[NaturalSelector]

i was under the impression private sales without an FFL had to be in person and could never be shipped... Only time you can ship a pistol via fed-ex or UPS is to the manufactuerer or to an FFL... I could be mistaken but I always thought this was the case.

 

[AGE]

Since you are no longer a Texas resident, you can't legally sell it to your buddy anymore. You will have to find a Texas dealer who will handle the transfer and you may need a local dealer to send it to the Texas dealer.

 

[Greyson]

Private sales are only within your state. If you wish to ever send a pistol
out of state it has to go through; or to, a dealer. This has been the rule
since 1968.

Long guns are a little different. You can buy a long gun in another state
and take possession immediately if you are on site. Otherwise you have
to ship it. And if shipped across state lines, must go through a dealer.

Now as for this police chief thing, first I ever heard of that. But who knows?
I am not LE. But it begs the question: if a police dept gets an order of
either long-guns or pistols from out of state are they shipped directly to
the department? But I digress from your question.

This does bring up an issue that I have seen a few times when shipping
or traveling with firearms: The people who you deal with (i.e. clerks)
will almost always give you wrong or illegal information. I have witnessed
a clerk simply make up s**t to my face about shipping firearms! I made such
a big stink that a higher up was forced to intervene and it was all settled.
Know your laws and regs before you walk up to the counter. It will save
you a lot of time and hassle.

"Never take a meeting unless you already know the outcome". --SunTzu

Regards,
Greyson

 

[jimbo]

Regarding shipment of handguns, the GCA allows you (as the owner) to ship a handgun to a gunsmith/gun company for repairs/work only. In addition, the GCA requires that you use a commercial carrier (UPS/Fedex/DHL) (note: commerical requirements for firearms shipments also apply). You, as a non-licensee, cannot use the USPS for the shipment of handguns in any situation.

Regarding transfers and sales, the GCA does not allow you to send (read: transfer) a handgun to another person in another state directly using commercial or USPS means. The GCA requires you to transfer handguns via FFL, unless you are conducting the transaction within the state in person (note: local and state laws also apply).

To amplify what Greyson already said, do not ever rely on the knowledge of a commercial shipping clerk when shipping firearms. Always do your homework and know the local, state and federal laws regarding the shipment or transfer of firearms before initiating the shipment or transfer. If in doubt, check out the BATF website or discuss the matter with a local Federal Firearms Licensee.

Knowledge is power!

Hope this helps.

 

[shocktroop]

Thanks for the scoop. He's gonna come and visit me next month, I'll hold on to it till them, Thanks again.

 

[EOD Guy]

Regarding shipment of handguns, the GCA allows you (as the owner) to ship a handgun to a gunsmith/gun company for repairs/work only.

Not quite. You can ship to a licensee for any lawful purpose.

 

[AGE]

Shocktroop,

Since your buddy and you no longer reside in the same state, it's a serious federal crime for you to sell it to him now even face to face. You have to sell it to him earlier before you moved. That's a little hard to do now. Otherwise you gotta go through a dealer in TX to make this legal.

 

[Jim Keenan]

You, as an individual, can legally ship a handgun via a common carrier (not by mail), to a Federal licensee in any state, for any reason. In your case, the gun is modern, so you should have your friend contact an FFL dealer in his home area and make arrangements to accept the gun. The dealer should send you a signed copy of his FFL.

Then you should be able to send the gun by common carrier to the dealer. He then transfers it to your friend, complying with all state and local laws, and charges a fee for the service. You should enclose a copy of the recipient's FFL, but you will need to keep the original signed copy to show the carrier that the shipment is to an FFL.

One of the FedEx offices might not understand, but a central office should do so. If worst comes to worst, contact a dealer in your area and have him ship the gun to the Texas dealer. He will, of course, charge a fee and shipping costs, but he can mail the gun, which is a bit cheaper.

Never ship a gun in a soft case or in a carrying case. Box it up in a heavy box, packed to prevent shifting, and seal it with heavy tape. You must advise the carrier that the box contains a gun, but the address label should not use the word "gun" or "firearms". (A package for the Jones Gun Shop, 1234 West Ave., can be addressed to "Jones, 1234 West Ave.", for example.

P.S. With all the hassle and costs involved, I hope you folks still think transferring that gun was a good idea. It would have been easier for him to just buy one from a local dealer and let you sell yours in your new state.

HTH

Jim

 

[jimbo]

Not quite. You can ship to a licensee for any lawful purpose.

This may be true on a federal level, however local and state laws vary and may be more restrictive. In NY state for example, you can only ship a handgun via common carrier to a smith or a manufacturer for alteration or repair.