How to Ship a Firearm

[Fn-P9]

ok, here is the down-low. I see a lot of people talking and complaining that shipping a gun is too expensive or it is a pain or the way you have to go about it is tiresome. I tend to agree. Thats besides the point.

I am a Federal Express employee and I get frustrated each time I read a post with stupid comments on what to do about shipping a gun. Here is what I found:
http://www.fedex.com/us/services/terms/us.html#firearms

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/guidelines/firearms.html

http://www.gunbroker.com/Support/SupportFAQView.asp?FAQID=1118&NoCount=1

I have shipped my handgun, no problem. The only thing is that you have to pay for overnight service. If you are shipping a long arm, UPS will ship it ground for savings. So will the post office. Fed-ex will still make you use overnight.

If you read carefully, disassembling your handgun then shipping it, labeled machine parts, technically will not fly. The "parts" are ok to do this but the frame of the gun or what ever has the serial number is considered the gun.

Always make sure your gun is unloaded. If it has ammo in the package with the gun, it becomes a undeclared dangerous goods shipment and comes with that a fine of $25,000 per day it is being shipped plus a year in prison per offense. Kinda harsh huh?

When I ship, I put my pistol in its plastic carrying case, go down and get a FREE fed-ex white box, stick it in and attach an air-bill. easy. Tell them its a firearm, pay the overnight price, and go on the computer and look at the air-bill number on line. They will require a direct signature option and will not deliver to anybody under the age of 21. That also drives up the cost.

I heard one complaint on THR about a Fed-ex Kinkos would not accept the firearm package. That may just be the rules because a Kinkos employee is not a normal customer service agent for the Fed-ex Express side of things. The need to notify the shipper of the gun, shipment rule, well kinkos technically may not be shipper. Express is.

Shipping it overnight is a Fed-ex/UPS policy. Delivering to anyone 21 and over is a federal deal. Declaring it a firearm is a federal deal. Having either the shipper or recipient an FFL is a federal deal. Being ridiculous in all things is defiantly a federal deal.

finally to my dismay, I could not find anything related to "punishment by law" . I couldn't find if you goto jail or pay a fine, so if one of you find this would be a good thread to post it.

All this doesn't even cover any other state and/or local laws nor is this complete in ALL of the little tidbits. I only wanted to put SOME of the rumors down. All my findings were done with the most simplistic views in mind. I am sure you can call up a lawyer and pay a fee if you want to "cheat" the system somehow, but it just doesn't sound worth the pain, energy and extra monies. And I am sure I forgot something I wanted to say. Happy shipping.

 

[El Tejon]

So, we can't tell them its a "power drill"?

 

[Dr. Dickie]

Shipping it overnight is a Fed-ex/UPS policy. Delivering to anyone 21 and over is a federal deal. Declaring it a firearm is a federal deal. Having either the shipper or recipient an FFL is a federal deal. Being ridiculous in all things is defiantly a federal deal.

According to the Federal regulations that have been posted here before (numerous times), that is not correct--unless I misread them.
The previously posted Federal regulations stated that you need only declare it if it is being shipped to a NON-FFL.
Of course having said that, it would be silly to not declare it, as that IS UPS and Fed-Ex requirements.
I'll hunt for that thread, but if that is not correct, I would like to know.

I cannot find the thread that listed the exact Federal regulations, but this one covered similar material:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=232721&highlight=Fed-Ex

 

[Sylvan-Forge]

Attention. Please don tinfoil cover at this time. Thank you.

Fn-P9,

Can you shed any light as to why it is that nearly every package I receive seems to have been probed?

What I mean is, there is usually a perforation on the box, envelope, whatever.. about ~1.5" in diameter, as if someone had stuck a sniffer or optic in the package and needed a little wiggle room.

(Most times there is no dented corners or any other evidence of rough handling, save the for hole)

Am I on a list or something?

 

[SLM]

Anybody know if you can ship a handgun with DHL? I need to ship a RIA back and could just ship it out of work overnight but I can't find anything on their website about firearms.

 

[Car Knocker]

No firearms for DHL unless dealer to dealer and rendered mechanically unfireable.

http://www.dhl-usa.com/resources/Prohibited_Restricted_Commodities.pdf

 

[logical]

According to the Federal regulations that have been posted here before (numerous times), that is not correct--unless I misread them.
The previously posted Federal regulations stated that you need only declare it if it is being shipped to a NON-FFL.
Of course having said that, it would be silly to not declare it, as that IS UPS and Fed-Ex requirements.
I'll hunt for that thread, but if that is not correct, I would like to know.

