Selling my gun. Is this legal?

P

Paul K

New member
Brothers and Sisters of the Revolution,

I think what I am doing is legal, but I just want to double check with some of you. I am selling my Barrett M82 .50 cal. I live in MI, and this guy that made me the offer lives in Illinois (RIGHT away when he said that a red flag went up in my head). He lives in the south of Illinois- west of Springfield, so no Chicago. Really nice guy.

So, instead of shipping this gun, I figure why not drive it down? A very, very, good friend of mine lives a few hours away- I can make a trip out of it. Plus, there is a lot of money at stake here.

The plan is to drive it down and meet at the FFL dealer to do the transfer. Here is the question- Is it OK to drive in the state of Illinois with a 50 caliber semi-automatic sniper rifle in the back of the car or is this a bad idea? I know Illinois has terrible gun laws and I don’t want to get caught up in that jive turkey.
 
You can transport your gun to another state...yes... but.. I wouldnt tell them if you get stopped that your taking it to someone to sell it... Just tell them its my gun...and im driving..Then you can transfer it with someone who holds a valid FFL yes.
 
What you describe isn't against FEDERAL law. I have no idea what Illinois law regarding 50 cal rifles might be, but I suggest you call the IL FFL and see if he is willing to do the transfer before you travel.
 
Natman's got a great point.

Illinois has some of the country's most restrictive firearms regulations in the eastern US. I would definitely recommend avoiding Cook County at all costs. Indiana is gun friendly :D.

This link addresses the issue of non-residents transporting guns. (scroll down)
http://www.isp.state.il.us/foid/firearmsfaq.cfm

I can't find any data on Caliber restrictions. A call to the Illinois State Police would answer that.
 
i cant see why it would be illegal, but as stated, if you get pulled over for any reason, i wouldnt mention going to sell it. i would guess your friend has some land, and you are going to enjoy it.
 
Doesn't IL require a FOID? And you aren't a resident. Fed law protects you transporting thru the state, providing your guns are legal where you are going, and you don't make un-necessary stops. IL law may not.

This is tricksy, because I am not familiar with IL laws. You need to talk to someone who is. The FFL doing the transfer should be able to tell you what you can, and cannot do, under IL law.

Good Luck.
 
From what it looks like, I can possess this rifle without an FOID because I am not a resident of IL. I may even just go though Indiana just to be safe...
 
Transport is legal. Make sure the firearm is unloaded, cased, and placed in a part of the vehicle where you can't reach it while driving.

I've driven a gun to a FFL in IL for transfer before. Perfectly legal. And to my knowledge, .50 cal is legal in IL.
 
Techno is correct. I will quote: "Non-residents must be legally eligible to possess or acquire firearms and ammunition in their state of residence. It is recommended that in order to be in compliance with all statutes, non-residents transport all firearms: 1. Unloaded, and 2. Enclosed in a case, and 3. Not immediately accessible or broken down in a nonfunctioning state."
 
I would research this but for some reason it sticks out in my mind that maybe .50 cal weapons are banned in Illinois. I am going to do some digging myself but you may wish to check into it yourself. I am be thinking of a Chicago or cook county only law.
 
As it is right now you can own a .50 cal but, they are still trying to ban it and owning ammo for one as well. It's been going on for years so until they pass it your good to go!
 
You can legally ship (UPS) all of the gun to the FFL dealer in Illinois. Let UPS deal with it. You don't even need to take the trip. I'd get insurance in case of loss.
 
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