Shipping M&P Shield firearm to myself.

[RHall1340]

Hi all,

I'm going to be heading to Milwaukee from Central Florida in a week for the Harley 110th Anniversary.. My bike was shipped up there and I will be riding it home. I've heard I can ship a pistol to myself in another state, has anyone had any experience with this? It sounds like UPS and Fedex will do it but not USPS.

I've been told you need to overnight ship it and and an adult must sign for it but they should not open it. I'd like to ship it to my mother's house in Wisconsin and pick it up when I get there and avoid the hassles of checking it through the airline (And having to purchase a case for it, etc.)

Unfortunately Wisconsin and Illinois don't allow concealed carry for Florida residents but the rest of the states I will be traveling through recognize my Florida permit. Anyways, any recent experiences with this would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Rastoff]

Handguns must be shipped by common carrier unless you are a FFL holder. Do you know an FFL holder who could ship it for you?

 

[robkarrob]

Q: May a nonlicensee ship firearms interstate for his or her use in hunting or other lawful activity?

Yes. A person may ship a firearm to himself or herself in care of another person in the State where he or she intends to hunt or engage in any other lawful activity. The package should be addressed to the owner. Persons other than the owner should not open the package and take possession of the firearm.

From the ATF website:

Firearms - Frequently Asked Questions - Unlicensed Persons | ATF



Bob

 

[InTheWoods]

While legal, the biggest challenge will be trying to find a shipper that will actually do it.

 

[jonesy814]

UPS requires that either the shipper or the receiver have an FFL. They will require a copy of the license or the license number. The exception is if you are shipping to a manufacturer, or they are shipping it back to you

 

[hsguy]

I have found that flying with a firearm is not a big issue at all. As far as buying a case, it will probably cost a lot less than the cost of shipping the gun.

 

[Rastoff]

I've flown with long guns before, but never a handgun. I know it has to be in a locked case, but can you then put that case in another checked bag?

 

[RobzGuns]

I've flown with long guns before, but never a handgun. I know it has to be in a locked case, but can you then put that case in another checked bag?

Checked, as in checked in at the counter... yes. That's part of the guidelines.
It's been a while since I've read through the list, but it's basically the pistol in a Hard case, Unloaded, Locked (with a TSA approved lock that only you have a key for?) No ammo in the same hard case as the pistol, Inside another piece of luggage that has been checked in. IIRC... more than one pistol in the same bag is okay, as long as each pistol is in its own hard box.

Guidelines can differ slightly from one airline to another, so you'd need to find out the specific guidelines for the one you're traveling. Other than the cost of the hard box and lock, there hasn't been an extra fee for checking a pistol with your luggage (unless it's heavy enough to cause an extra weight charge).

 

[N4KVE]

I have worked for car dealers & UPS stops by every day. If the OP needs to send a gun to himself which is legal, send it from work. The UPS driver doesn't ask questions. No one needs to be a FFL, as there is no transfer of ownership. Besides, if you send it to a FFL, you won't be able to pick up the gun, as you won't have a DL in the destination state.

 

[PeterWD]

Shipping a handgun to oneself

I suppose the question goes, is it worth the risk to be carrying a handgun around in a state where an out-of-state resident doesn't have a permit or right to carry. Or do you mean something else?

 

[RHall1340]

I suppose the question goes, is it worth the risk to be carrying a handgun around in a state where an out-of-state resident doesn't have a permit or right to carry. Or do you mean something else?

I wouldn't carry it concealed until I returned to a state my license is approved in. I'm mostly concerned about the ride home through some backwoods country areas.. I'm leaning toward perhaps checking it in with the airline.

 

[Ransom]

I wouldn't carry it concealed until I returned to a state my license is approved in. I'm mostly concerned about the ride home through some backwoods country areas.. I'm leaning toward perhaps checking it in with the airline.

I've flown with my Shield. There was a little extra waiting during check-in, so leave time for that--maybe 10-15 minutes. I put it in a GunVault NV300 NanoVault with Combination Lock ($30 on Amazon). The ammo was in the same piece of luggage in a cardboard box. In St. Louis they opened the NanoVault but on the return trip in New Orleans they only X-rayed the luggage without opening it. It was easy enough that I'll probably do it again on my next trip.

I think it's a good idea to take your gun with you on your trip. Fortunately only a small portion of it will be in Wisconsin and Illinois. I'll be taking my Shield on a motorcycle trip next month in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas--no airlines involved.

 

[bmyers]

Actually, Illinois does allow carry conceal from out of state permits. Check the new Illinois law, if you are an out-of-state resident with a carry permit, you can legally carry in your vehicle only while traveling through the state. You may NOT carry anywhere outside of your vehicle.

