Local Post Office refuses to ship long gun?

[Wild Walt. 92206]

Has anybody ever had their local post office refuse to ship a long gun from a private individual to a FFL Holder?

I am under the impression that they cannot do that as long as it is going to an FFL holder.

I do believe that they can open it up (although they have never done it for me) to verify that it is not loaded.

It sounds to me like a local post master is trying to impose her will and beliefs on the customers.

I am kind of thinking that I would call BS and notify her supervisor.  If that did not work, I would go up the line until I got the proper results.

 

[Eyesa Horg]

Check out the USPS web site. I believe the Statute is there. I also believe it fine to mail a long gun.

[Three Foot Johnson]

It is legal to ship a long gun through the United States Postal Service. It is not legal for them to refuse to do so.

[El Hombre Sin Nombre]

I just shipped a long gun through the post office the other day. One advantage of the big city and its impersonal customer service is that the topic never came up. I handed them the box, answered the questions on the screen, paid the fee, and was on my way. The customer service person sat behind thick bullet proof glass the whole time. If anything ever came up, I would be honest and say I never had the opportunity to disclose that it was a firearm. I am not sure you even have to. I couldn't find anything saying as much on the usps website.

[Chili Ron]

Howdy,

Try a different agent, different time of day?

Maybe different Post Office?

Pinheads hate being called Pinheads.

Best

CR

 

[J-BAR #18287]

40 minutes ago, Wild Walt. 92206 said:

 

I am kind of thinking that I would call BS and notify her supervisor.  If that did not work, I would go up the line until I got the proper results.

 

 

Good for you.  Please do so.  Be nice, be respectful, be able to quote the applicable postal regulations.  Bureaucrats  occasionally need reminding who they work for, and the need to follow their agency’s rules.

[Pat Riot]

I would ask for the Post Master. I was in a similar situation with gun parts. They asked me what was in the box. I said "gun parts". They sid they couldn't ship. I asked for the Post Master. The Post Master ordered them to ship it. Done.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Is this a contract store? They can refuse because they will not any safe storage.

OLG

[Wild Walt. 92206]

Nope, it was the local Post Office.

The postmaster told him that they would not ship it.

If it would have been me, that rifle would have went out that day.  I would not have left until it was resolved.

[Rye Miles #13621]

I got refused at my local post office and got into it with the manager there! I went to the post office in the next town, (5 miles away) and they shipped it no problem! Not all post offices and their managers are created equal!

[Muleshoe Bill SASS #67022]

USPS Publication 52:

432.3 Rifles and Shotguns

Except under 431.2, unloaded rifles and shotguns are mailable. Mailers must comply with the rules and regulations under 27 CFR, Part 478, as well as state and local laws. The mailer may be required by the USPS to establish, by opening the parcel or by written certification, that the rifle or shotgun is unloaded and not ineligible for mailing. The following conditions also apply:

1. Subject to state, territory, or district regulations, rifles and shotguns may be mailed without restriction when intended for delivery within the same state of mailing. These items must:
   1. Bear a “Return Service Requested” endorsement.
   2. Be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
2. A rifle or shotgun owned by a non-FFL may be mailed outside the owner‘s state of residence by the owner to himself or herself, in care of another person in the other state where he or she intends to hunt or engage in any other lawful activity. These mailpieces must:
   1. Be addressed to the owner.
   2. Include the “in the care of” endorsement immediately preceding the name of the applicable temporary custodian.
   3. Be opened by the rifle or shotgun owner only.
   4. Be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
3. Mailing of rifles and shotguns between licensed FFL dealers, manufacturers, or importers are not restricted. The Postal Service recommends that these items be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
4. Rifles and shotguns may be mailed by a non-FFL owner domestically to a FFL dealer, manufacturer, or importer in any state. These items must be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
5. Except as described in 432.3a, licensed curio and relic collectors may mail firearms meeting the definition of curios or relics under 27 CFR 478.11 domestically to licensed FFL curio and relic collectors in any state. These items must be mailed using a class of mail, product, or Extra Service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery.
6. Firearms meeting the definition of a rifle or shotgun under 431.4 which are certified by the curator of a municipal, state, or federal museum, which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest, may be accepted for mailing without restriction when mailed between governmental museums.
7. Air guns (see 431.6) that do not fall within the definition of firearms under 431.1a are mailable. A shipment containing an air gun with a muzzle velocity of 400 or more feet per second (fps) must include an adult signature service under DMM 503.8. Mailers must additionally comply with all applicable state and local regulations.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I honestly think I would call the NRA and let their legal eagles jump in.

