Shipping firearms to FFL out of state

[Keyless]

With all the recent sales and prices , I decided to sell several firearms and not wanting to price them too high or give them away I decided to put them on Gun Broker . I read up some and from what I read an individual can sell and ship a rifle or shotgun .

 

 Now the fun begins . the Post Office wants a signed FFL before an individual can ship a rifle or shotgun. Pistols MUST go from an FFL to another FFL if using the post office.  ,I guess so they know it is going to an FFL. They must see the FFL copy so they know I am shipping it to the FFL and not another individual.  I can go along with that .

 

  Next thing is so far 2 FFL holders said they will not send a signed copy to an individual and only to another FFL  . Several others requested only a photo copy of my driver license and then mailed the copy of the FFL .

 

 I am trying to follow all laws but no 2 people seem to agree on what the law is . I had to inform the Post Office that they could ship from an individual and tell them where to find it on there website. My local Postoffice had showed me what I needed but he is out and the sub didn't know and I didn't want it messed up so I called another one. They told me only an FFL could ship .

 

 If there is this much confusion now , I can only imagine what it will be like if they try and fix it.

[RED333]

Have "your" FFL ship it to "the buyers" FFL.

I went through this a few weeks back, me as the buyer, my FFL would not accecpt

a firearm from no one but a FFL.

Ya it is a bit of monet, but if you make it known up front, not a big deal.

[DaveTN]

I quit selling stuff that I have to ship after I had to drive a shotgun to Chattanooga on a private sale. It doesn’t matter what the law is, it only matters what the guy at the counter will do.  The Post Office isn’t going to ship a handgun for you period, its against the law,  and for UPS it depends on your counter person, I’ve never tried FedEx.

 

I figure if I can’t sell them locally; my price is too high.

Edited February 1, 2013 by DaveTN

[56FordGuy]

FFL's can receive firearms from individuals. However, some choose not to and only do transfers from other FFL holders. 

[Hozzie]

By law, you do not have to provide a copy of an ffl to the post office. You have every right to ship a long gun via USPS. With that said, I always ship mine via UPS. I just package them up (with no visible info it is a firearm as per law) and take it to the ups center closest to me (not the UPS store as they won't ship them), put the info in the computer and send it. I have had them ask if I have a copy of the ffl, but it isn't required. Don't let them bully you. The law is the law. They must follow it along with you.

Handguns must go FedEx overnight from an individual to an ffl.

[DaveTN]

Don't let them bully you. The law is the law. They must follow it along with you.

No, they don’t have to. The local UPS “Security Officer” told me I couldn’t ship a gun unless it was to an FFL and then only if it was for repair. The guy was an idiot. I called UPS corporate and they told me he was wrong, but because a firearm was involved they would not overrule his decision. I was so mad I couldn’t see straight, but there was absolutely nothing I could do.

[Hozzie]

Agreed there is always one guy who has to show his "power".  I would have probably went back with a lawyer friend to explain I wasn't breaking the law.  Not in a threatening way, but maybe he would have a different attitude with the next guy that walks in.  I hate people that think they are the law and can make up their own rules.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Hozzie

[Keyless]

This is what I mean. If you go read from the UPS or USPS you get one thing and the counter help tells you another . Pistols MUST go from FFL to FFL by USPS that I know. Others that will ship ( UPS and I think Fed Ex ) must be Overnight  Priority . Only for repair is what I was also told at UPS . It is cheaper to pay the FFL than Overnight it.

 

I am trying to ship rifles and only to FFL's . I have a FFL going to handle the pistols and looks like one rifle because the buyers FFL refuses to send me a copy. He sends me to an ATF website where you can confirm he has a FFL but it says plain as day in 2 places that this can not be substituted for a signed copy.

 

Maybe tomorrow will be better .

[Slpeod]

I don't use USPS for firearms, I usually only use FedEx - no FFL required. Also on gun broker generally when it's an individual sale you usually see the caveat "make sure your FFL will receive from an individual" otherwise it becomes more of a hassle and cost more to go through your local FFL to the buyers.

[Oh Shoot]

As bad as all that is, the real nightmare is shipping intrastate individual to individual.

 

USPS allows this by terms on long guns, FedEx TOS doesn't allow it for any gun, UPS TOS allows it for long guns and handguns, but handguns by TOS must go overnight no matter where you ship. And though UPS "allows" that, best of luck depending on clerk, or phase of the moon, or maybe how you hold your mouth, or something.

