It might not seem like it, but shipping handguns or long guns is perfectly legal throughout the country. Of course, there are certain rules and regulations regarding all of this. Regular people have to ship firearms all the time, whether they are moving or are sending a gift to someone else. The three main carriers have different policies on firearms, but they do ship firearms. With that in mind, here are the basic details on shipping firearms through the mail.
FedEx, UPS, and USPS
First of all, each carrier will ship certain firearms. The United States Postal Service will only ship long guns, so don’t try to ship a handgun through the Postal Service. Both FedEx and the United Parcel Service ship long guns and hand guns. In all cases, persons who are shipping firearms must state that they are doing so or they could face felony charges. Also, firearms must be shipped to a licensed firearms dealer, even if the guns are meant for someone else. The recipient must then pick the firearms up at that dealer’s location. On the other hand, a person can ship their own guns to themselves if they are traveling somewhere within the state for hunting or something else.
Firearms must be shipped overnight to their destination. Also, individuals cannot use a drop box for any of these companies to ship their firearm. Failure to notify the company that a firearm is being shipped or attempting to send the firearm to a non-dealer can result in steep legal penalties. Therefore, nobody should try to risk doing anything with firearms when it comes to shipping them. No firearm can be shipped with ammunition either. Ammunition must be shipped separately and labeled as a dangerous item (USPS won’t accept ammunition).
Obviously, you shouldn’t just walk into a USPS, FedEx, or UPS office with a gun on your shoulder or just laying in your hands. Striking fear into everyone in that building is not the greatest idea. Anyways, you should package your firearms without any ammunition. Pack the boxes tightly to ensure that the firearms won’t move around. You should consider leaving the package unsealed when you go to any carrier’s shipping office in case a manager wants to inspect the firearm and package to make sure all regulations are met. In the end, you should have no problems packing your firearm and having it shipped.
More Legal Information
Both sender and receiver must be legally able to own a firearm. Obviously, the sender shouldn’t be illegally possessing the weapon. Sending a firearm to a legally ineligible recipient is a felony, and the person won’t be able to pick up the firearm from the dealer anyways. Also, the firearm has to be legal in both states. You obviously can’t ship an assault rifle to or from California if you aren’t a licensed dealer with proper clearances and permits. Make sure that you follow all laws in both states to ensure that you are legally shipping the firearm. Obviously, you don’t want to risk being arrested for shipping a legal firearm in your state to a state that outlaws such a firearm.
Shipping Firearms isn’t that Difficult.
Sure, some people might get a little worried if you walk into a UPS, USPS, or FedEx and say that you’d like to ship a firearm. It’s still legal nonetheless. Shipping firearms is a simple process for anyone, assuming that they know all applicable shipping procedures, state laws, and federal laws. On that note, don’t make the mistake of breaking the law just because you didn’t educate yourself on shipping firearms.