 

I don't like this crap some of these folks are doing, like creating laws and regs that have no merit nor foundation.

Nip it in the bud.  

 

..........Widder

 

[Lawdog Dago Dom]

It's just getting dumber and dumber. Soon magazines(publications) with a gun on the cover will have to be shipped with a plain brown wrapper. Had a girl with blue hair (not a senior citizen-a neon shade of blue) refuse to send a reloading press back to Dillon for repairs because it was "firearm related."This was at a UPS Store. My fault for being honest. Should have said it was a press to make Hillary buttons.

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

Nearly every time I shipped one I was told I couldn't because I wasn't an FFL.  I told they needed to check their regulations, one went and got the Post Master but I ultimately was able to ship every time. Most just don't know their regulations and use RO-3 

 

Randy

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

56 minutes ago, Wild Walt. 92206 said:

Nope, it was the local Post Office.

The postmaster told him that they would not ship it.

If it would have been me, that rifle would have went out that day.  I would not have left until it was resolved.

That is just wrong-The USPS has the FFL data base in their system. Just as FedX and UPS does.

Did the PM say why he refused an item that is legal to ship?

I wouldn't let this clown, get away with this......

OLG

[charlie two feathers]

Had the same problem with our local post office a couple years ago. The woman in charge didn't want to hear anything just told me to leave or talk to the local police. I just do my business with FEDEX

[Lead Friend, SASS #53635]

I print the page from the USPS website so their logo and website address is visible and then highlight all the relevant passages and take it with me every time I go to the post office to ship a long gun. I’ve never had to show it. If nothing else it’s a talisman.

[Tyrel Cody]

36 minutes ago, Lead Friend, SASS #53635 said:

I print the page from the USPS website so their logo and website address is visible and then highlight all the relevant passages and take it with me every time I go to the post office to ship a long gun. I’ve never had to show it. If nothing else it’s a talisman.

This is brilliant!

I've had to pull it up on my phone one time and that was a pain.

[Frontier Lone Rider]

I was shipping two pistols via FEDEX one day and a man from Iran was asking about shipping a package back home.  The agent told me they are not allowed to ask what is in the package?

[Tucker McNeely]

My post master tried to tell me no.  I kept pushing the issue while citing the USPS regulations.  She called the Omaha office and was promptly set straight.  Firearm shipped.  They can’t tell you no when the regs say yes.  Keep going up the chain.  Eventually someone will get smart before their job is in question.

[Sedalia Dave]

20 minutes ago, Lone Rider, SASS# 73063 said:

I was shipping two pistols via FEDEX one day and a man from Iran was asking about shipping a package back home.  The agent told me they are not allowed to ask what is in the package?

 

27 CFR 478.31 states that you are in violation if you do not provide notice that the container you are shipping contains a firearm.

[Major BS Walker Regulator]

Was told one time at a fedex location I could not ship pistols when I had shipped from that location before. Walked out of that location drove several miles to the next closest store and shipped it .

[Sixgun Sheridan]

I have a family member who works for the Post Office. When hired she was required to read the official manual, which is thicker than an unabridged dictionary. Most postal workers do not read or memorize it beyond what is required to pass the pre-employment exam and never learn any of the rules beyond what they deal with on a daily basis. I would assume FedEx is the same way, because one time I had the same problem shipping a handgun and had to deal with the ignoramus behind the counter who said they couldn't do it.

[PaleWolf Brunelle, #2495L]

3 hours ago, Lone Rider, SASS# 73063 said:

I was shipping two pistols via FEDEX one day and a man from Iran was asking about shipping a package back home.  The agent told me they are not allowed to ask what is in the package?

 

2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

27 CFR 478.31 states that you are in violation if you do not provide notice that the container you are shipping contains a firearm.

 

UPS regs also state:

"When you are shipping a package that contains a handgun, you must verbally notify the UPS driver or UPS Customer Center clerk."