From ISP website:

No. Out-of-state residents who want to carry a concealed firearm on his/her person must obtain an Illinois Concealed Carry License to lawfully carry a concealed firearm in Illinois. In order for out-of-state residents to be eligible for an Illinois license, their state's concealed carry license laws must be substantially similar to those of Illinois. The Illinois State Police will establish rules to identify the elements necessary to meet the substantially similar requirement.

However, out of state residents are granted a limited exception to lawfully carry a concealed firearm within a vehicle if they are eligible to carry a firearm in public under the laws of his or her state or territory of residence and are not prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm under federal law. This rule becomes effective immediately.

If the non-resident leaves his/her vehicle unattended, he or she shall store the firearm within a locked vehicle or locked container within the vehicle in accordance with subsection (b) of Section 65 of the Firearm Concealed Carry Act.

 

[dullh]

The only time you have to ship through a dealer is when the ownership of the pistol is changing. If you're shipping the pistol to a shop for custom work or back to the manufacturer for warranty work, no dealer is required and the recipient can ship it directly back to you. Shipping it to your self in a jurisdiction where possession by you is legal is the same thing and you do not have to go through a dealer. The only thing you should make sure of is that the recipient at the other end is legally eligible to possess the type of firearm you are shipping to them to keep for you until you arrive (unless you think you're going to get up there before the gun does somebody will have to receive it on your behalf). I wouldn't ship it to a dealer up there because that dealer would legally have to log it in and transfer it back to you, something that ain't going to happen since you're not a resident of that state...

 

[shawn mccarver]

I do not pretend to pass on the legality of this, but one friend uses Fed Ex overnight to ship to himself care of the hotel where he will arrive. The outside is marked "hold for guest" or something like that and he says there have never been any questions asked at either end.

He puts the firearm in a little Nano vault so as to limit the possibility of tampering and the ammo is in boxes in bubble wrap. Both are packed in the parcel, along with a roll of packing tape and a return label, pre-addressed to himself.

When he is ready to return home, he packs everything up and affixes the return label. He leaves it with the hotel and schedules the pick up. He has a Fed Ex account, so there are no payment issues. He says he has never had any problems.

 

[Rastoff]

Yes, shawn, that is a good and legal way to do it.

 

[SmurfHunter]

I do not pretend to pass on the legality of this, but one friend uses Fed Ex overnight to ship to himself care of the hotel where he will arrive. The outside is marked "hold for guest" or something like that and he says there have never been any questions asked at either end.

He puts the firearm in a little Nano vault so as to limit the possibility of tampering and the ammo is in boxes in bubble wrap. Both are packed in the parcel, along with a roll of packing tape and a return label, pre-addressed to himself.

When he is ready to return home, he packs everything up and affixes the return label. He leaves it with the hotel and schedules the pick up. He has a Fed Ex account, so there are no payment issues. He says he has never had any problems.

Sounds good to me

 

[CA Escapee]

I've flown with long guns before, but never a handgun. I know it has to be in a locked case, but can you then put that case in another checked bag?

Yes, you can. I've always done it that way. Be sure it's unloaded with no magazines in the mag well and declare it at the luggage/ticket counter, NOT at curbside check in.

You can also have eleven pounds of ammunition in your luggage, too. ( I guess that's in case you miss a lot.)

Bill

 

[CA Escapee]

I've flown with my Shield. There was a little extra waiting during check-in, so leave time for that--maybe 10-15 minutes. I put it in a GunVault NV300 NanoVault with Combination Lock ($30 on Amazon). The ammo was in the same piece of luggage in a cardboard box. In St. Louis they opened the NanoVault but on the return trip in New Orleans they only X-rayed the luggage without opening it. It was easy enough that I'll probably do it again on my next trip.

Another couple of data points for the listening audience, Southwest in Burbank, CA inspects the firearm at the ticket counter, "to make sure it's unloaded." (Right, they look at it, but never touch it.) Then, it's sent to TSA. You have to wait with your key for them to open it if they request it. (they do)

Southwest in Denver doesn't open the case. You and your firearm are escorted to TSA where it's never opened, but placed in what looks like an MRI scanner.

Bill

 

[Rastoff]

Another couple of data points for the listening audience, Southwest in Burbank, CA inspects the firearm at the ticket counter, "to make sure it's unloaded." (Right, they look at it, but never touch it.) Then, it's sent to TSA. You have to wait with your key for them to open it if they request it. (they do)

Southwest in Denver doesn't open the case. You and your firearm are escorted to TSA where it's never opened, but placed in what looks like an MRI scanner.

Bill

This "MRI" device is a more powerful xray machine. They have one at most large airports. LAX has one, but BUR doesn't. This doesn't prevent the airline attendant from asking to see the gun. It's not standard practice one way or the other. One time I was asked to open the case and another I wasn't. Both of those were at LAX where they have the "good" machine.

The xray is operated by TSA and what they do is completely separate from the airline.