Help Help Help Shipping Pistol

[Austin Cowart]

Ok folks help me here im having a hell of a time and i have done a search and it hasnt helped me. Alright my FFL does not ship and I am not paying 75 dollars to the gun store.... screw that... My FFL told me that i can Go threw the USPS but i have to bring the package in opened not the case the gun is in but the package declare that im shipping a firearm ship it over night to an FFL with a copy of the front and back of my drivers license and address in the box. Ok I call USPS and I expect the answer of no you cant do this, and thats what i get. So i call UPS and i get 3 different answers One is yes one is no and one is UPS DOES NOT SHIP FIREARMS! I laughed in their ear at that one and told them they were full of crap. but my Question is this. In reguards to The USPS can anyone tell me how i can convince them when i walk in with a gun and say I have legal right to ship this? Im not going to do anything illegal or underhanded so if you dont know the answer dont say just package it and mail it no one will know! I need a serious answer here becasue im not willing to get hauled to jail.

Cheers
Austin

 

[DPris]

You can't mail a handgun (assuming you mean post office by USPS & NOT UPS) without using an FFL. With an FFL, you fill out a form at the PO. Without an FFL, aside from a military or police exception, you do not mail a handgun. An antique or replica that does not use fixed ammunition (cartridges) is another exception.

You can ship via UPS without a license at your end. Simple to do if sending to a maker or repair facility (including custom gunsmith), can get a little more complicated if not.
UPS most certainly does ship firearms, but corporate policy requires it be shopped from a UPS hub & not one of the UPS store outlets (although some don't know that & may accept a package).
Denis

 

[Austin Cowart]

denis

Thank you so much. thats exactly what I thought. It didnt make any since to me that you cannot bring a handgun onto gov. property but you can bring it in to mail. And yes I just got that Info from UPS's website. I honestly wonder how many people have listened to the old man owner of my range. poor them.

Cheers
Austin

 

[ranburr]

A private citizen can mail a rifle or shotgun, as stated above, pistols can only be mailed by an FFL. You can ship a handgun via Fed Ex, UPS, etc. You can ship it to any FFL holder in any state. You can ship it to a private individual in your home state.

 

[Austin Cowart]

thanks

Again Thanks guys.

 

[Hallucinator]

When I went into UPS to ship a pistol I was advised to write "sports equipment" on the request. That was the local solution. I don't know about other UPS stores.

 

[mes228]

Shipping

I think most everyone replying above is wrong. The requirment to ship a handgun
is that it MUST BE SHIPPED OVERNIGHT AND A FFL HOLDER MUST RECEIVE IT.
You can easily and cheaply do this through your local post office. I've never had a problem with just my regular post office. I've had problems with everyone else.
I wouldn't dream of shipping any gun, long or short, through anyone but the US Postal System. Go to the ATF website and read the frequently asked questions.
I know the above was right a very short time ago.

 

[Lurch37]

Member ranburr is correct.

A non FFL may ship a rifle or shotgun to a FFL holder and use the Post Office.

A non FFL may ship a handgun to a FFL holder by means of a carrier such as UPS or FedEx.

A non FFL may ship to a non FFL in his own state, (at least here in NE he can). And if you can convince the carrier its legal.

In all cases, (except in your own state), you must be shipping to a FFL holder.

You must state that your shipping a firearm upon your first exchange with the counter person.

Take the copy of the FFL whom your shipping to along with you, they have the right to look at it.

Be advised that by shipping a handgun through either FedEx or UPS requires you to ship Priority Overnight, (FedEx), and this is where they honk you $50 or more. Anytime I have shipped a handgun myself and including insurance, it's around that 50 dollar area, but it gets there in a hurry too.

If in doubt, Gunbroker has an excellent area for sellers and buyers on the legalities of shipping.

 

[JWT]

Here's the information on shipping via UPS (from their site):

Shipping Firearms

Special Procedures for Shipping Firearms

Use These UPS Services for Your Firearm Shipment
Firearms will be transported only between licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, and licensed collectors, as defined in the United States Gun Control Act of 1968, law enforcement agencies of the United States or of any department or agency thereof and law enforcement agencies of any state or department agency, or political subdivision thereof, and between persons not otherwise prohibited from shipping firearms by federal, state or local law and when such shipment complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws.

You must ship your packages that contain handguns with UPS Next Day Air® Early A.M.®, UPS Next Day Air®, or UPS Next Day Air Saver® services
Your packages that contain firearms will not be accepted for shipment at UPS Drop Boxes, with UPS Express CriticalSM service, at locations of The UPS Store® or any third-party retailer, or with international services.

Follow These Packing Requirements
Your packages that contain handguns must be separated from other packages being delivered to UPS
Ammunition cannot be included in your packages that contain firearms (including handguns)

About Documentation and Labeling
When you are shipping your package that contains a firearm with UPS, you must affix a UPS label requesting an adult signature upon delivery

Getting Your Firearm Shipment to UPS
You can only ship your package that contains a firearm from UPS daily pickup accounts and through UPS Customer Centers
When you are shipping a package that contains a handgun, you must verbally notify the UPS driver or UPS Customer Center clerk
You can use UPS daily pickup accounts to ship firearms, not including handguns, through UPS Internet Shipping, UPS On-Call PickupSM, and One-Time Pickup
Your packages that contain firearms will not be accepted for shipment at UPS Drop Boxes, with UPS Express CriticalSM service, at locations of The UPS Store or any third-party retailer, or with international services
See the terms and conditions in the UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service for shipping firearms

 

[ranburr]

I think most everyone replying above is wrong. The requirment to ship a handgun
is that it MUST BE SHIPPED OVERNIGHT AND A FFL HOLDER MUST RECEIVE IT.
You can easily and cheaply do this through your local post office. I've never had a problem with just my regular post office. I've had problems with everyone else.
I wouldn't dream of shipping any gun, long or short, through anyone but the US Postal System. Go to the ATF website and read the frequently asked questions.
I know the above was right a very short time ago.

This is good advice if you want to wind up in a lot of trouble. Take your own advice and look at the ATF website.

 

[DPris]

You CANNOT legally mail a handgun through the post office unless you are doing it in conjunction with an FFL at YOUR end.
Longguns are perfectly legal to mail.
The PO has no restrictions on how you must mail a longgun, it does not have to be overnight. UPS & Fedex have such requirements.
Denis

 

[JWT]

I shipped a handgun via UPS with no problem when I took it to the local (Tucson) UPS Customer Service center. It was shipped to a FFL (manufacture) via UPS air overnight. Not inexpensive ($50+ to go to NH) but the clerk at UPS knew exactly what was required and there was no hassle at all to send it.

 

[Hornett]

I shipped my LTC back to Para Ord to have a problem fixed.
Here is what I found out from my experience.

The UPS and Fed EX phone personnel are really ignorant.
They have canned answers and I have had them just flatly tell me things that I knew were patently not true.
OTOH The counter personnel are great.
They know exactly what to do.
Besides, they are the ones you have to make happy anyway.

Do not seal your pistol before you bring it in.
They may ask you to show it to them to make sure there is no ammo in the same package. They also may want to be sure it is not loaded.

You almost assuredly will have to ship it overnight.
Overnight shipping is not a Federal regualtion, it is UPS and Fed Ex policy to reduce theft of handguns being shipped. Overnight shipped packages are very closely scrutinized in the shipping process.

USPS just would not even entertain the idea.
They will, however ship handguns from an FFL to an FFL.
I have found a local gun store that will not rob me if I ever need to ship a gun again.
$15 for the FFL transfer, and $10 to $15 for the shipping.

If you have a part (like a slide or frame), and counter agent is a decent human being, they can be talked into shipping ground or 2nd day air.

 

[JDG]

Just shipped a handgun to Texas. Priority flatrate box, 8.95 + 4.50 insurance+ .85 tracking. Must be a FFL shipping to another FFL or back to a firearm company. Your gunshop is just lazy

 

[Lurch37]

Just shipped a handgun to Texas. Priority flatrate box, 8.95 + 4.50 insurance+ .85 tracking. Must be a FFL shipping to another FFL or back to a firearm company. Your gunshop is just lazy

Don't forget that for a non FFL to use his/her FFL dealer to ship a handgun, (or any firearm), there is normally a transfer fee charged to run it through the books. For me it's the roughly $15.00 or so for shipping but also a $25.00 transfer fee for a total of $40.00.

 

[MisterPX]

You must NOTIFY the common carrier (UPS, FedEx, etc) that you're shipping a pistol. What shipping choice they use is up to the desk cleck, although corporate says overnight. If the clerk says ground for $9 is OK, then that's on the carrier, not you.