
Have Gun will Travel (part two)
Shipping your Firearms out of state? Here’s a look at the options, from FFLs to the Post Office to UPS.
Story and Photos by Nick Perna
For example, the US Postal Service and
FedEx do not allow its customers to ship
handguns, while UPS does.
In a perfect world, this would be as simple and routine as shipping household goods. In some ways, it is; in others, it’s not. The major issue is the legality of shipping firearms. You have to contend with the firearms laws in the location you’re shipping from, the firearms laws at your ultimate destination, and the federal laws governing the process.
Negotiating this “triple threat,” the myriad complex laws throughout the process, can make this a difficult task. Does the state you are shipping from allow interstate gun shipments? Does the destined state allow it? Is the firearm legal to possess in the state you are shipping it to? The questions go on and on, and answers can be hard to come by.
The red tape increases even more when shipping firearms out of the country. But it’s less difficult when shipping hunting firearms to countries where Americans often go to hunt, like Mexico and parts of Africa and South America. I recently went through the process of shipping a firearm from one state to another, so I have relevant experience in this area.

high-impact plastic or metal lockable
container is the way to go. Be sure to place
this into a nondescript box so as not to
attract thieves.
More on that in a bit. Gun stores can also be a good source of information since they routinely ship and receive guns from different states and countries. What gets confusing is trying to determine the difference between shipping a firearm to yourself as opposed to transferring it to another person, or even transferring it to yourself.
In some jurisdictions, they attempt to use the terms interchangeably when, clearly, they have different meanings. The safest bet is involving a Federal Firearms License owner in the process, preferably on the receiving end. For anyone unfamiliar with FFLs, it is a license issued by the federal government to sell firearms to those who are allowed to legally possess them. They can also facilitate transferring ownership of firearms, like when you want to purchase a firearm from another firearm owner, and you need to get it registered in your name. FFL owners are also in the business of shipping firearms.