Gun shipping question

T

TomF1938

New member
I have been selling off my collection of rifles and shotguns for the past several months. I know that any long gun being shipped out of state requires that I ship it to the buyers FFL.

My question is this - if I ship a long gun to a buyer within my own state, can I legally ship it directly to the individual that is buying the gun without going thru an FFL?

TomF
 
Under federal law you can ship directly to a person within your own state. However your state may have a restriction on this.

Being that your state is NY I would investigate state law. I wouldn't imagine NY allows private party sales without going through an FFL as I figure they would have closed the "gun show loophole".
 
Thanks for the responses guys. It's kinda like I thought - based on federal law, I can ship to an individual within my own state. I have spent hours searching the internet and have not been able to find a definitive answer regarding NY state law on the subject.

As a side note, I'd like to mention that it seems a lot of folks have a tendency to confuse NY city laws with NY state laws. NY state has no restrictions on long guns other than the ones imposed by federal law. There is no registration or permit requirements on long guns imposed by NYS. Even pistol carry permits are pretty easy to obtain if you live in the rural upstate counties. NY city is a horse of a different color. All long guns MUST be registered if you live within the 5 boros of NYC. Hand gun carry permits are just about impossible to get unless you're either a LEO, rich or have connection to local politicians.

I happen to live in a nearby suburb of NYC and I have no restrictions on long guns. I have a NYS carry permit that my county officials have added their own restrictions to. Although it is a NYS carry permit, my county rubber stamped a "to and from range and hunting" limitation on it.

My wife and I are planning to move from NY to the Carolinas - it's sure going to be a pleasure to reside in one of the "red" states for a change.
 
Also there's no federal law against shipping a handgun direct to an individual within the same state, however your state/local laws maybe be different but we can here in Texas. :)
 
As a matter of practicality, you probably won't be able to find a shipper that will do it, whether or not the shipment is legal, so I would make plans on an FFL transfer on the receiving end anyway.
 
So I can ship a gun in-state-either pistol or rifle. What are the federal regs regarding method of shipment? FexEx/UPS Overnight? I think a rifle can be mailed via USPS, can't it?
 
The only Federal regulation regarding an in-state shipment of a firearm is that a handgun cannot be mailed via the US Post Office by a non-FFL.

Federal law does not require any specific type of shipping, does not require the use of any particular company, and for in-state shipments does not require notification to the shipper that a firearm is being shipped.
 
To add to what NavyLT correctly stated, rifles and shotguns can go USPS, UPS, or FedEx ground. UPS ground is usually the cheapest of the three but not always. Some regional package delivery services will also handle firearms.

Be aware, however, that some company policies may affect your ability to ship the gun. AFAIK both UPS and FedEx prohibit the shipment of guns via unmanned drop boxes and franchised storefront shipping locations- including, confusingly, the very official-looking "UPS Stores". You can ship firearms via scheduled pickups or company-operated hubs, which are often located at commercial airports, but if you live in a rural area with no scheduled pickups and no commercial airport nearby, it will probably make more sense to ship USPS even if it costs a few dollars more.

Handguns must ship next-day air, but not long guns. FWIW this restriction has to do with company policies and nothing to do with federal law.
 
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