shipping handguns/update?

53hawkeye

sticky about shipping handguns may need updating .
... info on shipping handguns stated from 2010 doesn't seem to agree with the ATF regs. from 2015 ????
Do I see correctly that handguns may NOT be shipped by USPS?
Only by Fed-Ex or UPS or other "ground carriers" (what does that mean exactly?)
Do I still need the buyer to present a current FFL?
I am NOT a FFL holder can I still ship the handguns?
Please clear up in plain English for this befuddled old fart.

Thank you and happy huntin'

perry shooter

ONLY a FFL dealer can send handguns by USPS
You can ship via UPS or FEDX but big bucks However the FFL on the receiving end may chose to not accept from a none dealer you need to get in touch with who you want to send to to see what their rules are You can not send to a NON ffl dealer

nmyers

The current rules are in there.

A non-licensee (you) may ship a handgun only to an FFL, & only by common carrier (a federally licensed non-government shipper). The only common carriers that ship handguns (by their own choice) are UPS & Fedex. As Perry Shooter said, they require shipment of handguns by Next Day Air; expect to pay $70-100.

Your only alternative is to find a local dealer who, for a reasonable fee, will ship the handgun for you by USPS. My local dealers charge $50-60 for that service, so that won't save me anything.

Neal

EDIT: Nice try hslaterprice. That kind of thinking outside the box will get you time inside the box (with bars). The shipper is the person who presents the package for shipment.

mark christian

Do I see correctly that handguns may NOT be shipped by USPS?

Only dealers, manufacturers and a few other folks who you are unlikely to encounter can mail handguns.

Only by Fed-Ex or UPS or other "ground carriers" (what does that mean exactly?)

It should really read "Common Carrier", because about 15 years ago UPS and FedEx began a policy which insisted that handguns be shipped by air. As Neal said, this is pricy.

Do I still need the buyer to present a current FFL?

An FFL is required to ship, but a licensed Dealer is only required to provide a non-licensee with his FFL number. You may then verify it through the ATF EZ-Check system.


I am NOT a FFL holder can I still ship the handguns?

You may, but not by mail. Be sure to find out ahead of time if the FFL on the receiving end will accept a firearm shipped by a non-licensee. Many dealers won't, and we have heard many tales of woe when sellers learned about that after the fact.


Please clear up in plain English for this befuddled old fart.

I hope that helped.

53hawkeye

thanks, all.

fordsix

work out a deal with local FFL to ship guns cheaper

hslaterpryce

Would it be possible for the FFL designated as the one to receive the firearm fill out and send a copy of the PS1508 form (the form the USPS needs when a handgun is being shipped) to the shipper, the person sending the firearm and thereby ship the handgun to themselves? Just a question...??

mark christian

A dealer can certainly mail firearms to himself. I have done it many times. Lets say that I have just purchased a few handguns at a Texas gun show, but because I am still traveling I don't want to have them riding around in the trunk. I can solve that problem by mailing them back home to myself and then continuing on with my travels.

The key points here are that I am the person who filled out, signed and presented the form, and I am also the actual dealer who is physically standing at the counter in the Post Office. If the form is prepared by Joe Jones and addressed to Joe Jones that won't be an issue. The problem comes along when Mr. Jones' form is presented by John Smith, who has no affiliation with Mr. Jones at all.

This is an issue of you might just pull it off, but if you don't, you and the dealer who sent you the form are both going to be in a heap of trouble. Frankly, the dealer on the receiving end has absolutely nothing to gain by sending PS 1508 to a non licensee, so I don't know any dealer who would do it. I certainly wouldn't.

By the way, for those who have never seen this form before, this is what it looks like:

11b6r

Regarding the MAILING of a handgun, here is a C&P from the Postal Regs-

12.1.5 Manufacturers, Dealers, and Importers

Handguns may also be mailed between licensed manufac-turers of firearms, licensed dealers of firearms, and licensed importers of firearms in customary trade ship-ments, or for repairing or replacing parts.

[Revise the title and text of 12.1.6 as follows:]

12.1.6 Certificate of Manufacturers, Dealers, and Importers

A federal firearms licensee manufacturer, dealer, or importer need not file the affidavit under 12.1.4, but must file with the postmaster a statement on Form 1508 signed by the mailer that he or she is a licensed manufacturer, dealer, or importer of firearms. The mailer must also state that the parcels containing handguns, or parts and compo-nents of handguns under 12.1.2d, are being mailed in cus-tomary trade shipments or contain such articles for repairing or replacing parts, and that to the best of their knowledge the addressees are licensed manufacturers, dealers, or importers of firearms.

I have held a C&R FFL since 1976, and I cannot MAIL a handgun. Although I am a FFL holder, I am not a Dealer, Manufacturer or Importer. If you use the "Find a FFL" tool here at GunBroker, you can probably find a local Dealer that CAN legally mail them for you.

And a brief reminder- the US Postal Inspection Service has the highest conviction rate of any Federal law enforcement agency. Feel lucky?