Can I Ship Firearms in a Car?
We could just answer the question with a simple and resolute “no” but that would only be half of what we want to say. Firearms and guns are a tricky subject, especially in the United States. They charge local and national politics alike and are a touchy subject to speak about.
We’re not going to get into the more controversial aspects of guns (at least, we’re going to try not to), but we also have to explain why you can’t ship firearms in a car. So we’re going to try to do that in this blog post.
Article Overview
So I can’t ship firearms in a car?
No. You really, honestly, truly cannot. Guns and other types of firearms are volatile regardless of whether or not they’re loaded or the safety is on. Shipping one in a car that is being transported may not be inherently dangerous if you know a bit about gun safety, but it’s not about safety as much as it is about legality.
It’s legal to transport a gun in your own vehicle, provided that it is locked and secured and out of reach of the driver or passenger. Safety reasons and all that. That includes if you’re traveling across state lines in a motor vehicle. But an auto transport driver is not driving a personal vehicle.
Drivers can get in trouble in certain jurisdictions if they are found to have firearms in the vehicles they are shipping. A host of questions is raised – are the guns property of their customers? Do they have proper licenses?
Smuggling firearms across state lines is a problem, and motor vehicle carriers are rife for exploitation in that regard. What if those guns are not locked or secured properly? Who gets in trouble, who is liable?
A carrier would be expected to be exempt, but they inspected and loaded the vehicle beforehand. To avoid all these complications (and many more), shippers just put a moratorium on shipping firearms in cars they transport.
Can I ship ammo in a car?
This is less clear, but we’re going to say no to this as well. As we all know, a gun is only as dangerous as the ammunition it has loaded in it. However, ammunition is relatively volatile, and with the amount of traveling that carriers do on a day-to-day basis, the less volatile stuff they have, the better.
This also falls under the auspices of “household goods.” Auto shippers are not licensed to carry household goods in any capacity. Though many of them will be okay with some clothes in the trunk of the vehicle, or maybe some lightweight boxes in the cab under the windows. Weapons and ammunition, however, are a different story entirely.
These are items that can cause serious damage to not just your vehicle, but others as well, not to mention the truck itself. Most carriers just don’t want that kind of risk when they ship a car. They take enough risks every day as-is, driving coast-to-coast, moving other peoples’ cars around.
So no, you cannot ship ammo in a car, any more than you can ship firearms in a car.
Can I get quotes to ship a car?
If you’ve come to terms with being unable to ship firearms in a car, you can get a free quote to ship your vehicle from us any time. All you need to do is fill out our free quote request form here on our website. It will only take a minute or two and will get you a free, no-hassle quote right away.
We work with only top-rated, licensed and insured carriers as well, so you’re in good hands from booking to delivery. You can also contact us any time at 800-930-7417 for a free quote, or if you have questions or are ready to place a reservation to ship.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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