get it without the TN ID but since the DMV will hand you your license in the office (at least they did last time I was there) why wait.
With the proper documentation you could have you new ID before you start unpacking.

[Pete123]

I'll bet you all will like it here....certainly have milder winters.

Also, the people are friendly.

[tnhawk]

......Please do not bring a single ounce of the Massachusetts liberal mentality with you.

 

 

Check each state's laws on a site such as handgunlaw.us and carry a copy of Title 18 - part 1 -chapter 44926A which can be found on that site.  I would plan to stay on the Interstate and not stop in New York if possible.  If you travel around D.C. stay on Interstate.

 

 

Have a safe trip and welcome to Tennessee!

Edited May 17, 2015 by tnhawk

[NextExit]

Welcome.  :hat: 

If I remember correctly, you need to establish residency in TN (30 days) before you can purchase a firearm.  You can't just get your drivers license then head for the gun store.  At least that's what I was told when I moved here 6 years ago.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong... :shrug:

As for the trip down, just avoid NYC.  Take the MassPike to I-84 to I-81.  No one will mess you on 84 in NY (I used to live there) then you're pretty much "free" with the exception of 12 miles in Maryland.

Hope you like Waffle House, BBQ and boiled peanuts.  Closest Boston Market is Atlanta or Asheville.

[hipower]

MrJones79, you will be warmly received here, like a lost child from the forest.

Bring all the family and enjoy some freedom...while it still is available for us all.

And on the subject of heat and humidity...If you like summers of 80-90%, you'll be fine. lol

[gregintenn]

Seriously, we have funny accents. This does not make us all toothless, barefoot idiots. You sound funny to us as well.

[kckndrgn]

Welcome.  :hat: 
If I remember correctly, you need to establish residency in TN (30 days) before you can purchase a firearm.  You can't just get your drivers license then head for the gun store.  At least that's what I was told when I moved here 6 years ago.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong... :shrug:

No residency time requirement that I'm aware of. Even the requirements for the HCP don't have a time limit.
https://www.tn.gov/safety/handgun/qualifications.shtml
*Applicants are required to be a resident of the State of Tennessee;
*Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;

Once you have your TNDL you are a resident of the state.

[NextExit]

No residency time requirement that I'm aware of. Even the requirements for the HCP don't have a time limit.
https://www.tn.gov/safety/handgun/qualifications.shtml
*Applicants are required to be a resident of the State of Tennessee;
*Be at least twenty-one (21) years of age;

Once you have your TNDL you are a resident of the state.

Thanks.... guess the pawn shop I went to when I moved here was misinformed.

[bersaguy]

Welcome.  :hat:

If I remember correctly, you need to establish residency in TN (30 days) before you can purchase a firearm.  You can't just get your drivers license then head for the gun store.  At least that's what I was told when I moved here 6 years ago.  Someone correct me if I'm wrong... :shrug:

As for the trip down, just avoid NYC.  Take the MassPike to I-84 to I-81.  No one will mess you on 84 in NY (I used to live there) then you're pretty much "free" with the exception of 12 miles in Maryland.

Hope you like Waffle House, BBQ and boiled peanuts.  Closest Boston Market is Atlanta or Asheville.

We have a Boston's Market right here in Gallatin, 35 miles north east of Nashville.......................... :up:

[NextExit]

We have a Boston's Market right here in Gallatin, 35 miles north east of Nashville.......................... :up:

Wow... I'm 2 for 2 :ugh:

When did that open? Last time i checked locations on their website, I typed in "TN" and it showed Atlanta area and Asheville.