 

[Matthew Duncan]

Why did the Post Office know you were wanting to mail a long gun?

[Sedalia Dave]

1 hour ago, Matthew Duncan said:

Why did the Post Office know you were wanting to mail a long gun?

 

Federal law requires you to tell the carrier that you are shipping a firearm.

[Shotgun Willie Nelson]

I was shipped two H&K 92A's back in the early 90's and had a COD on them. I think it was like $1600 for both of them and I paid the UPS driver in $100 bills. After I paid for them, he asked me what was in the boxes. I answered, "Machined parts."

"Oh, I though it was something like that."

[Shooting Bull]

12 hours ago, Lead Friend, SASS #53635 said:

I print the page from the USPS website so their logo and website address is visible and then highlight all the relevant passages and take it with me every time I go to the post office to ship a long gun. I’ve never had to show it. If nothing else it’s a talisman.

 

I do this every time.  I also take a copy of the FFL I'm shipping to.  Yes, it's already in their data base but I'd rather be safe than sorry.  It's paid off numerous times when I've run into characters like in the OP.  One little trick I've learned is to make sure you address the package exactly as it appears on their FFL.  Any deviation at all can lead to problems.  It doesn't matter one bit if they're known world wide as Gus's Gun Garage, if their FFL says Frank's Firearms Factory you darn sure better have the package addressed to Frank's. 

 

Slightly off topic: This same tactic applies when flying with firearms.  Doesn't matter what you've been told over the phone, when you get to the airport you'll have to deal with a real live person who probably doesn't know their own policies.  Having a copy of those policies goes a long way toward educating them and saves you a LOT of hassle.

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

A little over two years ago I shipped out a stripped down bolt, and rifle barrel & action out to have the barrel relined. No possible way could that have been loaded and fired. The man at the post office only asked me if there was anything dangerous in the package. I simply said "no unless you consider a piece of pipe dangerous?" He said nope and shipped the package.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

12 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

27 CFR 478.31 states that you are in violation if you do not provide notice that the container you are shipping contains a firearm.

Yup!

The 'ship-to' address in the USPS data base comes up as a FFL also.

OLG

 

 

[Westwood Willie]

I just shipped a Stoeger back to Benelli yesterday via UPS. She asked what was in the box, as they always do, and I said "gun parts,  unassembled shotgun".  They were happy with that and off it went. Again UPS.

WW

[Sgt. Saywut]

I had very different experiences at two post offices when shipping a rifle.  At the first one a few years ago, the postal employee balked when I told her it was a rifle.  She got the post master, who told me they would not ship any firearms from an unlicensed individual, period.  I tried telling her it was OK for me to ship a rifle as long as it wasn’t an SBR, but she didn’t believe me, and I didn’t have the regulations printed out so I decided not to waste any more time and left. 

 

My second experience at the other post office was rather uneventful. When I put the box on the scale, the following dialogue ensued:

 

”Hi, this is a firearm.  A rifle.”

 

”It’s a rifle?”

 

”Yes.”

 

“Is it unloaded?”

 

”Yes.”

 

”OK, we can do that.  Here are your shipping options...”

[Frontier Lone Rider]

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 10:49 PM, Lone Rider, SASS# 73063 said:

I was shipping two pistols via FEDEX one day and a man from Iran was asking about shipping a package back home.  The agent told me they are not allowed to ask what is in the package?

I had a FFL if that would have become an issue.

[Matthew Duncan]

On March 28, 2018 at 8:14 AM, Sedalia Dave said:

 

Federal law requires you to tell the carrier that you are shipping a firearm.

UPS & FEDEX regs require.  I wasn't aware USPS too

[Tennessee williams]

     If you're shipping a long gun via post office to non ffl it has to be going in state. If you're shipping out of state, it needs to go to an ffl.

     I was actually calling my local one to get a quote on a long gun. I was told I couldn't do it. I asked the clerk to look at the poster right behind her(its a one clerk office). It showed what was allowed. She still said she couldn't do it so I asked her to call her post master and call me back. When she called back, she said "I told you so", the post master said no. I said tell her to call her boss or I will. Within 10 minutes I had a grovelling clerk begging forgiveness. Felt a little sorry for her but not much. I could tell she was very liberal and wanted everybody else to be too.