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Shipping pistol to gunsmith/factory in 2022?


bigdog02

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Hey all!
I am a mess of confusion over here.  I am trying to figure out how to get a pistol to a gunsmith or the factory for some work.  FedEX and UPS both have big banners saying no-no for non-FFLs so send anything.  I live in PA.
I contact a gunsmith - they say just go to an UPS hub and ship it, declare contents (which based on UPS webpage, is a not gonna work) or ship from my FFL.  Contact FFL and he needs the FFL contact info from the gunsmith to be able to ship it down them.  So now waiting for them to send their FFL info to me or to my FFL.

Also contact the factory (who does gunsmithing).  They said I could give them info and they would give me a label to print, stick it on an UPS package and just ship it from my nearest drop off.  Would the whole "only FFLs can ship a gun" rule from UPS still apply?  I would not be creating the label or anything - it is all the factory.

Long story short - how the heck can I safely and legally ship my pistol somewhere to get it worked on now in 2022 with so many rules?

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FedEX and UPS have both been pressured by government and gun grabber groups to not ship firearms and to an extent firearm related products, so they both have decided to only allow FFLs to ship firearms.  Your best bet is to find a trustworthy FFL and make a working relationship with them for all of your FFL needs including shipping.  Luckily I already have these relationships in place.  I was allowed to FedEX my shotgun to Hayes Customs without using a FFL last year, but those days are gone.  I assume Ammo will soon follow if they are already not there.  

 

https://www.nraila.org/articles/20220919/shipping-companies-prohibit-the-lawful-shipping-of-firearms

 

Something that most likely helped with that decision is insurance premiums.  There has been a rather large rash of news lately of guns and ammo being stolen during shipment.  Although I have not read anything to verify this, it makes sense.  

Edited by Boomstick303
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as long as your ffl doesn't bend you over, it's actually cheaper for them to ship a handgun for you since they can use usps.

 

one option i haven't tried is getting a preprinted ship label from an ffl and then dropping off the pkg at fedex or ups.  at least theoretically it's coming from an ffl.

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+1 to davsco's comment.

 

My local home-based FFL handles all of my gun shipping needs since he can do it all through USPS and also I get to pick how much I want to insure things for (if at all).

 

For reference... I think I paid him like $50-60 to ship a handgun USPS from WI to NC with $2K of insurance.

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I've been shipping guns through my ffl for a few years. It takes all the issues that can happen if someone was to steal it or it gets lost or what ever off me. It's on their books as being sent to such and such place. Plus it's cheaper by far. From mi to pay with $2000.00 insurance was I think $50.  It's also nice that I don't have to be home from x time to z time and hope the delivery person actually knocks on my door so I can sign for it. Way better IMO.

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Update for the crew - I talked more with my FFL and we are good to go anytime I need something shipped, he can do it as long as he has their FFL in hand and I can just pay him for it.


How this all ended up in the end was I contacted the factory again and had them explain to me what needed done for sure and who/how the pistol would go back to them,
They took all my info and sent me a prepaid shipping label through FedEX.  I questioned it if was legal to do it this way.  Factory responded that FedEX has a contract with the factory and I will not be refused service at most shipping locations.  The caveat is that I had to take it to an Authorized Shipping Center (not even a hub).  if I would take it to a mom and pop drop off, they could refuse me if they choose.  Authorized Shipping Centers (from what I was told) will not/cannot.  When i dropped it off, I have to declare that it is a handgun.  The woman behind the counter clutched her pearls a bit, but read from a card she had laying there "Is this a firearm going back to a factory?"  I respond yes, and she was good with it all then after she verified my return info was on the package.  Walked out and the handgun was back at the factory 2 days later.
 

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1 hour ago, davsco said:

is this legal with handguns via usps?

Manufacturer's don't send firearms through USPS as far as I know. They make arrangements with other carriers that they have contracts with. If your manufacturer(FFL) offers to send you a label to print, and you still are worried that the Man is going to come knocking, then go pay your local FFL to pack it up and ship it for you.

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UPS used to make you ship any handgun Red Label because “too many guns were getting stolen by employees”. REALLY??? I have to pay more because you can’t throttle your employees?  
Haven’t had to ship anything for a while but I guess it’s just going to get worse. 

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42 minutes ago, Farmer said:

UPS used to make you ship any handgun Red Label because “too many guns were getting stolen by employees”. REALLY??? I have to pay more because you can’t throttle your employees?  
Haven’t had to ship anything for a while but I guess it’s just going to get worse. 

