Moving guns from NY to the Carolinas

TomF1938

New member
My wife and I are planning a move from NY (Nassau County) to either North or South Carolina next year. This is going to be a permanent retirement move. I currently have several shotguns and rifles that are not registered in any way. The county that I currently live in does not require registration of long guns - yet. I also own two registered and licensed hand guns. My county is extremely well regulated when it comes to hand guns. :mad:

My question is this - is it legal for me to package up my long guns with the rest of our home furnishings and move them with the rest of our possessions or do they have to be sent thru an FFL as in an interstate sale.

Am I correct in assuming that the only way to transfer my hand guns from one state to another would be thru FFLs at both ends.

I am also looking for information regarding particular handgun licensing requirements in both Brunswick County, North Carolina and Horry County, South Carolina.

TIA for any advice - TomF
 
You don't even have to move the handguns thru a FFL in NC/SC. Pack them up with the rest of your stuff and move to freedom...well a little more. ;) I'm not sure on SC but in NC you have to get handgun permits from the county Sheriff's office to purchase a handgun. Check out www.carolinashootersforum.com, for some good local info.
 
My question is this - is it legal for me to package up my long guns with the rest of our home furnishings and move them with the rest of our possessions or do they have to be sent thru an FFL as in an interstate sale.

Am I correct in assuming that the only way to transfer my hand guns from one state to another would be thru FFLs at both ends.
If the question regards federal law, there seems to be a widely held misconception amonst many shooters, so let me clear something up.

There is absolutely no federal law requiring you to transfer guns that already belong to you through an FFL when moving from one state to another. This applies regardless of the type of gun.

The matter is entirely governed by the laws of the destination state.

I'm not familiar with NC or SC state law, so I'll leave that question to those more knowledgeable than I. :)

Mandatory disclaimer: I am not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV. ;) This is not official legal advice. Caveat emptor.
 
My understanding is that in NC possessing a firearm does not require any permit. Purchasing one, however, does require a permit. When I moved here from Ohio, I looked into it and concluded that I didn't need to do anything.

DogoDon
 
Welcome to freedom again!

Re: gun laws, this is a good site worth becoming more familiar with: http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/Federal/Read.aspx?id=74

That said, SC welcomes you and your firearms! No need for permits or FFL involvement unless you want to conceal carry (I know nothing of NFA rules, be forewarned). If you want to have a Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP in SC) contact SLED and a concealed weapons permit instructor.

One request--please don't move here and vote to make it "just like back home" :D
 
Make sure all are unloaded, then pack 'em up in boxes or cases and put in the trunk of your car or your rented U-Haul. Don't let a moving company do it, the employees can smell firearms.

Cover 'em up with a blanket in your trunk, put your luggage on top, and enjoy the drive.
 
My parents recently made the move from NYS to the Carolinas.

Unload, pack them in cases, lock them up in the trunk and drive. That's about it.
 
Thanks all for your responses. As a lifetime NYS resident it will certainly be refreshing to move to an area that does not harass it's gun owners at every turn.

Tom in NY (soon to be Tom in the Carolinas)
 
I think the only problem in your question will be that most

movers will not let you ship guns through them.

My suggestion is unload them all and pack them in your trunk and come on down. Once you hit the S.C. boarder.... load one of the handguns and put it in your glove box or closed in a center console.

Unless you already own property in S.C. then you could already have a CWP from here and could carry.
 
Tom in NY (soon to be Tom in the Carolinas), congratulations on your retirement! I left Suffolk County in 1968 when I went in the service. I've returned several times over the years to visit family. It's not like it was when I was growing up. To make it worse, you have to have 'permission' to do almost anything - like owning guns. You will enjoy your newly recovered freedoms immensely. Other than NY, I've lived most of my life in Maine, Colorado, and Oklahoma. I have a range behind my barn. I shot on it yesterday.
 
just keep in mind the gun carry laws are vastly different in N.C. and S.C.

N.C. is an open carry state... S.C. is not.

In N.C. if you don't have a permit the handgun in the front of the car must be exposed and open to view... in S.C. it must be enclosed (not locked) in either the glove box or a center console.

In N.C. to buy a handgun if you don't have a concealed carry permit you have to get a permit from the county sheriff regardless of whether it is a FFL sale or personal.

In S.C. you as a resident you can buy a gun from any other resident when and how ever you like... through a store it is the basic pay them money wait while they run the back ground call and walk out with the gun, or if you have a CWP then they don't even make the call.

Then say you have a permit from either state there is the most screwiest list of where you can carry and can't that any steaming pile of politicians could ever come up with.

Welcome to the South.... even though I don't really consider 'Whorry' county S.C. as part of the South or South Carolina.
 
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