I am sure that this topic has been well gone over in other threads but here we go anyway. My understanding is that a non ffl shipper can ship a revolver to an ffl transfer dealer. The problem is that a lot of these shippers will not ship via an ffl and all the ffls in our area require them to be shipped from an ffl ( and insist it is the law for documentaion and recording purposes ). I am not disputing anyones interpitation here, only wondering what really are the requirements as I have missed out on some nice revolvers because the sellers would not ship from the afore mentioned FFL. I am not looking for opinions here but factual information. Of course some will ship through an ffl for an extra fee which I understand but alot of them will not.

True. But it must be through a common carrier (UPS/FedEx) and not the USPS.

I do not know if it is a law in Alaska or not. Give Wild West guns in Anchorage a call and see what Ken says. He will give you the straight scoop.

bob

(B7) May a nonlicensee ship a firearm through the U.S. Postal Service?[Back]


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? [Back]


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]

That's the law. The other problem is that you can't FORCE an FFL to do anything he does not want to do.
With the high cost of shipping common carrier, it is often cheaper to pay the FFL to ship USPS, which YOU can't do.

You can ship a gun to yourself, interstate- perfectly legal.

Any dealer can accept a firearm from a non-licensee (private individual) from any state, if the licensee is willing to accept it according to Federal law. State laws may vary though.

I'd suggest finding another dealer and verifying your state's laws on the subject, if any.
Tell him it is still a free market...at least for now.

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Lost it all in a boat accident

Around here (Georgia) some will and some won't. One that won't tells me that it is his insurance company's requirement. Others just go by the letter of the law.

Here some FFLs will and some will not accept from a non FFL, to complicate matters, some will sometimes, and for some people, and not others, or at other times.
The problem is that you can't FORCE an FFL to do anything he does not want to do.
So it would seem the answer is maybe and that’s final. Ask first!

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Ipsis Rebus Dictantitbus

One of the biggest problem is that most folks will walk in to a UPS "STORE" which is nothing more than a franchise,,,, who will NOT accept a firearm.. you MUST go to the UPS/FEDEX Main Hub and ship from there..

I spoke with two AFT investigators at my home this week. It is true that the FFL can set conditions for transfering firearms as long as it is not in violation of federal or state laws. Such as requiring reciept via carrier shipped only by a FFL. It is something that individual FFLs do to sure there is will no issue with the firearm's meeting NFA / GCA constraints.

An FFL who opens a box to find a controlled firearm such as a 'sawed-off' shotgun or a firearm without a serial number has opened a potential can of worms - there are very specific procedures for the FFL when this happens. AFT will be at the FFL's door very quickly.

Know that fines run to 10yrs in prison and upto $250K per each occurance. It is this risk that could be the causation for your local FFL's rerquirements.

I wonder if you have checked with enough of your local FFLs - Alaska has a rather large number of them, and some appear to be very small operations. Perhaps you should try phoning some of them - you can get a list at http://listings.shotgunnews.com/fflguide/