Can A Rifle Be Shipped For Repair?

Until I started scribbling and ranting for TTAG, I knew blest little almost how to send guns across the country.  I either bought them from a local dealer or borrowed them from my friends. 'Shipping' usually meant the bulldoze home from the store or said friend'south house. Since joining the ranks of TTAG scribes, however, my gun safe has seen a lot of temporary guests, and I've had to learn nigh one of the biggest costs and headaches in the gun-blogging concern: Shipping.

The Gun Control Human action of 1968 enacted a slew of Byzantine restrictions on the shipping of firearms. On the receiving end, this rule is pretty uncomplicated in practice: 'little people' like myself have to receive our internet-order guns past picking them upwardly from a local FFL holder and filling out a Form 4473. With one exception, only FFL holders and licensed manufacturers can receive firearms by postal service or contract carrier.

That exception is known as the 'gunsmith and manufacturing plant repair' exception: if y'all ship a gun to a gunsmith or factory for repair, they can mail it direct back to you. Many gunsmiths and manufacturers prefer to ship to your FFL, considering your FFL is always at that place to sign for the package when the UPS truck shows up.

On the shipping side, the rules get more complex. As a full general 'safe' dominion, civilians (non-FFLs) like us can only ship guns to licensed manufacturers and FFL holders. So you tin't mail your father's hypothetical shotgun directly to your brother in Nebraska simply because your dad left information technology to him in his will; it must be shipped to a hypothetical Nebraska FFL and then transferred to your hypothetical brother.

But that'southward just the Federal regulation. At the state level, depending on where the shipper and receiver live, information technology can become much worse because each country tin add their ain layer of regulations and restrictions to the process. California, Massachusetts and New York come to heed; if you're a shooter and happen to live there, my but advice (and null in this commodity constitutes legal advice) is to motion somewhere friendlier.

Once yous become by the Federal and state laws and beginning dealing with Federal Express, the U.s. Post, and UPS, information technology gets worse still. Each of these carriers has their own rules for who can transport what, to whom, and how. They all prohibit you from shipping guns and ammo in the aforementioned package (duh), and they all require that shipping boxes exist sturdy corrugated cardboard and not marked in whatsoever mode that shows that in that location's a firearm inside. You always accept to inform the carrier that you lot're shipping a firearm.

Shipping a gun the wrong way can be a felony crime, and so when in any doubtfulness yous should accept your FFL adjust the shipment; he'll know the finer points of the rules, and if there's a screwup it will exist his problem and not yours.

U.S. Postal Service

The U.S. Postal service allows civilians to send long guns to FFLs and licensed manufacturers, but prohibits civilians from shipping handguns period. FFLs and manufacturers can ship handguns cheaply through the Mail service, just we tin can't.

I wouldn't recommend fibbing and calling your Glock "Machine Parts" because it'southward a felony and you never know when a Postal Inspector will X-ray your packet under the excuse of "Transportation Security" and whisk you lot off to Guantanamo Bay.

UPS

The Big Brown Truck will evangelize your long guns and handguns to any FFL or manufacturer, but they've got one prepare of rules for FFLs and manufacturers, and another ready for the residual of us. They'll  deliver long guns relatively cheaply by footing shipment (although only inside the Lower 48 States) but handguns have to go by side by side-day air.

This isn't the law, it's but a UPS "policy." It's and so outrageous that if I were a adulterous man, I'd send handguns past UPS ground by calling them rifles, packing them in burglarize cases and calculation an onetime phone book at each end of the gun case for balance. Just I'm non, so I don't. And adept luck collecting on your package insurance if you lied on the announcement of contents and value.

Don't worry, there's a better fashion to cheat UPS out of their ill-gotten gains: go along reading.

Federal Express

FedEx allows civilians to send handguns and long guns anywhere the law allows, just they take to go past side by side-day air and information technology volition toll you a fortune: at least $100 to transport beyond the country. FFLs and manufacturers may send long guns past FedEx ground, merely not handguns.

FedEx' website states that they allow civilians to send long guns directly to gunsmiths and manufacturers for the purpose of repairs or customization, and that they tin can be shipped straight back to the civilian.

How To Relieve Money

What does all this mean? How can the Thrifty Shooter send his guns here and yon (to FFLs or manufacturers) without getting fleeced? Like any serious game, you've got to know the rules and play by them:

• Ship long guns yourself by USPS or UPS footing. It'southward non exactly 'inexpensive' but it's the best rate y'all'll become. Pack them securely using a shipping carton (gunsmiths have the boxes if you need them) and tell the shipper it's a rifle or shotgun. I always insure the guns I transport, since they're not my guns.
• Ship handguns through your FFL, and accept him ship them via the Postal Service. Even with the FFL's paperwork fee, y'all'll still save a bundle. If he charges too much, find some other FFL who wants your business: I pay $xx for the paperwork (which I consider fair) just I know of other FFLs in town who charge $10.
• If you must ship to Alaska or Hawaii, these strategies are more than expensive (because you can't simply drive guns beyond Canada, and they haven't finished the tunnel to Hawaii yet) but they're still the cheapest option.
• If you lot're aircraft a long gun to a gunsmith or mill for repair or customization, call FedEx for a ground shipping quote and remind them of their 'repair and customization' policy, which could save you an FFL paperwork fee.

Again, if you lot're in any dubiousness yous should ship through your FFL. A little coin saved isn't worth a lot of trouble with the Postal Inspector or the ATF.

Can A Rifle Be Shipped For Repair?,

Source: https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/tip-of-the-day-ship-carefully/

Posted by: ostermanthorthamme.blogspot.com

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