The definitive answer to shipping guns

[Five-O]

I have posted in the past about inheriting my mother's old .32 S&W. My sister has the gun in Houston and we were trying to figure out how to ship it to me here in SJ CA.
Here's what we found out. She went to UPS and they said they will not accept gun for shipment if you don't have a FFL.
And UPS will not send to anyone except to a FFL dealer.
That's it. There is no way to get the gun shipped to me, either by USPS or UPS or any other type shipper.
So, the solution is that my sister's husband will fly to SLC with the gun in checked luggage. I have a house in Utah and was planning to go there in September when my brother in law would be there. We meet at my house, and voila! he hands the gun to me.
Unless someone else has a way to legally ship it, I guess I'll have to wait till I go to UT.

 

[kingpin008]

Why can't you just have them ship it to a FFL on your end?

All they'd need is a copy of the recieving FFL's license, and off it goes. It's really not that hard.

 

[Oyeboten]

Find a local FFL who will receive it...talk with them first of course, in detail...probably, the FFL will want the person sending it to include xerox copies of their Driver's Licence and or other info also, for the FFL to enter into his Books as per Law.

 

[Five-O]

Yes, I could have gone to a FFL dealer on my end and my sister would have to go to a FFL dealer in Houston.
I just did not want to pay $180 to Reed's in Sta Clara to receive it. And I did not want to have pay on the other end, although coming from TX I'm sure it wouldn't be as much as it is here.
Of course if there was no other choice I would have to bite the bullet and use the FFL dealers.
But, fortunately, since my brother in law will be coming to UT for a conference, and I have to go to UT also at the time he arrives, we just meet, receive my gun, and then drive back to CA.

 

[nalioth]

This has been discussed ad nauseum.

UPS is flat out lying to you.

An FFL isn't required to ship a gun with UPS. Under certain circumstances (not this one), an FFL isn't required to receive a gun shipped via UPS.

Get a manager and get your business done.

 

[TX1911fan]

Seems like your solution isn't going to work, at least legally. Just something about it tickles my stink meter. If your brother in law does not own the gun, can he transfer it to you in Utah? Can non-residents do face to face transfers in states where neither of them reside? It might be ok, but it seems weird. For example, if your brother in law was a Utah resident, he couldn't do the transfer to you because you are from out of state. Practically you can do it, but I don't think legally you can.

 

[KenWP]

If he puts the gun into his checked luggage he still has to report it before they find it in his luggage also. Will he have trouble with no permit for it in his possesion. Your in trouble no matter what you do. I would almost say take a weekend and drive over and pick it up. You only have to cover almost 4 states to do it.

 

[SaxonPig]

Crossing state lines to take possession would be illegal, I think. If this doesn't bother you then go ahead. It happens all the time.

In CA all pistols (even C&R handguns such as this one) must be delivered to an FFL for transfer. CA dealers charge out the wazoo for transfer service. Nature of doing business in such an anti-gun environment, maybe. If you check the home page for gunbroker.com there is a way to find transfer FFLs in your area. Shop around for the best price. About $50 is the best I've seen from a CA FFL. Some want a lot more.

It is legal and within UPS policy to ship a handgun to an FFL if you are not a license holder. But 99% of UPS employees are idiots and don't know their own policies.

 

[triggerman770]

transfer

I have never had UPS;FED-X; Or USPS ask me what was in my packages, whetether going to an FFL or A non-licensee. I am an FFL holder btw.
UPS is wrong in saying it cant' go from a non-licensee to an FFL.

 

[rbernie]

This is the definitive answer:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=354661

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=3991039&postcount=4