Third state gun??

S

spamanon

New member
Here is the deal. I live in Idaho, and am going to Alaska. I want to take a bear gun, but don't have one. I can afford one no problem, but it is also probable that I could borrow my Dad's gun (S&W 629 .44 mag) for the trip. I would rather borrow his as I am not a big revolver guy.

He lives in WA state, so is there some kind of problem with me being in possession in a third state of a gun that is from neither my state nor the state of the owner?


P.S., Oh how I long for the days of freedom when I wouldn't have had to even think about such B.S.
 
1. How are you getting it through Canada to Alaska? That is the problem...

2. You are OK via Federal law and ID, WA and AK laws. Federal law has a specific exception for the loan of firearms:

18 USC 922 (a)(5):

(a) It shall be unlawful—

(5) for any person (other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector) to transfer, sell, trade, give, transport, or deliver any firearm to any person (other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector) who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe does not reside in (or if the person is a corporation or other business entity, does not maintain a place of business in) the State in which the transferor resides; except that this paragraph shall not apply to

(A) the transfer, transportation, or delivery of a firearm made to carry out a bequest of a firearm to, or an acquisition by intestate succession of a firearm by, a person who is permitted to acquire or possess a firearm under the laws of the State of his residence, and

(B) the loan or rental of a firearm to any person for temporary use for lawful sporting purposes;
 
Yes scorpion, I know how it goes. I am not going to carry a rifle around with me up there on the hiking trails, so a handgun is better than nothing. Not ideal, better than nothing.
 
.44 Mag is pretty stout, but I think I would prefer a .454 Casull or .500 myself. Where in AK will you be traveling? Most of Southeast AK is populated by blackbear and they will go running LONG before you even know they were there. One major exception to SE AK is Admiralty Island, which has a significant Brown bear population. They tend to be a little more confident and actual interactions are higher with Brownies.

Mainland has Brownies and Grizzly, yeah, they're mean, but nothing compared to Polar. Those guys are way ill tempered.

Enjoy the heck out of your trip. It's simply amazing up there. And I may see ya up there, depending on when/where ya go. I'll be in SE AK from June thru Sept. :D

BTW, just a side note; If you plan to have a handgun up there, you will have to bring it with you one way or another. The state of Alaska will not sell a handgun to any person not holding residency status in Alaska.
 
Thanks qcpunk.

This isn't my first trip up to AK. I worked there during 4 summers about 18 years ago in the canneries. This time, I have money before I go;). I will be around Anchorage/Kenai area and maybe out to Chugach.

As for the gun, I am not really into a wrist breaking .454 at this point in my life. I think a .44 with stout loads will be more than enough.
 
Spam, I totally understand. Down in SE, I haven't yet felt the need to carry, even when we go ashore (always in very remote places, accessible only by boat). Mostly becuase all we encounter is black bear; not too big of a deal. But I definately agree about not looking forward to ever shooting a .454, its a royal pain in the wrist for sure.

How is the Bear population in that area? Southeast is rather "blotchy" but definately more bear than people.

I sure wish I could spend some time up on the mainland. The northern most area we go to is around Jeneau.

Side note; If you dont mind me asking, are you working on the pipeline or another line of work?
 
I think your plan is a good one.

I agree that if I knew a 1200 lb grizzly was going to attack me I would want something else... but then I would also choose to be someplace else.

personally, even though it is not politically correct to say out in public, we all know that your real concern is not the bears but the totally bi-pod hairy mammals that might come out of the brush.
 
Two things...

1. Be sure you are incompliance with federal and state laws between your state and your father's. Meaning that you may have to transfer via FFL's from him to you and back again.

2. Carry a can of bear spray in addition to the .44 Mag. Trust me, it will be more effective than your .44. I have used bear spray a few times to thwart angry/moody bears and none have continued their attack after being sprayed. It is a cheap (around $35-$40 a can) insurance policy. Also keep in mind that if you are attacked and you shoot the bear, wounding it, and it runs off; you are legally required to track down the bear and kill it in addition to making the proper notification to Alaska State Troopers.

Have a good time and enjoy this great state, but be very cautious and think through whatever plan you will follow.
 
Thanks for the advice, jgcoastie. I am a bear spray carrier around here (Idaho has a good population of grizzlies and of course black bears), so I definitely plan to carry it up there too.
 
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