I would think if that was a real concern they would want the packages shipped NO label... vs a STEAL THIS ONE label. 

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On 11/7/2022 at 11:04 AM, Boomstick303 said:

FedEX and UPS have both been pressured by government and gun grabber groups to not ship firearms and to an extent firearm related products, so they both have decided to only allow FFLs to ship firearms.  Your best bet is to find a trustworthy FFL and make a working relationship with them for all of your FFL needs including shipping.  Luckily I already have these relationships in place.  I was allowed to FedEX my shotgun to Hayes Customs without using a FFL last year, but those days are gone.  I assume Ammo will soon follow if they are already not there.  


On 11/7/2022 at 11:04 AM, Boomstick303 said:

FedEX and UPS have both been pressured by government and gun grabber groups to not ship firearms and to an extent firearm related products, so they both have decided to only allow FFLs to ship firearms.  Your best bet is to find a trustworthy FFL and make a working relationship with them for all of your FFL needs including shipping.  Luckily I already have these relationships in place.  I was allowed to FedEX my shotgun to Hayes Customs without using a FFL last year, but those days are gone.  I assume Ammo will soon follow if they are already 

 

This is correct. As of this past summer both USP and Fedex have stopped allowing individuals gun owners to ship firearms; however, I have heard FedEX adopted the dont ask dont tell policy.... not sure, just what I'm hearing. Having an FFL allows me you to ship USPS from manufacturer to vendor or vendor to vendor however I have most FFL's do not use USPS because of lost or stolen firearms. The increase in thefts from UPS as me using solely FedEX. 

Best advice find a local FFL and have him do your shipping for you.

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7 hours ago, Joe4d said:

I would think if that was a real concern they would want the packages shipped NO label... vs a STEAL THIS ONE label. 

They claimed that it was through their system faster and had less chance of theft. Think it was more of a $$ making scheme. 
I also think there’s something going on because there’s been a bunch of changes in the last few years. Many places won’t take a PO Box for your mail and really make you jump through hoops to do so. They almost demand a physical address, but if you only get your mail at the post office, that doesn’t do any good. Then they totally depend on Google maps and while it’s getting better it’s sometimes so far off around here that it’s amazing we get anything. Call it what you want but I think there’s gonna be a big roundup. 

Edited by Farmer
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On 11/15/2022 at 12:13 PM, jjbolling said:

 

This is correct. As of this past summer both USP and Fedex have stopped allowing individuals gun owners to ship firearms; however, I have heard FedEX adopted the dont ask dont tell policy.... not sure, just what I'm hearing. Having an FFL allows me you to ship USPS from manufacturer to vendor or vendor to vendor however I have most FFL's do not use USPS because of lost or stolen firearms. The increase in thefts from UPS as me using solely FedEX. 

Best advice find a local FFL and have him do your shipping for you.

 

As an FFL - does it matter if an individual were to ship you a firearm via UPS or FedEx without going through a FFL? Provided it was a legal gun, you had a copy of their driver's license, etc.

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Wait... per the UPS website:

 

UPS accepts packages containing Firearm Products for shipment only as a contractual service and only from Shippers who are licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, or licensed collectors (as defined in Title 18, Chapter 44 of the United States Code) to authorized recipients, as outlined in the approved UPS agreement for the transportation of Firearm Products.

 

Can I seriously use my C&R FFL as a way to ship without going through a Type 01?

 

 

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On 11/19/2022 at 11:58 AM, matteekay said:

Wait... per the UPS website:

 

UPS accepts packages containing Firearm Products for shipment only as a contractual service and only from Shippers who are licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, or licensed collectors (as defined in Title 18, Chapter 44 of the United States Code) to authorized recipients, as outlined in the approved UPS agreement for the transportation of Firearm Products.

 

Can I seriously use my C&R FFL as a way to ship without going through a Type 01?

 

 

Think it’s been that way for quite a while. I know that there were people that obtained the C&R for just that purpose years ago. Things have been tightened up some since then though. 

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On 11/19/2022 at 1:52 PM, matteekay said:

 

As an FFL - does it matter if an individual were to ship you a firearm via UPS or FedEx without going through a FFL? Provided it was a legal gun, you had a copy of their driver's license, etc.

From a FFL perspective it does not matter to us which carrier someone uses. And yes, must provide a copy of their DL so we can log it in our books. However many FFL's choose not to accept shipments from individuals.

I will say USPS is not always consistent with their policies. I know of many individuals who regularly ship both handguns and longuns via USPS without issues.

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