Guys, or girls I guess, I have a quick question I hope someone can answer for me.

I am in the middle of doing a trade with someone through the mail. They sent me a money order and a copy of their dealers FFL paper work. My question is what EXACTLY do I need the FFL paperwork for? Do I need to show the post office so they can verify it is going to a registered dealer, or do I need to send it inside the package, or does it need to go on the package? My post office has never mailed a firearm before so they don't really know either.

I need to mail them later today so I need to know what to do with the paper work. I also need to get the same paperwork from my dealer because he is shipping me a gun as well.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Paul

The FFL licence should be copied at least and you keep them for your records, and another copy in the box, in case the firearm is inspected. There is so many grey areas with this, its not funny. My FFL dealer says I have to bring the gun to him, and he keeps a copy of the FFL licence for his records, and he sends his FFL licence in the box to the recieving FFL, who keeps his licence. But I never bought that, but for the sake of simplicity, I have always did this.

But if you read carefully, you should be able to send the gun thru the PO, even though everyone of them in MD refuse. So basically do the best you can to get it to the recieving FFL. Any gun transported needs to have a licence with it.

paul, here is a excellent source for your question.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Support/SupportFAQView.asp?faqid=1118

You need to go to the BATF site and make sure that the dealer your sending it to is in business . It doesn't have to go in the package. Write File copy on it if not already don should you decide to include it. Type a letter and address it to the FFL with youir name and information and the serial # description and the transferee of this gun put it in thebox along with the gun. Make sure you insure it and write the serial number down on the insurance receipt.Make sure the gun is disassembled ..bolt out of the rifle . SHotgun doesn't matter. The FFL from our dealer should be sent in a separate envelope with a letter and payment for the gun in question. For more information go to the BATF site

https://www.atfonline.gov/fflezcheck/

Thanks guys, so basically I just have the paper work for my records and to show the post office if they request it. I called my post office to see if they needed to inspect the package before I shipped it and they said no, I can close it up and bring it in.

My dealer isn't sure about the copy of the FFL either because they always do it dealer to dealer. They were not even aware you could ship any gun on your own. My post office didn't know it either until I made them look it up.

Amazing how many people don't know their own jobs.

Paul

[Deleted by Admins]

I copy the FFL and keep it on file also I write a bill of sale and have it noterized then ship via UPS as stated before it is legal for an individal to ship a firearm to a ffl dealer, gunsmith,manufacturer etc. also I request that the copy of the FFL be signed in red ink chad

I don't know what Michigan law requires. You can reefernce that on the NRA state gun laws site.

But to comply with Federal law, you keep that signed FFL copy for your records. Then you ship the gun to the FFL holder, and when he receives it, he will make the NICS telephone call, and if the buyer passes the check, the dealer will have the guy fill out the federal paperwork, and state stuff too, if any. Then the gun can be delivered to the buyer.

You MAY have to show the postal clerk, or the clerk at UPS/FEDEX (depending on how you ship) the signed FFL so they can verify that the gun is being shipped to the address of a licensed dealer, per federal law.

I believe you CAN mail long guns via USPS. I don't think the post office can legally refuse to accept a long gun for shipment to a LAWFUL (read FFL holder or manufacutrer) recipient.

I shipped them already. What a PIA! It may be easy for some of you but I won't do it again. Simply not worth the hassle to me. And I agree the second time around would probably be less frustrating since I have a clue how to do it now, but still not worth the effort. It would have been much easier for someone to just come to my house, look at the gun/s, give me the money and everyone leaves happy. No paper work, no fee's, no postage or insurance. And no waiting. Or for what I spent on shipping I think I could have traded the guns in to the local dealer and ended up with about the same outcome.

I had three guns to sell, one I sold out right to someone local. He drove down, looked at it, we chatted a little bit and he went home with a gun, I went to bed with $150 in my sock drawer. Then someone on here PM'd me with a pretty good deal on my 17 and A-5. He wanted to buy my 17 and scope outright and trade me a new in box rifle for my A-5. That is what I was asking for the 17 and scope and the rifle is of equal value to what I was asking for my A-5. Probably could have gotten more on gunbroker though from what I have seen.

Keep in mind I wanted to sell these local, so I did not figure in any extra cost to the guns I was selling, just what I thought they were worth.

So the deal for the other two guns meant that I had to ship two guns, and receive one. I said if someone purchased two guns I would throw in a double gun case. The guy buying my guns agreed to send me a money order for my 17, then I would ship the guns. So then I had to find out what was involved in that.

Talked to 3 different gun shops, and the post office, got different answers from all of them[]. Finally figured out what really needed to be done and the post office agreed to ship them for me. So then I had to find a box that these guns and this big gun case would fit in. Um, not happening I had to make one. I did find a shipping place (postal plus) that would pack it for me, but said they wouldn't touch it for another week or two because of how busy they were. So ended up getting a bunch of boxes from a U haul place and making my own box.


My original plan was to go to my gun shop and get a copy of their FFL and send it with the guns I was shipping. When he received the guns and my FFL he would box his up and send it out. Sounds simple, but hold on things are never that easy for me.

I drive 20 miles to my gun store in a freakin' blizzard (was supposed to rain, not snow) and saw three wrecks on the way. I get to the gun store, which oddly enough is crowded in the middle of a weekday in a snow storm? Wait about half an hour or so to get waited on. And they didn't seem overly pleasant about the whole deal either, not mad, just like they could care less. Then I find out they will not give me a copy of their FFL, what they will do is mail it themselves to the guy that is shipping the gun to me. I can't have the copy and they know me, but they will send it to some dude they have never met?[>:]

And they won't send it until Monday, which is when he will receive my package. And I'm sure they won't over night it or send it priority mail like I would have. If they even remember to send it on Monday. And to top it off I had to pay for the transfer in advance, $35 and I don't even have the gun yet.

So now I drive back home, stopping at staples along the way to get some bubble wrap and to pack my gun up and ship them without the paper work I wanted to send with them. I see another wreck on the way home. I know I could have stayed home and done it the next day, but it wasn't that bad out when I left and I wanted to get them in the mail that afternoon.

I got the guys money order and paperwork from his FFL, put my stuff in the box and took it to the post office (this actually took a few hours). Over sized odd shaped box that weighed 32 lbs, $800 worth of insurance, tracking number and priority mail came to about $39 bucks.

So it cost me almost $100 bucks to ship two guns and receive one and I don't even know when I will get my gun? Not to mention the gas I used driving all over getting stuff and trying to figure what needed to be done. And the frustration. That is a hundred extra dollars I could have put towards a scope. Oh, and taking pictures of the guns, resizing them and posting them on the net.

While I don't think anyone got screwed, I certainly didn't think it out very well did I. Probably wouldn't have been as bad if I was only shipping one gun though.

I feel better getting that rant off my chest now. Now it's time to go scope shopping.

Paul

Oh, I will add that once the post office found out it was legal to ship a rifle they were no problem at all. Very helpful as a matter of fact. They did make me break down the guns though. I took the scope off the rifle, pulled the bolt out and removed the barrel from the shotgun. Then bubble wrapped all of it. I took a picture of it with my digital camera and showed it to them at the post office and they said that was perfect. I don't think they were going to check anyway to be honest.

Paul