Fed EX: "You can't ship a firearm to yourself"

[TooTech]

I was recently out traveling and I decided that rather than trust my handgun to the airline baggage and TSA, that I would send my gun to myself at my home address.

Packaged everything up, went to FedEx, and declared that I wanted to ship a handgun. They first asked if I had an FFL (don't think this really matters if the shipper had an FFL, but they asked), which I do, a C&R license. They said since I had a license that they could ship the gun by Overnight, which I expected.

Everything was fine until they saw my shipping document, with my name as the sender and the recipient. On seeing that they said they couldn't ship it. They said I would need to come back with someone else to ship the gun to me! They printed off the rules and showed me the clause that states that the sender and recipient have to be different people!

Why would FedEx have this restriction in place?

 

[Preacherman]

Dumb FedEx rule, I guess. It's legal as far as the ATF is concerned. Perhaps you should print out the ATF regulations and show it to FedEx?

 

[TooTech]

No point arguing with the person behind the counter, they're just doing what they're told. I just went ahead and put up with the hassle of checking the gun with my baggage.

 

[rayra]

Looks like a deliberate obstruction put in place by FedEx. FEdLaw does indeed allow shipping them to yourself.

 

[HighVelocity]

Could you just put your spouses name on it?

 

[Jim K]

Spouse presumably does not have an FFL.

Jim

 

[Standing Wolf]

Why would FedEx have this restriction in place?

The technical term is "anti-Second Amendment bigotry."

 

[F4GIB]

Use your first name as sender and both initials as recipient. They'll never think to ask.

I always list the contents as "firearm" and they take it for ground shipment no matter how small the box is.

You got to outfox them.

 

[musher]

Oh, that's not me, it's my brother. You see my mother had twins and knew she would never be able to tell us apart, so she gave us both the same name.

 

[cane]

I had the same problem with UPS, doesn't do any good to show them ATF rules, their company rules trump ATFs.

 

[Ukraine Train]

Do you have to have an FFL to ship to yourself or is that a FedEx rule also?

 

[thatguy]

It's legal to ship via common carrier without an FFL. In fact, that's how you have to do it since USPS for handguns is for FFLs only. I don't know about Fed-Ex policy on requiring FFL.

Legal to ship to yourself but again company policy is an unknown.

It's getting harder and increasingly ridiculous trying to ship guns.

 

[benEzra]

I tried the exact same thing with UPS, per BATFE rules, and despite the fact that I showed the UPS worker chapter and verse from BATFE regulations, he essentially told me that the BATFE was full of it and that it's illegal to ship a gun to yourself, and that he was saving me from committing a felony by refusing to ship it.:banghead:

So I went ahead and checked my handgun through the airline.

So, is there any way at all to ship a firearm to yourself if you are traveling, or is that just one of those "paper privileges" that no longer exists in reality?

 

[kirkcdl]

Well,you could always mail your"Machine Parts"to yourself via Registered Mail.Don't ask.don't tell,you know...

 

[Godfather]

FedEx and UPS don't x-ray their packages (I asked).

You can send non-handguns USPS to an FFL.

Had the manager at the local USPS tell me shipping firearms was illegal... meanwhile, the clerk found the guidlines in the manual behind him and all of a sudden, Mr. Manager was real nice and accomodating. He was still arguing with me after I told him I'd called the ATF, called the post office twice to check guidlines and to warn them I was brining a shotgun in, and that the USPS operator had told me the guidelines were in the manual.

It's like, I already went over your head, stop trying to order me.

 

[rayra]

Jim Keenan

Spouse presumably does not have an FFL.

Jim

Don't have to be an FFL to ship to yourself. I'm curious just how the ATF would handle such a thing - spouses are considered co-owners in terms of community property in divorce cases, or absconding with your arms. Yet I'm sure the ATF would argue that the spouse is a separate / law-violating entity if you were shipping. Definitely screwed up.

 

[cobb]

he essentially told me that the BATFE was full of it and that it's illegal to ship a gun to yourself

So who am I suppose to talk to about firearm laws???????

 

[cane]

KIRKCDL; those "machine parts" can land you in ClubFed. You must notify the carrier if you are shipping a firearm, that's the law. More & more parcals are screened for explosives, it's possible the powder residue would trigger a positive response. I would rather pay whatever excessive rates the carrier wants, than the $10,000 fine. BTW my FFL ships firearms for me, costs are whatever the USPS shipping is plus $10 and he packs them.

 

[benEzra]

So who am I suppose to talk to about firearm laws???????

Your local UPS counter guy, of course.