 

Fortunately, the few long guns or handguns I've had to send in the last 6 years or so have always gone to  FFL for repair, so I've just printed my own paid UPS label and dropped at UPS Store. No prob if you have an account to do your own label, drop and go.

 

I'm not breaking federal law, which only requires notification for shipment to non-licensee, but admit that is against UPS TOS which requires notification also. Oh well, can't go to Leavenworth for that.

 

Oh, and I have sent a rifle the same way through USPS, print paid label, package all ready to go, drop it on counter and split. As USPS does NOT require notification and if going to an FFL, neither does federal law.

 

- OS

Edited February 1, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Keyless]

It is no wonder people want to do private sales at a gun show and forum ads . Then they demonize it and call it " the gun show loophole " .  There is no loophole it is a private sale . I am currently looking at what else I plan on selling and thinking I may go a different route . My postmaster had printed out the section with the info , so I guess I will try and send some to there new FFL home tomorrow .

 

 I am not sure I would do this again.

[Oh Shoot]

It is no wonder people want to do private sales at a gun show and forum ads . Then they demonize it and call it " the gun show loophole " .  There is no loophole it is a private sale . I am currently looking at what else I plan on selling and thinking I may go a different route . My postmaster had printed out the section with the info , so I guess I will try and send some to there new FFL home tomorrow .

 

 I am not sure I would do this again.

 

If he's making you do any kind of form,  he's deluded, or just being an ahole.

 

And if he's making you do anything mentioned on this page

 

http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c4_009.htm

 

then he's doubling down on being one of the above.

 

Absolutely no form is required for you to ship an unloaded long gun with no ammo included through USPS, interstate to a licensee, or intrastate to anyone not prohibited from possessing a firearm. Or even to yourself in care of another person intrastate OR interstate. (but could be trouble if you didn't eventually show up there to get it personally, especially on he interstate part. :))

 

- OS

Edited February 1, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Keyless]

Thanks for the link . I don't think it is that the guy at The Post office is being a jerk in fact he has always been helpful in the past . He did have to look up on the computer what had to be done and printed of some info for me.  I think they don't deal with it enough to know what they can and can't do. On top of not knowing they are all scared to make a mistake with all that has been going on and the media screaming about " gun show loopholes " ans how easy it is for criminals to just buy guns.

 

 I have always tried to do what I thought was the right thing to do . One time when registering a fiberglass streetrod I did it the proper , legal way and it bit me in the butt , BIGTIME . I ended up with a 2002 "homebuilt " That needed to go through emmisions before I could get tags. Originally they had given me an Antique tag and a 1928 but then called for the title and redid it as a 2002. If I had just done like everyone else and sent to New York for a title It wouldn't have turned out like it did. This car had a Big block Chevy , 6-71 Blower and 2 four barrels and no sign of an OBD2 plug for the emmission testing.  After several months of phone calls  and trips to the tag office , I sold it to someone in Georgia. From what I have been told , they have changed now so that they now title it as what it looks like . That doesn't help me now .

 

 I say that just to point out how screwed up everything ends up when the Government gets involved. There is no common sense with them . They sceam about the guns but want to make it as difficult as possible to ship one , to those dealers that can legally posses them for resale . In my opinion ( my opinion doesn't mean anything ) all they need to do is copy the senders driver license , just for the record of who sent it ,and have the info tied in from ATF  so that the Post Office can acess this page .

 

https://www.atfonline.gov/fflezcheck/   Supply the numbers need to check and see that it is going to a current FFL and thats all. Shouldn't matter if it is a pistol , rifle , or a shotgun . I can't see any reason why a pistol is illeagal for an individual to ship to a dealer. Just another stupid law to add to the many others .

[Keyless]

Two more Post Offices and half a dozen people later , I was able to ship 2 of them .

[Oh Shoot]

Two more Post Offices and half a dozen people later , I was able to ship 2 of them .

 

Next time use USPS Click N Ship, pay online, print label:

 

https://cns.usps.com/go

 

you don't even have to go through line at PO, just drop it on the counter and go.

 

Can do same with seller's account on eBay through PayPal and there you even get a discount.

You can also open UPS account with eBay seller account and do same thing with UPS packages online.

 

- OS

Edited February 1, 2013 by Oh Shoot