Dual State Residency - can I ship to myself

G

GringoGrande

New member
I am not a FFL holder, but I do have a dual residency between Ohio and Florida. 1/2 a year in Fla and 1/2 a year in Ohio. I have a Ohio drivers license and a Florida Sate ID and a Ohio CCW as well as a Fla CCW. I have a home in each state that I own and pay taxes on.

The Question is: Can I ship a firearm (unloaded pistol) to MYSELF between the states w/o using an FFL holder to transefer the firearm to me in the receiver state?

Case in point: I fly back and forth all the time and the last time I flew Contenental with a firearm in check in baggage I was damn near marked as a terrorist when I did exactly as the law required for notification and airline certification. I had tons of checks and at luggage pick up had to hunt down an employee (1/2 hour) to get the baggage unlocked from a cage.

I was wondering if I just ship it to myself each way when I come and go, I can forego all the airline hoopla.

I hate the thought of leaving a second firearm in an empty house for half the year, hence the reason to travel or send it.
 
You can always ship to yourself.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/faq2.htm#b9
(B9) May a nonlicensee ship firearms interstate for his or her use in hunting or other lawful activity? [Back]

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.
Click to expand...

Good luck persuading a common carrier to accept eh package though.
They have their own policies.
 
Yeah, I was reading the rules and junk a while back and thought I saw that the only regular way to send a piece in the mail is to yourself...

You must be there to accept the package and to send the package I believe...

(F14) Who may ship handguns through the U.S. Postal Service? [Back]

Federal firearm licensees may send an unloaded handgun in the mail to another FFL in customary trade shipments. Handguns also may be mailed to any officer, employee, agent, or watchman who is eligible under 18 U.S.C. 1715 to receive pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person for use in connection with his or her official duties.

However, postal service regulations must be followed. Any person proposing to mail a handgun must file with the postmaster, at the time of mailing, an affidavit signed by the addressee stating that the addressee is qualified to receive the firearm, and the affidavit must bear a certificate stating that the firearm is for the official use of the addressee. See the current Postal Manual for details.

The Postal Service recommends that all firearms 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. (See also Questions B7 and B8.)

I am going to try and find the Postal side of this in a second...
 
Only FFL to FFL can use the post office.

The rest of us must use a common carrier, like Fedex or UPS.

They each have their own policies (including overnight rules) that run the cost way up.
 
and typically UPS nor FEDEX will accept a handgun for shipment to a non-FFL (even to yourself), so good luck. Best bet is to fly with it, usually there is no hassle at all. Also, since it is being shipped to an out of state non-FFL (yes, even yourself), you must, by Federal law, inform the carrier of the shipment containing the firearm, in writing. I've got no idea how to do that.
 
Brickeye: Thank you for the posting of the reference material via the ATF FAQ. That is what I was looking for. Now I have to see what carrier will do it.

For the three members who asked in a PM on how to get a dual residency. For my purpose, it was done via how long I live in each state. All states have a residency law/rule for obtaining things like drivers licenses, ID's, car plates and registraition, voting. Yep, you got it, I can vote twice legally, I even had my lawyer look into this paticular aspect.

You would have to check your state laws/rules for residency. Usually in days from like 90 to 240 a year.

To prove my state residency they required utility bills, bank statements, voting cards etc.

I can also purchase a firearm in either of the states (Ohio/Fla) I am in at the time, I just have to find a decent way to get em all back and forth.
 
LOL drive... that is close to a 20 hour trip if I drive straight through, normally a 2 1/2 - 3 day trip with stops and sleep overs in the Smokey Mountains and at South of the Border in SC. It is just 2 1/2 hours fly time and one day to get the guns by overnight to myself. I am not a young man anymore, long road trips do not appeal to me. Yes, I am about 1/2 year consecutive in each state. The airlines I fly truly treats you like a terrorist if you travel with a handgun in checked baggage, but their RT package is just $149.00 to Tampa and back.
 
I don't know the law but recently had to ship a gun to the manufacturer for a repair and other service. I placed it in the hard case it came in, unloaded of course, and then put that into a FEDEX box, and dropped it at a pickup center.
No Problem.

The gun manufacturer returned my gun via UPS. No FFL involved on my end to send or receive.

It only makes sense that you can ship your firearm to yourself as long as there is someone to sign for it.
 
How about obtaining a secure storage area and keeping guns at both locations and nor worrying about transporting them back and forth? Since you don't drive back and forth, do you keep vehicles at both locations? Locked in the vehicles a possibility?
 
I don't know the law but recently had to ship a gun to the manufacturer for a repair and other service. I placed it in the hard case it came in, unloaded of course, and then put that into a FEDEX box, and dropped it at a pickup center.
No Problem.

The gun manufacturer returned my gun via UPS. No FFL involved on my end to send or receive.
Click to expand...

You sent a gun to an FFL (the manufacturer), and they sent it back.

Some states place restrictions on having guns returned directly to the owner, but not the feds.


"...dropped it at a pickup center"

If the center was operated directly by Fedex fine, but if it was a a franchise location you violated Fedex rules.
 
NavyLT: I was thinking of leaving them at a gun shop there or the police station. I would feel uneasy of leaving guns in a storage locker for 4-5 months. I know some gun clubs have storage facilities as well.

Here in Sandusky I have grown kids that live at home so I do keep many here. It is the fla location I am more concerned about. I am going to try the shipping them to myself this week. I will report back how it went.

My brother drives with his, but he is younger than I am and can take those longer road trips. I can barely sit in a car long enough just top goto our cabin in PA and back in a car.

45gunner: Nothing about current firearms laws makes any sense to me, what seems logical to me, turns out to be damn near the opposit of what the laws are.
 
You should be fine with shipping them to yourself,

with that said... I would still check them while flying if for no other reason your local TSA folks at the airport seem to need the training.....

Out of all the choices given, I kind of like the idea of having guns at both locations.... there has to be a way to keep a few secure in Florida. I look more into that while down their this time.
 
Ok..... friday I UPS'd two psitols to myself overnite, I will be there today and my daughter is already there. UPS's accepted them as long as they were sent over nite, damn $37.00. They did tell me that many people send firearms to themselves in other states, she pointed out that many competition shooters do this.

My flight should be there in Tampa by 11:30am from Cleveland where I am driving to to fly out of with my brother.

I will report on what I find down there as a way of secure storage.

Catch ya all later..... time to get to the airport.

Wow, gee guys, I was a cop...... you think I cannot trust them ??? sheeesh

Personally local cops I trust, it is the State and Feds that kind of spook me on anything having to do with firearms and the general public. I have seen way too much happen over the last 20 years.
 
Safe flight and happy trails Gringo...

I don't know that I saw it in any of your previous post... where in Florida?

I've got some friends down there that might could help with storage. One friend on the Gulf cost has a storm room with about 500 guns in it, I think.
 
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