Mailboxes Etc. is anti-gun

F

FirstFreedom

Moderator
Please boycott & tell them why....

At least, according to an email I got from a fairly reliable source (but who knows for sure):


Hi All,

As just about everyone knows, I'm a journalist specializing in test and evaluation of firearms. I usually return test guns to their manufacturers via FedEx, which is "gun friendly" and gives a substantial discount to National Shooting Sports Foundation members, which is reason enough to use FedEx as opposed to UPS, which is anti gun.

That said, today I went down to the local Mail Boxes Etc to drop off a carbine I was returning to its manufacturer after test. I've been doing this for about two years, but the returns are usually handguns, so it isn't obvious what is in the box. This time, though, the clerk asked if there was a firearm in the box. I replied that there was and she replied that MBE would not accept firearms for shipment. I told her that if FedEx had no problem with firearms, why should MBE? At this point the manager came out and told me that it was MBE policy that they would not process firearms for shipment. I told him that I didn't understand this, given the "gun friendly" policy of FedEx. He said that was MBE policy, to which I responded that I would spread the MBE policy to every one I know in the hope that my many gun loving friends would vote with their feet and avoid using MBE.

So here it is, friends. All of you for the most part are firearms aficionados. The remainder are as politically incorrect as I am. Since the right of firearms ownership is guaranteed in the US Constitution, how does MBE justify refusing to ship them? Firearms are just like any other commodity; they are NOT innately evil. Firearms are inanimate objects like ball bats or knives. The evil is in the heart of the person who uses them for evil purposes, not in the objects themselves. As far as I am concerned, there will be sleet storms in Hades before I ever again darken the door of a Mail Boxes Etc facility. I hope that you will join me in boycotting Mail Boxes Etc (MBE) and I hope that you will help me spread the word about this left wing extremist company that categorizes inanimate objects as being innately evil.

Best regards,

Charlie Cutshaw
Click to expand...

Here's their website:

http://www.mbe.com/

Their address:

6060 Cornerstone Ct. West
San Diego, CA 92121-3795

And more contact info, including email addys & phone #s:

http://www.mbe.com/cs/cu.html

First, let's verify for sure that it's true. Then if it is, let 'em have it, boys! :) Anyone know Charlie Cutshaw personally?
 
Ya can't boycott somebody you don't use. There's an MBE not too far from me but there's a FedEx/Kinko's closer.

The FedEx store handled stuff back and forth to Robar and a couple of others. No issues.

However, I find on MBE's web site, under "about us":
Mail Boxes Etc.®, Inc. a UPS® company, is the world's largest franchisor of retail shipping...
Click to expand...
and
home1.jpg


is prominent on that page...

I don't know who Charlie Cutshaw is, but I would humbly submit that he has no clue whether he's standing in a UPS store or not.
...as opposed to UPS, which is anti gun.
Click to expand...

He was, fercryinoutloud, IN a UPS store. He should not have the nerve to look surprised. One has to know where one is before one can know where one is going.

FedEx's retail partner is Kinko's.


These are not the droids you're looking for.
Move along.
 
I shipped a rifle last fall from my local UPS Store and the guy was really nice. Boxed it up for me (at a price) and everything. I brought it into the store in its case and told him that was so he knew I wasn't robbing his store. He laughed. Not many folks rob around here with a lever action .22.:)
 
I once sent a UPS clerk scramping for regulation books which lasted about half an hour, after that he started calling people.

Not to mention that I also managed to clean out the entire line of 5+ customers who were standing behind me out the door by notifying the clerk that I have a firearm in the box.

Not a peasant experience. From that point on I let my FFL do the shipping for me.
 
UPS's policy is that they only accept firearms for shipment at their hubs. UPS stores and other ASO's (authorized shipping outlets, one of which i own, an independant mail and parcel center) are not allowed to accept any firearms for shipment through UPS. its not in their Rates and Services guide, but is outlined in the ASO Shipper Agreement. getting caught doing so can get your UPS account suspended or terminated effectively putting you out of business. while i would love to be able to ship firearms for my customers, its not worth risking losing my main source of income. i'm happy to package firearms up for my customers and give them directions to the local hub and explain the process required for shipping firarms. the problem lied in that store owners were not aware of firearms tranfer laws and were shipping firearms to other states without the appropriate FFL documentation and thus both customer and shipper/store owner were comitting felonies with each firearm shipped illegally. its a bummer, but that's the way it is.

Bobby

edit: MBE no longer exists. its the UPS store now and the franchisee is not the one to blame. its UPS corporate. like i said, its not worth it for the store owner to lose his account by not playing by UPS's rules. don't hold it against the owner/franchisee, its not their fault. write corporate. or actually, don't waste your time. they don't listen to squat anyway.
 
Let me see if I got this right: I'm supposed to boycott a busines based on information from "a fairly reliable source (but who knows for sure)" when that information is patently incorrect.

I don't think so! :rolleyes:

This should never have been posted without a minimal effort to ensure there was some validity to it.

This was just a waste of bandwidth.
 
