USPS
 

Went to our local post office which is just a mile from my house to get stamps today and while at the counter I told the postal clerk that I planned to ship a shotgun out to Minnesota in the very near future. She rather quickly told me that they don't ship firearms. I didn't argue the point but I've read the US Code and the US Post Office is permitted to ship shotguns. Am I wrong? Is this now a discretionary policy with each US Post Office? I'll ship UPS but just curious about the Postal Service

That is ridiculous.

I was refused once & followed this advice. Shotguns and rifles are mailable subject to
specific rules. Best pratice is to print the appropriate sections and have them with you when you deliver the package. If refused be polite and ask for the supervisor . That’s all it took for my package to be accepted. Here’s the link

https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c4_008.htm

My opinion USPS a much better bet than UPS, don’t let one clerk chase you away.

William

USPS
 

I sign for firearms on almost a weekly basis that our Postal Carrier brings right into our store.

Just did it half an hour ago

You can legally ship a shotgun through USPS. YOU ARE NOT TO INDICATE IS A FIREARM. I shipped 2 shotguns to members last week. I signed that it was not a liquid, a hazard, or perishable. I was asked what I was shipping once and I stated a Giraffe.... that’s why I had such a long box.

I ship from the local post office near work and have never had a problem. Benefits of being in the deep south

yes don't tell, I ship usps all my guns and yes they do ship guns,
scott

I find this to be the most important of all of the regulations from the site:


433 Legal Opinions on Mailing Firearms

Postmasters are not authorized to give opinions on the legality of any shipment of firearms. Mailers requesting additional information should be referred to the ATF. Further advice and ATF contact information is available at http://atf.gov/firearms/faq/licensing.html.

Why even tell them that you are shipping a firearm??? It likely isnt your first rodeo doing it.

For domestic shipments, the post office should not be asking you what you are shipping, even if insuring it.

Best practices...

Never put anything on the box or in the address that even suggests there may be a firearm inside. Address it to a person, or an abreviation of the business name if it contains the word “gun” or anything similar.

To avoid any chance of hasstle at the counter from a rogue clerk, it is a good idea to just use the USPS click n ship offering on their website. You can process the shipment, insure it and print the label right online. You put the label on the box and drop it off at the counter/hand it to your carrier. No questions asked, period.

We have USPS and UPS accounts and print our own labels . The USPS we do have to take to the PO but UPS sends a driver before the close of buisness any day we print a label . I would say we ship around 350-500 guns a year via UPS shotgun rifles and handguns

Thank you one and all. Brian, ill follow up on your suggestion.

What Brian said; have shipped everything from a $19 used Crosman pellet gun to a $35K Holland & Holland over the last 40 years with my local USPS. They (the rouge clerks) have a right to ask but you are NOT duty bound under the law to tell them what's in your package (beyond answering their questions, "Is it liquid, flammable, explosive, contain perfume or have lithium or ion batteries, etc. ?" Favorite responses when pressed beyond these are (1) British lead toy soldiers, (2) depleted uranium sinkers for fishing, and (3) toxic hazardous waste in medical Ziploc containers for CDC Atlanta pilot study.

You can always say antiques, but the guy at my post office usually says "another gun? What you sending this time?" He is one of we people

Same here Mills but the one I deal with at UPS is a pretty young lady from the Atlanta area with hazel eyes and kinky black hair. When she sees the home made wooden box she knows right away and says about the same as your guy. She's really nice and even fills out all the computer stuff for me.





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Shipped the 16 ga VH to Bachelders this morning from the US Post Office located in Buzzards Bay. The postal lady just asked the standard questions. No problems, no issues, pkg is on its way.

I once shipped a nice double from a post office on a military base in Virginia. No problem. I returned the next week to ship another and met that "rogue clerk" you mentioned who told me they would never ship a firearm. Needless to say, he did not want to hear that it was ok last week! As the worm turns.......and those people work for us, the taxpayers!

In the past I generally shipped firearms via UPS with no issues what so ever. This time, I went to a different post office than the one where I had that encounter with the clerk I mentioned in my initial post on this subject. It does make one wonder how much discretionary latitude these 'rogue' clerks have or are they operating on instructions from their office manager. But as you say, we pay them. They should be operating within the limits of the USC code for postal operations.

few things are worse than a small mind with big power

Or prejudices that spill over onto the manner in which they serve the public.





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I simply say I would like to see the post master. This has solved the problem both times I have run into THAT civil servant.

PML

I know that a lot if folks swear by the USPS..............I swear at them:)I hate shipping guns with them and I will not anymore. There tracking system is a total joke and simply does not work half as well as the UPS Tracking System. I have found UPS to be spot on in every regard. Nope, no USPS for me:bigbye:

and that is where the people come in - all the staff at the post office i go to (small town and closest but not my zip code) are great - and even though i am only in there maybe every other week for something, the post mistress knows me by name and is always asking questions about our historic house

the local UPS office staff is gruff - intrusive and anti gun- they actually told me that an non inletted stock blank for a muzzleloader could only be shipped to an FFL


its the people

The tracking is enough to get by on, I like how they take care of what I ship and the ease of shipping and I like the long hours of operations . also sat deliveries, you can have the brown gorillas ,but not for my guns, I always request sellers to ship via USPS to me when I buy a new gun.
scott

USPS Registered Mail is, IMHO, the safest way to ship a long gun. The packages are kept in a locked area and are signed for at each step of the delivery.They also, as I remember have the highest limit on insurance, $50,000. at rate of $1.55 per thousand.

The one downside is that it is a bit slow and you must use paper tape over a brown paper wrapper so that can stamp it every six inches. I have never had a problem with a postal worker, except that they are not thrilled with all the stamping-and I live in California.

I’ve always shipped Priority with signature delivery and have never had a problem.. Pack it really, really good and never tell anyone what I’m shipping.

USPS is my favorite, but I love in a rural area and in all honesty I wouldn't be surprised if our postal lady had a gun under the counter.

FEDEX isn't bad just pricey.

UPS I can't stand. Especially with the issues I have had with items not updating in their tracking. I have had guns delivered with the UPS tracking still saying a pickup has been scheduled tracking will be provided when package is picked up and scanned....

I used the UPS store for a few years and the last time used them the owners mother said no firearms shipped from this store anymore.I went to the post office and the clerk said show me a copy of your FFL and it was no problem after that,and a lot cheaper then the UPS store. J.J.

If you were shipping a long gun no ffl necessary

If I had to ship UPS I'd have to drive to there depot in Chantilly Va.with gun in an open box so they see what I'm shipping with a copy of my FFL,I take the USPS any day.That old lady at the UPS store did me favor. J.J.

If you ship the amount we ship it's rather pain free having our own UPS pickup from the shop and no bullshit questions . But then we are a gun/gunsmith shop so what would one assume we're shipping .

And to be totally honest our local post office is 100% INEPT :cuss: