New York firearms laws

[buckchaser]

Hello all.  I've been coming down from Ontario, Canada to hunt deer in the Adirondacks for the past three years.  Each year I get the required permit to enter the U.S. with my rifle(s) and store them as I do here in Canada (unloaded, trigger locked, encased).  I've recently been told that the rifle must be locked inside a hard case for transport?

If anyone could direct me to the official NY regulations I would appreciate it.  The official resources I have found so far have been quite confusing.

[Steve D]

Page 16 of the NYS hunting guide

Transportation

of Firearms

A person may not transport or possess a shotgun,

rifle or crossbow in or on a motor vehicle

unless the firearm is unloaded in both chamber

and magazine or the crossbow is unloaded or

taken down. While legally hunting migratory

game birds, a loaded firearm may be possessed

in a motorboat not under power OR in a motorboat

under power only while retrieving dead/

crippled birds.

A muzzleloader is considered unloaded

when the cap is off the nipple, the primer is

removed, the primer powder is removed from

the flintlock pan, or the battery is removed from

an electric-fired muzzleloader.

A crossbow is considered unloaded when

the arrow/bolt is removed and the crossbow is uncocked.

2016–2017 New York Hunting & Trapping Guide

The only requirement I am aware of is you are out at night spotlighting it needs to be cased.

Also on page 16:

Spotlighting

You may use lights to observe wildlife under the

following conditions:

• You are not within 500 feet of a home or farm

building, unless you have permission from the

owner or lessee (when looking for deer or bear)

• While in or on a motor vehicle and operating

a light and no person has a firearm, bow, or

crossbow unless:

»» the implement is taken down, or

»» the implement is securely fastened in a

case, or

»» the implement is locked in the trunk of the

vehicle, or »» the implement is a handgun

For information on hunting furbearers at night, see page 53.

[Dinsdale]

19 hours ago, buckchaser said:

Hello all.  I've been coming down from Ontario, Canada to hunt deer in the Adirondacks for the past three years.  Each year I get the required permit to enter the U.S. with my rifle(s) and store them as I do here in Canada (unloaded, trigger locked, encased).  I've recently been told that the rifle must be locked inside a hard case for transport?

If anyone could direct me to the official NY regulations I would appreciate it.  The official resources I have found so far have been quite confusing.

I think what someone is telling you is the Federal regulations for interstate transport;

Here is actual code from here;https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/926A

Note the last lines depending on if there is a separate compartment.

DON'T go by anything NRA-ILA puts out on the web many factual errors and their info is junk.

I would use the regs posted above for NY DEC.

 

18 U.S. Code § 926A - Interstate transportation of firearms

• US Code
• Notes
• Authorities (CFR)

prev | next

Notwithstanding any other provision of any law or any rule or regulation of a State or any political subdivision thereof, any person who is not otherwise prohibited by this chapter from transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm shall be entitled to transport a firearm for any lawful purpose from any place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm to any other place where he may lawfully possess and carry such firearm if, during such transportation the firearm is unloaded, and neither the firearm nor any ammunition being transported is readily accessible or is directly accessible from the passenger compartment of such transporting vehicle: Provided, That in the case of a vehicle without a compartment separate from the driver’s compartment thefirearm or ammunition shall be contained in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console.

(Added Pub. L. 99–360, § 1(a), July 8, 1986, 100 Stat. 766.)

 

 

[Core]

Probably interstate firearm law. As far as I know it totally trumps all state laws. As long as you are driving to your destination and not loitering you can even use it to carry guns through states like NJ that require permits and federal trumps any state laws to the contrary, although I understand you can still possibly be arrested and have to actively refer to it in your defense (weird, but anyway)...

Keep your gun cased and locked and unloaded.
Keep ammo cased separately and locked.

Do both of those you're good. Locked, separate cases and you're good federally for sure. There is no law on what qualifies as a case or how robust the lock needs to be as far as I know. 

NY is not terribly insane, though. When going to the range I have my guns unloaded and put them in a case in the trunk.

[mattman77]

I have heard discussions on this as well. As far as I know, within NY, as long as it is unloaded, you are G2G. I do not believe they need to be stored in a case or trunk etc

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk