Can't bring ammo into California

[E.Marquez]

I'm not sure the 30rnd is an improvement, at least for non military combat situations. Darn things are just too big and get in the way. 15 and 20 seem ideal, but that is just me, YMMV.

I agree with you, but only for shooting from a bench. I pretty much always use a 20 round mag for that. In any other situation, I'll take the extra 10 rounds, please.

A couple of years and a couple of deployments and a few hundred (thousand) times of using the Army's M4 in the use it was designed for, and not once did I think... "Gee, if only I had a 20 round mag right now, this would be easier, better, safer, more accurate"

[The Annoyed Man]

Mine are simply referred to by their names, The Colt, the Shorty, the Backpack Gun, and Frankengun. Anybody that knows me, knows exactly which one I'm referring to.

When entering California, would it be best to get a rental car at the border with native (California) plates to not attract attention to yourself? I bet the police almost know if you got TX plates, you have a gun. Just a thought, I have no plans to go there anytime soon.

I've been driving from Ft. Worth to California for years to visit my daughter who has lived all over the state. I've been to San Diego to Sacramento and have never been stopped by either CHP or city officers. Just because you have Texas plates is not a reason for a stop. Just obey traffic laws and you're fine.

I've carried, while in the vehicle, all over the state. However, while walking around San Francisco or Los Angeles: never! I did not wish to be a guest in their crossbar motel on a weapons charge.

How did you legally carry in California? Are you LEO? The last time I drove into California was when I was transferred to an Air Force Base there and we were stopped at the state line for a plant and who knows what inspection. I don't know what they do now. I had lived in Los Angeles in the 60's when going to college. My experience with law enforcement then was that they had their training given by The Gestapo.

I was a California resident most of my life, until I moved to Texas in 2006. I too have carried in a vehicle, AND out walking around too, and it is totally illegal either way, absent a carry permit. When I chose to break the law - eyes wide open - it was because I felt that I was going into a situation where I’d rather end up jailed by 12 than carried by 6 if something bad happened. If you carry in your vehicle there, and you do not have a CA issued permit, you ARE breaking the law.

Now, that said, I used to be friends with both a guy who was an LEO with the CA Justice Dept, in their equivalent of the federal DEA, and a guy who was a reserve officer with LAPD. I asked both of them, separately, what they would do if they pulled someone like me over, and found a pistol in the car. Both of them told me flat out that it would be no problem. Unless there was some other compelling reason, like if I was engaged in some kind of criminal activity (besides unlawful carry), that they would simply put the gun back where they found it, and let me go. Apparently, it isn’t that uncommon. The police - rightly or wrongly - often practice a little discernment when interacting with citizens......at least they do when you’re away from centers of silliness like the Bay Area for instance.

Back when I was working in our local ER in the early 1980s, I attended at least two parties thrown by members of the Pasadena PD whom I knew through my work, and I observed off-duty sworn officers smoking weed. I know it was weed, because they passed the joint to me before I took a toke and passed it back. They had some good s......uh.....stuff.

I’m not saying it wasn’t quite a bit hypocritical, but, it did show me that not all cops necessarily agree with the laws they have to enforce.

[SQLGeek]

I know more than a few CA cops that have told me the same thing. They had no interest in jamming up an otherwise law abiding citizen.

[kw5kw]

I've been driving from Ft. Worth to California for years to visit my daughter who has lived all over the state. I've been to San Diego to Sacramento and have never been stopped by either CHP or city officers. Just because you have Texas plates is not a reason for a stop. Just obey traffic laws and you're fine.

I've carried, while in the vehicle, all over the state. However, while walking around San Francisco or Los Angeles: never! I did not wish to be a guest in their crossbar motel on a weapons charge.

How did you legally carry in California? Are you LEO? The last time I drove into California was when I was transferred to an Air Force Base there and we were stopped at the state line for a plant and who knows what inspection. I don't know what they do now. I had lived in Los Angeles in the 60's when going to college. My experience with law enforcement then was that they had their training given by The Gestapo.

While I am retired from the Department I was not/am not a LEO , I was a sworn civilian employee.

I was a Communications Operator III. My job was to run the DL's and LP's that the troopers stopped on the highway. I saw everyone that all the troopers stopped and told the troopers if there was a warrant out on a subject or not. I advised troopers if there was a crash and who was to work it. In other words: "I told troopers where to go!" (And, I loved it!)

