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How to ship a gun to my brother


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I recently talked my brother who lives in Washington state into going and watching a local match. Some of the great guys (Idaho steel match) there let him shoot their guns and now he is hooked.

I have a HK USP40 and all the gear to go with it that I want to ship out to him so he can compete. I know I need to ship to an FFL holder and I was told that I must ship UPS next day air. Is there anything I else I need to know? Do I need to have a copy of the FFL in hand before shipping?

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If you can find an FFL holder on both ends of the transfer, the gun can be shipped via the U.S. Mail, which will be quite a bit cheaper than using Fedex or UPS (which both insist that you use their most expensive overnight service for shipping a handgun).

The other thing to know is that faxed or emailed FFLs are now acceptable under the BATF rules, you don't need to have a signed copy in hand anymore.

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If you can find an FFL holder on both ends of the transfer, the gun can be shipped via the U.S. Mail, which will be quite a bit cheaper than using Fedex or UPS (which both insist that you use their most expensive overnight service for shipping a handgun).

The other thing to know is that faxed or emailed FFLs are now acceptable under the BATF rules, you don't need to have a signed copy in hand anymore.

Very good to know. Thank you!

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If you ship from yourself direct to an FFL, make sure they will accept from individuals, some won't. They will probably want to see a copy of your ID.

I think I read somewere that 2nd Day instead of Overnight is now acceptable for Pistols by "Courier" which means UPS or FedEx....... Might want to check on that. long guns can go ground. And if you show up at a UPS counter and declare a gun to ship, you should have the FFL copy in hand, they may ask for it.

And yes USPS Priority may be cheaper than UPS.... but if you have to pay the FFL on your end to transfer it in and out of his books, it may not be overall.

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I was just having a similar conversation with someone the other day. The question came up that you can send gun parts through the mail directly from one person to another, but not an entire gun. That means that there has to be one part of the gun that is considered to be "the gun", but I'm not sure what part that is. With a pistol, I'm guessing it's the frame with the serial number on it. For a long gun, I'm guessing it would be the receiver.

The question we were debating is if it was possible to send all the parts other than the "key" part via regular mail and only send the "key" piece to the FFL. My gut feeling is that trying to "game" this is not a good idea and that if it were practical I would have already seen it mentioned here frequently.

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The only part of the gun that is considered the "firearm" is the serial numbered receiver , or the frame in the case of a pistol. You can strip it down to a bare frame, and save some shipping cost, but it won't be a lot on a pistol. Probably offset by the cost of sending two packages.

Also, note that its not Federal law that requires overnight shipping, thats UPS. Federal law only specifies that it must be by contract carrier if going from individual to FFL in another state.

I pulled this off the ATF site:

(B7) 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)]

B8) May a nonlicensee ship a firearm by common or contract carrier?

A 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.

[18 U.S.C. 922(a)(2)(A), 922(a) (3), 922(a)(5) and 922(e), 27 CFR 478.31 and 478.30]

From the UPS site, regarding shipping "parts":

"UPS accepts firearm parts for shipment, provided the part is not a "firearm" as defined under federal law; the contents of the package cannot be assembled to form a firearm; and the package otherwise complies with federal, state, and local law. (Note: Receivers or frames of a firearm, firearm mufflers and silencers are considered "firearms" and are accepted for transportation only if shipped in accordance with UPS's requirements for shipping firearms.) "

Its interesting to note that some parts companies routinely ship stripped STI frames, and other pistol frames, by UPS Ground. Hmmm. <_<

Edited by sfinney
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Moved to the more appropriate forum.

Sounds like the original question has been answered. I'll leave this here and open for another day or so then move it to the closed firearm laws section to make it easier to find as a reference.

Thanks!

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