No, it's not. Because if this gunwriter is well-known, as is claimed, then someone ought to know how to get a hold of him to verify it (or not). So, seeking out the truth is not a waste of time or bandwidth. If no one can verify it, then I'd say, you're right - don't bother with it. I probably should have put a question mark after "mailboxex etc. is anti-gun" instead of a period - that much is admitted. But my post made it clear that it's not yet verified, so as not to mislead you.
 
Well they may be anti gun but they are not anti ammo.I order in bulk so I normaly get multiple 60lb boxes with that "small arms ammo" stickers on them.
I can only imagine what the people at MBE must think but they never say anything other than "You have another heavy box".
When they stop accepting ammo or gun parts or the fed-ex place opens up closer then they will be getting the finger.
 
Note the first line of your post :" Please boycott & tell them why...."

You are calling for the members of this forum to inflict financial damage on a company on the basis of an email that you didn't even make a cursory effort to verify. A perfunctory search would have revealed that UPS bought MBE 5 years ago. That should have thrown up a red flag re: Fed-ex. You don't know the purported original author ("Anyone know Charlie Cutshaw personally?") nor did you attempt to verify if he did in fact author the included email before you called for a boycott.

The inadequate 1/4 - line disclaimer in the last line of your post certainly doesn't adequately balance the rhetoric in the remainder of the post and very probably would be overlooked by many readers.

Additionally, this thread quite possibly would open the owners of this forum to liability if the business was financially damaged and/or defamed by a boycott traceable to the forum; at the least, there would be legal fees accrued.
 
The odds of a successful legal action based on a boycott call are approximately slim to none. Especially when UPS is in fact not friendly to firearm shipping and that fact is well documented here and elsewhere. Also, a cursory Google reveals Cutshaws' probable credibility:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/03/special/world/sp_iraq_cutshaw040303.htm

http://www.taurususa.com/newsreviews/AHmayjune03_000.cfm

http://www.booktrail.com/Guns_Rifles/Legends and Reality of the AK.asp

etc...

Meanwhile, the veracity of the email is easy to discover and I'll let you know as soon as he lets me know. All very simple, rather than trying to silence someone else because...what? Why?
 
2nd Amendment,

The entire point is that this should have been verified PRIOR to posting, not after the fact. I have no problem with boycotting a business that has a policy that is at odds with what I hold dear. But to call for a boycott on the basis of something read on the internet or in an email that is purportedly originated from someone you don't know, and have not verified, is just plain wrong.

In the email cited in the original post, we have no idea if that email did in fact originate with the person who's name is at the bottom, there is nothing to indicate whether this occurred in the last 10 years, no location given so we don't know whether this was a corporate store or an independent franchise (should we punish a pro-gun store owner in Idaho for something that occured in Ohio?), and then there is the question of whether MBE offered Fed-ex services whenever this is purported to have occurred.

If Mr. Cutshaw is willing to step up to the plate and verify this story and provide missing details, then it becomes an entirely different issue. But until that happens, there is absolutely no way to verify that Mr. Cutshaw actually wrote that email.
 
FirstFreedom,

I owe you an apology for coming on so strong on this subject and being less than tactful.

There are many companies that have suffered financial damage from bogus rumors that are propagated on the internet, rumors that are often started maliciously or that have been distorted beyond all recognition from what actually occurred. This strongly offends my sense of right or wrong. In this case, upon reflection, I overreacted and handled it poorly and tactlessly. Again, I apologize and assure you that I did not mean to be offensive.

Don
 
here's UPS's official policy about shipping firearms from here:


https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/prepare/guidelines/firearms.html


Shipping Firearms

Special Procedures for Shipping Firearms

Use These UPS Services for Your Firearm Shipment
Firearms will be transported only between licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, and licensed collectors, as defined in the United States Gun Control Act of 1968, law enforcement agencies of the United States or of any department or agency thereof and law enforcement agencies of any state or department agency, or political subdivision thereof, and between persons not otherwise prohibited from shipping firearms by federal, state or local law and when such shipment complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws.


You must ship your packages that contain handguns with UPS Next Day Air Early A.M.®, UPS Next Day Air®, or UPS Next Day Air Saver® services
Your packages that contain firearms will not be accepted for shipment at UPS Drop Boxes, with UPS SonicAir® service, at locations of The UPS Store or any third-party retailer, or with international services.





Follow These Packing Requirements
Your packages that contain handguns must be separated from other packages being delivered to UPS
Ammunition cannot be included in your packages that contain firearms (including handguns)





About Documentation and Labeling
When you are shipping your package that contains a firearm with UPS, you must affix a UPS label requesting an adult signature upon delivery





Getting Your Firearm Shipment to UPS
You can only ship your package that contains a firearm from UPS daily pickup accounts and through UPS Customer Centers
When you are shipping a package that contains a handgun, you must verbally notify the UPS driver or UPS Customer Center clerk
You can use UPS daily pickup accounts to ship firearms, not including handguns, through UPS Internet Shipping, UPS On-Call PickupSM, and One-Time Pickup
Your packages that contain firearms will not be accepted for shipment at UPS Drop Boxes, with UPS SonicAir® service, at locations of The UPS Store or any third-party retailer, or with international services
See the terms and conditions in the UPS Tariff for shipping firearms

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again, don't blame the proprietor. we have rules to play by or we get spanked.

Bobby
 
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