Originally Posted by
TSORon
And the moral of the story is… A responsible gun owner always takes the time to check the laws of the state they are traveling to and from. “I didn’t know” has never been a very good excuse, not when faced by a LEO.
AFAIK “I didn’t know” is a very good excuse if one is leaving from a different state than the departure airport. Let's take the situation where one starts a trip in VT, stores the firearm as spec'd in Federal law, drives directly to JFK (crazy, but pretend), properly declares the firearm, and then flies to and stays in TX. If I understand the law correctly, the only state gun laws that apply are VT and TX.
Not that this has stopped NYPD (or PAPD) from arresting people in compliance with the law. I wonder if those officers were arrested or fired, or if “I didn’t know [the law]” protected the law enforcement officers from their illegal actions.
If "I didn’t know [the law]" doesn't protect ordinary people, it certainly should not protect those employed to enforce the law.
(I don't own a firearm, so I don't have personal experience.)