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I lived in San Diego when I was in the Navy back in the mid 90's. I'm not going by choice, my sister lives in San Diego and is getting married, so my presence is required.

I'll be driving and taking the family with me, wife + kids. My route takes me through NM and AZ and I've researched the laws there and I know I'm good. I also know my CHL is no good in Kali, so what are my requirements once I get to the state line?

I'd rather not subject myself or my fam to the spectacle of me getting arrested for being ignorant of Kali gun laws.

Here's what I think I know so far:
1. While traveling, gun must be unloaded and locked in container/safe, (1) mag can be in same locked container
2. Mags have to be 10 rounds or less
3. I've been told that even mentioning you have a gun in the car will get you a ride to the local PD and your gun confiscated. I've also been told that you are not required to answer honestly to a Kali state/local LEO, so if you are pulled over and the question about being armed comes up, you LIE and say no.
4. Must transport gun to hotel room right after arrival (can't be driving around town with it, even unloaded and locked up)

Any advice on this, especially from any recent Kali transplants, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

Ugh. I went up there to visit family in LA and also some friends in San Diego. Here is what I did::

I went the same route you did. I-10 to the 8, all the way into San Diego. I carried legally all the way to the Cali border. In New Mexico I took my back up rig off (ankle rig) and put it in luggage because apparently you can only carry 1 gun in NM.

Just before the Cali border I stopped at a convenience store to disarm. You must have a lockable container, aside from your trunk or whatever. I used a handgun box that fit both of my handguns.

1. Unload and clear handgun.
2. Lock unloaded handgun BY ITSELF (no mags, ammo, etc) into the case. Ensure that this case is locked, that is mandatory.
3. Place the container with your handgun into your trunk or whatever, out of sight, and in a place that is obviously difficult
to get to. I actually put mine into a suitcase in my trunk, and locked the suitcase.
4. For the magazines, I put them in a small bag similar to a shave kit, and locked the zippers together. The magazines were
UNLOADED. The magazines went into another suitcase.
5. I locked up my ammunition in another suitcase, again.. LOCKED.


I read the laws over and over, and from my own experiences with the State of Caifornia, I didn't want to even come close to being "illegal" Thats why I locked everything up seperately. I know for certain that the gun and magazines must be in separate containers and that the magazines must be UNLOADED. This can not be stressed enough.

We stayed with family, so I'm not sure what to say about the hotel rooms. I would assume that you need to carry your gun/mags/ammo into the hotel room, lock them up in a safe, and leave them there for the duration of your trip.

Hope this helps.

One more thing--Invest in some pepper spray before you head to Cali. Mine turned out to be invaluabe. Read the state laws before you buy the pepper spray, they have some specifics.... but it beats having nothing but a pocket knife.

I double checked with the California AG's office by phone before my last trip—about the same time as snatchel's—and I was told "gun locked in a case, magazines in the same case are fine, but they cannot be in the gun. Mags must be out of the gun, no round chambered. There are documented cases of local LEOs in California busting lawful gun owners for having their charged magazines in the same case as the gun, but that is in violation of the law. According to the law, charged mags can be in the same case as the gun, but not IN the gun, and the case must be locked and stored out of the driver's reach......which means that the back of an SUV (which don't have trunks) is just fine.

However, make sure that none of your magazines are more than 10 round capacity. Those will earn you an extended stay with three hots and cot, courtesy of the state.

Make sure the case you put your firearm in CANNOT be opened with a lock on it (i.e. Soft case locked at the zippers - the zippers can be seperated enough while locked to "gain" access to your firearm) LEO might hassle you if it's locked in a soft case even if you can barely put your finger thru. I would go w a hard case just to be on the safe side.

Be safe and enjoy the weather.

Oh also, as mentioned above - 10 round capacity magazines. I know this might seem obvious and I'm not questioning your intelligence, but ensure the mags you bring over can ONLY fit 10 rounds max. Don't just load your mag w 10 and call it good, if it can fit 11 or more you're done if you get caught. Again, I'm not questioning your intelligence - I just don't want you to get in trouble.

All,

Thanks for the replies.

I hate having to dump $35 a pop just to drop to 10 round mags, but definitely better to be safe than sorry.

I checked calguns as well and it seems that its OK to have a loaded mag locked up with your pistol, provided the mag is not inserted in the magwell and no round is chambered. That being said, its still 50-50 your gun gets taken and you get a ride down to the local PD.

I am actually considering buying a cheaper firearm to take with me, just in case something happens and it gets confiscated.

I need to stop watching Southland, its making me paranoid.

Mark

comp73 wrote:I need to stop watching Southland, its making me paranoid.

SRAP (Standard Reply About Paranoia — "It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you", or your guns in this case.)

comp73 wrote:All,

Thanks for the replies.

I hate having to dump $35 a pop just to drop to 10 round mags, but definitely better to be safe than sorry.

I checked calguns as well and it seems that its OK to have a loaded mag locked up with your pistol, provided the mag is not inserted in the magwell and no round is chambered. That being said, its still 50-50 your gun gets taken and you get a ride down to the local PD.

I am actually considering buying a cheaper firearm to take with me, just in case something happens and it gets confiscated.

I need to stop watching Southland, its making me paranoid.

Mark

That is the reason I bought along a CW45 and brought it along with me the last time I went. All of that said, there is such a thing as too much paranoia......which cops can sense. Just follow the laws, don't draw attention to yourself by the way you drive, and you'll be fine. Yes, some California cops can sometimes be a pain in the nether regions, but the truth is that most of them are actually pro-2nd Amendment (a lot of them post at Calguns.net) and they are not likely to handle you poorly just because you are lawfully transporting a gun. If you have the appearance of a person who does not merit their special attention, and you're not speeding, tailgating, driving erratically, etc., then they won't even notice you. If you have lots of body piercings, prison tats, smell bad, have an attitude, and drive like Atilla the Hun, then they will pay you special attention. So the truth is, despite California's propensity to elect commies, the results of your experience depend largely on you.

