Entering military and moving states

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payne

New member
Well, i've search for awhile on here and couldn't find a thread, so forgive me if it's been asked a thousand times before. I will be joining the USAF and leaving my beloved state of Alabama soon. I fear being sent to one of the states that aren't so friendly with my AR's, AK's, and 50BMG rifles, but whatever the service requires of me so be it.
Anyway, here's the question. Are there any provisions for members of the military and their personal firearms, such as the one's I listed? Or, will I be leaving them behind with relatives till I get out of the communist state. (None of the states I listed as ones I prefered to be stationed in were the CA, NY, MA, IL sort, but you never know). I pray I'm in one of the 7 I requested. Thanks for answers in advance.
 
In general, no, but there are exceptions. Last I checked, CA had provisions for your AR, but not your high cap mags. Some states have provisions that make concealed permits easier to get which in turn eases some of the pain. There really is no blanket answer - see where you get sent and then handle it. Lucky for you, most AF bases are in gun-friendly states - I've PCSd 7 or 8 times and still haven't moved to a place where my collection was a problem.

Also - several of the bases in bad states are on the border of a friendly state (i.e. Scott AFB, IL, east of St Louis; Hanscom AFB, MA, south of NH). Depending on how important it is to you, you can live across the border and commute a little farther.
 
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You will quickly learn that there is no place for private ownership of firearms in the AF until you get to your first permanent duty station. Forget about it at BMT and forget about it at tech school.

When you get to your first real duty station, you are probably going to be living in the dorms (unless you are married). In that case, private ownership is going to be dictated by the commands of your base CO. If (and that's a big if) he decides to allow jr enlisted to keep privately owned weapons on base, they will be locked up in some type of base armory.

Once you reach the point of being able to live off base, then it becomes a matter of state law. Like Zombie said, see where you are being sent first then deal with it. Good luck in your enlistment.
 
private ownership is going to be dictated by the commands of your base CO. If (and that's a big if) he decides to allow jr enlisted to keep privately owned weapons on base, they will be locked up in some type of base armory
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As suggested before, forget it during any/all training assignments. You will be moving from location to locations and in barracks w/ a lot of other troops where weapons security would be nil.

After that, most all post commanders permit private ownership as long as you are (a) in on-post quarters where security is the same as if it were your house and weapons registered w/ the provost marshall; (b) residing off-post in a private house/apartment (provost registration not req'd); or (c) weapons held at the provost marshall's armory for check-out as needed when living in barracks.

As far as I know, the furor over commanders trying to restrict private off-post ownership is a dead horse.
http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/s...om-infringing-off-base-gun-rights-of-soldiers.

34 years and I never had a problem -- even when driving up to the Security Poilce HQ at Edwards AFB and checking in a dozen+ weapons when first assigned/in temporary PCS quarters.
 
Obviously you want to avoid states like CA, NY IL etal. notorious for gun laws.
If you live in barracks, you must keep firearms in the armory. Offbase, same rules apply as civilians. If assigned overseas, Germany is the best place to be.
 
Not that their arent exceptions but do not be suprised if your command even at your permanent station insist your weapons are locked in the arms room.

Its all very dependent on the state and the installation commander and then you unit command.... Overall the military is not very gun friendly... dont be shocked its just a fact....
 
Spent 24 years In the Army and never had a problem with my weapons but of course I was not allowed to take them on overseas assignments. While living in the barracks it was required to store privately owned weapons in the arms room, but a person could sign them out anytime during the day. Common sense prevails in the Army.
 
I forgot something others have mentioned. As long as you're a young, single E, you'll be in the dorms, so I'd leave most of your collection with relatives. Take a couple if you want, but leave anything unique, interesting, or valuable safely at your relatives' house. If you're married, you'll have the option to get a house or move off-base. If you're starting at E-3, you might have the option, depending on the dorm's occupancy.
 
Payne, These guys are correct.

Keep them with family members if you can.

When you finally get off base quarters (single guy) you can have them with you. If you are married and living on base, sometimes you can have them in base housing.


The second worst thing you can do is keep the gun in your car if you are living in the dorms. The worst is being caught with them in the dorms. (As an acting first sergeant and a supervisor, I used to have to do room checks in the dorms, every commander I have ever dealt with looked with distaste upon the individual whose room was found to have a gun in it... Also engine parts, pets, moldy food, etc...)

Hope your training goes well and you decide to make it a career.
 
If you leave them with trusted family who can keep them safe, then after you are at your permanent duty station you can learn what is allowed and more importantly, how easy it will be for you to shoot them. Might be you will just want/need a shotgun for hunting, for example. The worst-case cost of having the one or two guns sent to you that you are likely to really want to use should not be all that high - shipping plus a couple of FFL fees. Or you might be able to fetch them yourself if you are in driving distance.

And the information about what it is that you own remains a lot more private.
 
I'll start this with... I'm Active Duty Air Force and have been in your shoes.

You ABSOLUTELY CAN have your weapons, even if you are an AB, AMN, A1C, SrA, etc living in the dorms. However- you'll have to keep them locked in the base armory (security forces). AFI's dictate that you may not have weapons or ammunition in the dorms. Try checking out AFI 31-10 or 31-101.

It creates a headache since you have to purchase only the ammo you plan to shoot that day, or leave whatever ammo you have with a friend who does not live in the dorms. For example, someone off base or someone in base housing. You can have weapons and ammo in base housing.

As for getting orders to a less than gun friendly state, or country, it happens. In that case you'd have to leave your stuff with family or friends you trust.
 
Ditto what tmorone said.

Also, when you are living in the dorm/barracks, no weapons means NO WEAPONS. No knives over some particular length (~3"), no clubs, no numchucks, no slingshots, no bows/arrows, etc.
 
Haha... Yes. Just slightly.

You'll get an on-base house or be off-base, so (at least everywhere I've been) you'll be able to keep your collection with you. I've never lived on base, so I've only been concerned with state laws, and like I said earlier, I've never PCSd anywhere that was problematic.
 
All of the firearms-related rules I can think of apply equally to both officers and enlisted members.
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There're no officers in the dorms, so a significant portion of the preceding conversation is moot!
 
There're no officers in the dorms, so a significant portion of the preceding conversation is moot!
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While he won't be living in the dorms, there often is base housing available for officers. Sometimes it's located within the confines of the base, and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it's owned/managed by the military, sometimes it's contracted out to a private agency. Unless he's truly living "out in town", in a residence that's not affiliated in any way with the military, it would be a good idea to double-check the rules regarding firearms.
 
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