If you don't know....resist the urge to post....you must declare and they must not mark the package...it is Federal law.


http://www.atf.gov/pub/fire-explo_pub/2005/p53004/q_and_a.pdf

 

[Dr. Dickie]

18 U.S.C 922
(e) It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to deliver or cause to be delivered to any common or contract carrier for transportation or shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, to persons other than licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, or licensed collectors, any package or other container in which there is any firearm or ammunition without written notice to the carrier that such firearm or ammunition is being transported or shipped; except that any passenger who owns or legally possesses a firearm or ammunition being transported aboard any common or contract carrier for movement with the passenger in interstate or foreign commerce may deliver said firearm or ammunition into the custody of the pilot, captain, conductor or operator of such common or contract carrier for the duration of the trip without violating any of the provisions of this chapter. No common or contract carrier shall require or cause any label, tag, or other written notice to be placed on the outside of any package, luggage, or other container that such package, luggage, or other container contains a firearm.

Bold is mine.
This is from: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=250300&highlight=Shipping

I took that to be the Federal law in question. If this was bogus, then I stand corrected.
You posted someones opinion on what the regulation is.
Again, I am not advocating not telling them, just that the regulations are Fed-Ex's and UPS's.

 

[Guntalk]

This week I took a long box to the post office to mail. The person there said that you can't mail firearms, but I politely explained that the regulation says you can not mail handguns, but you can mail long guns.

He said he would check. He was gone for about 10 minutes. He came back with several pages which he had printed from the Postal Service web site.

"Well, I sure learned something today," he said. "You are right."

No problem after that.

 

[Car Knocker]

If you don't know....resist the urge to post....you must declare and they must not mark the package...it is Federal law.

The BATF FAQ B8 is an oversimplification that is incorrect in that notification is not required if shipping to "licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, or licensed collectors". See the underlying code referenced at the end of FAQ B8.

18 U.S.C 922
(e) It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to deliver or cause to be delivered to any common or contract carrier for transportation or shipment in interstate or foreign commerce, to persons other than licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, or licensed collectors, any package or other container in which there is any firearm or ammunition without written notice to the carrier that such firearm or ammunition is being transported or shipped; except that any passenger who owns or legally possesses a firearm or ammunition being transported aboard any common or contract carrier for movement with the passenger in interstate or foreign commerce may deliver said firearm or ammunition into the custody of the pilot, captain, conductor or operator of such common or contract carrier for the duration of the trip without violating any of the provisions of this chapter. No common or contract carrier shall require or cause any label, tag, or other written notice to be placed on the outside of any package, luggage, or other container that such package, luggage, or other container contains a firearm.

 

[Reyn]

OK, the ATF FAQ says

nonlicensee may ship a firearm by a common or contract carrier to a resident of his or her own State or to a licensee in any State. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. In addition, FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES that the carrier be notified that the shipment contains a firearm and prohibits common or contract carriers from requiring or causing any label to be placed on any package indicating that it contains a firearm.

Is it law to advise the carrier a firearm is being shipped or is it carrier policy? Looking at ATF website it is law. So why are some saying it's not. What am i missing?

 

[EOD Guy]

OK, the ATF FAQ says

nonlicensee may ship a firearm by a common or contract carrier to a resident of his or her own State or to a licensee in any State. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. In addition, FEDERAL LAW REQUIRES that the carrier be notified that the shipment contains a firearm and prohibits common or contract carriers from requiring or causing any label to be placed on any package indicating that it contains a firearm.

Is it law to advise the carrier a firearm is being shipped or is it carrier policy? Looking at ATF website it is law. So why are some saying it's not. What am i missing?

The FAQ contains a quick, incomplete, answer to the question. If you go to the regulation and the GCA of 68, they say that notification is required when shipping to other than a licensee. In other words, you must notifiy the carrier when shipping to an unlicensed person, but notification is not required when shipping to a licensee.

I have a letter from BATF Hq confirming this and admitting that the answer given in the FAQ is incomplete.

 

[Reyn]

The FAQ contains a quick, incomplete, answer to the question. If you go to the regulation and the GCA of 68, they say that notification is required when shipping to other than a licensee. In other words, you must notifiy the carrier when shipping to an unlicensed person, but notification is not required when shipping to a licensee.

I have a letter from BATF Hq confirming this and admitting that the answer given in the FAQ is incomplete

Thank You!