Quoted:
Quoted: Isn't it illegal to buy private party across state lines?
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I don't think so. This is how you can buy it.
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And, this is how you can bring it back.
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My unqualified interpretation is that if it's legal for you to buy here, you can buy it there.
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That's not how I read that at all, unfortunately. IANAL, but here's my take on the laws you posted.
178.29 says nobody can get a gun from out-of-state unless:
(a) it's part of an inheritance ("bequest or intestate transfer") or
(b) it's a rifle or shotgun bought from an FFL or
(c) it's a temporary loan for "lawful sporting purposes" (this is what 178.97 talks about - loaning or renting a firearm from an FFL).
178.29a is talking about non-resident foreigners ("who does not reside in any State")
Section 178.38 sounds like the "peaceable journey" part that was added by FOPA '86, which basically says that as long as the gun is unloaded and locked up, and you're/it's legal where you start and where you end up, you can transport it regardless of any local laws along the way. The idea being that if you have to drive through Chicago, you're legal as long as it's locked up and unloaded. YMMV in real life.
I agree that no one would ever know if you bought from a private party, unless the person you bought from happened to be an undercover LEO looking to sting out-of-state buyers. I'd just hate to see someone get in a jam because they misunderstood the law.