My uniform, to start off with was "Brownies" which looked just like a Trooper's Texas Tan uniform but brown in color. Brown, instead of blue tie, hat, coats and yes a badge. Then in early 2007 they did away with the badge and "uniform" and went to a "uniform polo shirt" with Texas Department of Public Safety / Highway Patrol patch on the left hand front of the shirt. It was issued in two colors to begin with but expanded to a few other colors during the years. When I retired I was a member of the CEOT team, deployed to hurricanes, border patrol and other duties such as the explosion in West and Deep Water Horizon.

I do have DPSOA (only troopers and communications can be members) jackets that I can still wear on occasion along with a couple of workout tee shirts that say "State Police Communications" on them.

And, I never said I carried legally in California. Their stupid laws forbad me just as it does anyone else (I have had a CHL/LTC since they first came out). Now, if I'd been a sworn trooper (LEO) then I could have carried legally.

I have had to stop at the border going into California, all they want to know if you have fruit (something about a fruit fly) and fire ants. Stupidest thing I've ever heard of, but it does give someone a job. <sigh>

One time, coming back from Los Vegas, everyone was being searched when going over Hoover Dam. This was just after Christmas at my daughter's house in Sacramto and we were in my Chevy Avalanche. US Border Patrol was stopping everyone and searching their vehicles and we were loaded down with Christmas presents, shotguns, pistols, and ammo. I thought: "Ok, here we go!" I could just see everything we had on the ground, dogs on leash, officers talking to my wife, my niece and me in different rooms. Well I was wearing one of my DPSOA jackets, the officer saw my jacket and just waved me on through. <sigh> I was really grateful that I had that jacket on at that time.

[dlsgap]

Last time I was in California I was a TX leo and carried without concern... This summer however I'll be traveling there as a civilian. Discussions with multiple Cali leos and researching the chp site say that travelers from out of state may have a handgun locked in a case in the trunk/cargo area (no glove box or center console) so long as it is unloaded with ammunition separate from the gun. Also, the state's limits on magazine capacity would apply. So I bought a couple 10 rounders for my drove through nm and az and I'll stop before crossing into Cali and lock it up.

[The Annoyed Man]

Today, which is the only measure that matters, 30 round magazines are the standard. Pretty much anything you can name had lower standards 40 - 50 years ago, if it existed at all.

20 rnd Mags were considered huge back then The M16 was garbage back in its early days but, I don't remember the magazines being much of an issue. , I'm not sure the 30rnd is an improvement, at least for non military combat situations. Darn things are just too big and get in the way. 15 and 20 seem ideal, but that is just me, YMMV.

What I haven’t seen mentioned in this thread yet, but I’ll place a bet is what actually happened, is that the rifle which the M16 replaced - the M14 - came with and used 20 round mags. Thus, 20 round mags for the original M16, which entered service in 1964. But I agree with Pawpaw, that the only standard that matters is today’s standard, and the 30 round magazine standard for the AR platform has been around for many decades now. From memory, they were originally issued to troops around 1969 with the M16A1......almost 50 years ago.... but initially, due to follower tilting, they weren’t always as reliable as the 20-rounders were. Consequently, it took a little while for the 30-rounders to get sorted out and fully integrated into service. But 30-round magazines have been standard issue since 1969.

[The Annoyed Man]

Last time I was in California I was a TX leo and carried without concern... This summer however I'll be traveling there as a civilian. Discussions with multiple Cali leos and researching the chp site say that travelers from out of state may have a handgun locked in a case in the trunk/cargo area (no glove box or center console) so long as it is unloaded with ammunition separate from the gun. Also, the state's limits on magazine capacity would apply. So I bought a couple 10 rounders for my drove through nm and az and I'll stop before crossing into Cali and lock it up.

I solve that by simply bringing along a gun that comes with magazines of 10 or fewer rounds capacity. That gives me a fairly broad selection:

- M&P45 full sized (10 +1 rounds)
-G26 (10 +1 rounds)
-Springfield 5” 1911 (8+1 rounds)
-G43 (6 +1 rounds)
-XDS45 (5+1 rounds)
-S&W J-frame .357 (5 rounds)

The first couple of times I made the drive to and from California after having my CHL, I brought along the M&P and a revolver. The last time I made the trip, I brought the G26. I considered also bringing along either my Mossberg 12 gauge shotty or my Marlin .30-30; but in the end I decided that traveling with a supplementary long gun was just too impractical and brought just a pistol. When I fly there (which I try to avoid doing as much as possible), I just don’t bring a gun because I simply don’t trust airline personnel in California to know what they’re doing when it comes to transporting a gun, and I don’t trust Californians generally who might observe me at an airport picking up luggage that has a gun in it.