Question on shipping long guns?

[southeastshooter]

I am trying to sell a rifle on armslist and have a buyer who wants to send me a money order and me ship it to his ffl. What are the laws in Georgia on sending firearms? Do I need to ship it to his ffl through my ffl? Sorry I have never shipped any weapons before and just want to make sure I am doing this the right and legal way.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Take it to the post office and mail it to the receiving FFL.

There are only a couple hiccups:
1. Will the receiving FFL accept it from a private party. It's perfectly legal, but some FFL's won't.

2. Will the receiving FFL require a copy of your ID (Driver's License) to be included. Most FFL's do, but it's not a requirement of law either.

If it is another Georgia resident that you are selling the rifle to, you can, legally, send the gun directly to the recipient.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/unlicensed-persons.html#shipping-firearms-usps

Q: May a nonlicensee ship a firearm through the U.S. Postal Service?

A nonlicensee may not transfer a firearm to a non-licensed resident of another State. A nonlicensee may mail a shotgun or rifle to a resident of his or her own State or to a licensee in any State. The Postal Service recommends that long guns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any kind which would indicate the nature of the contents be placed on the outside of any parcel containing firearms. Handguns are not mailable. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun.

[18 U.S.C. 1715, 922(a)(3), 922(a)(5) and 922 (a)(2)(A)]

 

[southeastshooter]

It's actually a guy in Maine :/ I was kind of iffy about it but as long as I have the money order in hand I know i'm not going to get scammed. So all I have to worry about is shipping it the legal way. Thanks.

 

[southeastshooter]

So do I need to actually obtain a copy of his ffl before shipping it to him? I'm thinking just to be safe I may just let my ffl handle it...

 

[nalioth]

Although there are plenty of stickies around the internet covering this, here is a URL you can bookmark: Shipping a gun - who, how, where, when and why.

It has the laws, links to shipper's policies and other info you need to know about shipping firearms.

So do I need to actually obtain a copy of his ffl before shipping it to him? I'm thinking just to be safe I may just let my ffl handle it...

No, you do not.

As a private citizen, you only need to know that the recipient holds a valid FFL - you do not need copies of the license (this is covered at the URL above).

 

[southeastshooter]

Thanks guys. I will be the one shipping it then. Hell it saves $30 from going to my ffl. Sorry but one more question. Where can I get a box long enough to ship this rifle?

 

[NavyLCDR]

You have to buy a new rifle and use that box to ship the old one in!

Call gun/sporting goods stores and see if they have extras. I think mailing stores like the UPS store might make a custom box for it.

 

[zoom6zoom]

Two things that will help.
- Make sure the shipment contains documentation that clearly states who the purchaser of the rifle is. Some FFL's get a lot of transfers in, it can really cause problems if they don't know who it's supposed to be for.
- Include identification on who you are. The receiving FFL needs to log this information in his bound book so that his records are complete. Help him avoid ATF headaches, it's things like this that make some FFL's decide not to accept private party transfers.

 

[southeastshooter]

I still have the box but I wanted to ship it where it wasn't completely obvious what it was. Thanks for the tips, I will provide that information for his FFL.

 

[nalioth]

Two things that will help.

One thing that helps more than your two: Call the receiving FFL and find out how they would like it shipped. Don't assume anything.

- Make sure the shipment contains documentation that clearly states who the purchaser of the rifle is. Some FFL's get a lot of transfers in, it can really cause problems if they don't know who it's supposed to be for.

I always address the box to the buyer, in care of the FFL.

- Include identification on who you are. The receiving FFL needs to log this information in his bound book so that his records are complete. Help him avoid ATF headaches, it's things like this that make some FFL's decide not to accept private party transfers.

This is where calling the FFL comes in. The revenuers consider the return address a valid source of information.

 

[wishin]

Thanks guys. I will be the one shipping it then. Hell it saves $30 from going to my ffl. Sorry but one more question. Where can I get a box long enough to ship this rifle?

I have a sturdy golf club driver box that's about 50 inches long that may work for you. If you're either near Middle Georgia, or don't mind the drive, send me a PM with your phone number and we can arrange for you to come after it. No charge.