What handgun are you going to carry? I--or possibly someone else may be able to loan a 10 round magazine out to you.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

comp73 wrote:All,

Thanks for the replies.

I hate having to dump $35 a pop just to drop to 10 round mags, but definitely better to be safe than sorry.

I checked calguns as well and it seems that its OK to have a loaded mag locked up with your pistol, provided the mag is not inserted in the magwell and no round is chambered. That being said, its still 50-50 your gun gets taken and you get a ride down to the local PD.

I am actually considering buying a cheaper firearm to take with me, just in case something happens and it gets confiscated.

I need to stop watching Southland, its making me paranoid.

Mark

That is the reason I bought along a CW45 and brought it along with me the last time I went. All of that said, there is such a thing as too much paranoia......which cops can sense. Just follow the laws, don't draw attention to yourself by the way you drive, and you'll be fine. Yes, some California cops can sometimes be a pain in the nether regions, but the truth is that most of them are actually pro-2nd Amendment (a lot of them post at Calguns.net) and they are not likely to handle you poorly just because you are lawfully transporting a gun. If you have the appearance of a person who does not merit their special attention, and you're not speeding, tailgating, driving erratically, etc., then they won't even notice you. If you have lots of body piercings, prison tats, smell bad, have an attitude, and drive like Atilla the Hun, then they will pay you special attention. So the truth is, despite California's propensity to elect commies, the results of your experience depend largely on you.

If you are Atilla the Hun, Conquer all of Kalifornia. Clear out their government. Clear out anyone there who is on the Liberal Registry. Punch every bank there in the face unil they agree to do something about the housing industry. Clear out the gangs. Once your done, I'll finally consider moving back to Cali at my wife's constant begging.....

snatchel wrote: What handgun are you going to carry? I--or possibly someone else may be able to loan a 10 round magazine out to you.

My EDC is a HK USPc in .40, pretty much identical to my profile pic. My previous EDC was a Kahr K9 with NS. The Kahr would be ideal for this trip, however, my wife has grown very fond of this gun. Since I have reservations for bringing the HK, she has reservations for me bringing the Kahr. I guess I'll just have to go and expand the inventory, darn the luck

The Annoyed Man wrote: That is the reason I bought along a CW45 and brought it along with me the last time I went. All of that said, there is such a thing as too much paranoia......which cops can sense. Just follow the laws, don't draw attention to yourself by the way you drive, and you'll be fine. Yes, some California cops can sometimes be a pain in the nether regions, but the truth is that most of them are actually pro-2nd Amendment (a lot of them post at Calguns.net) and they are not likely to handle you poorly just because you are lawfully transporting a gun. If you have the appearance of a person who does not merit their special attention, and you're not speeding, tailgating, driving erratically, etc., then they won't even notice you. If you have lots of body piercings, prison tats, smell bad, have an attitude, and drive like Atilla the Hun, then they will pay you special attention. So the truth is, despite California's propensity to elect commies, the results of your experience depend largely on you.

No tats or weird body piercings and I'm pretty level headed and rational for the most part. I really doubt I will do anything to cause any special attention to be focused on me, especially with the family in tow. How do you like that CW45? I've been thinking about geting a P9, but I might be pushing it a bit spending that much. The CW9 might be a good alternative.

snatchel wrote: If you are Atilla the Hun, Conquer all of Kalifornia. Clear out their government. Clear out anyone there who is on the Liberal Registry. Punch every bank there in the face unil they agree to do something about the housing industry. Clear out the gangs. Once your done, I'll finally consider moving back to Cali at my wife's constant begging.....

Since I have the fam with me, I'll just be going for observation this time.

Another option you may consider is bringing your EDC with you along with your newly purchased firearm (if you decide to get one) and before your cross over to Kali stop and unload and disassemble your mags (11+ rounders). It's not illegal to have disassembled "hi cap" mags for they are deemed "parts". This way, until you reach Kali, you have a weapon system you are familiar with in case you need to use it. Just a thought.

comp73 wrote:No tats or weird body piercings and I'm pretty level headed and rational for the most part. I really doubt I will do anything to cause any special attention to be focused on me, especially with the family in tow. How do you like that CW45? I've been thinking about geting a P9, but I might be pushing it a bit spending that much. The CW9 might be a good alternative.

I used to own a USPc .40, and as I recall it has 12 round mags, no? Do NOT push your luck on that one.

I like the CW45 just fine. My wife's EDC is a CW9, and she likes hers a lot. I do not like shooting the CW45 as much as I like shooting my 3" Kimber, simply because it is impossible to beat a sweet shooting 1911. BUT, I prefer on most days to carry the Kahr. It is lighter by 5 or 6 oz and smaller, even though the slide is slightly wider than the 1911's, and it seems to just ride better in its holster. Plus I like the revolver-like simplicity of it. There is no question that it is not as nice of a gun as the Kimber, but it also only cost me $399.00—considerably less than half of the cost of the Kimber. It's kind of a throw down gun in that way. If it gets taken from me by cops, I would hate that, but I could absorb the hit.

All,

Thanks for the advice and opinions. I have a few months before the trip so I am going to sit on it for a while. I have other things on my shopping list, like a new upper , that take priority especially considering the k9 we have is ready to go in all aspects.