Federal Law

Even transporting a firearm by vehicle through New York state can be risky if you do not have a New York firearms license. We rely on the federal Firearm Owners Protection Act (FOPA) to protect us on interstate travel. But there have been cases where the New York Police have arrested persons who had fully complied with the law, the police simply ignored the federal law. The New York State Police and the New York police Department do not recognize the FOPA and will arrest travelers passing through the state even if they have complied with the law. They will leave it up to the courts to sort out. This means you could end up in a jail cell for a few days waiting for the courts to release you.

So how can we avoid that? You could try taking a copy of the FOPA, (Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 44 926A) with you to show any officers if you were stopped. But in my opinion they would be to busy to read it or not even understand the law if they did read it, after all they are not lawyers. And if they have been instructed to ignore the FOPA then no amount of debate with them will help you.

State Law

New York law also states that if you are transporting a firearm across the state and are able to legally possess the firearm in the place you started from and in the place you are traveling too, then it is legal. As long as the firearm and ammo are in separate locked boxes and placed in the trunk. If you happen to stop at a motel overnight then you are in violation of the law and subject to arrest if found with a firearm. This law only applies to persons with a New York state pistol license and covers them travelling through other New York state counties.