Shipping Firearms within the USA
Firearms are a serialized and deadly weapon, and you can’t always just ship them like a card to grandma. It can seem confusing or intimidating and for good reason. We recognize a few scenarios and try to outline some rules below. Keep in mind, these rules could change, and it is always good to check at the time of shipment to make sure you are following the law.
Shipping Firearms Purchased from Shedhorn Sports
Shedhorn Sports puts our entire inventory of firearms for sale on our website. Firearms are listed on an almost daily basis, and you are able to search by caliber, manufacturer, and other filters. While you cannot make a direct purchase online at this time, you are able to email us 24/7 at inquiry@shedhorn.com or call us at 406-682-4210 during open hours to make the purchase. If you live far enough away that a visit to the store to pick up your gun is not feasible, we will ship the firearm for a $50 shipping fee per firearm to the lower 48 states. Due to the requirement of a background check, the firearm cannot be directly shipped to your home, and it will need to be shipped to an FFL dealer (Federal Firearm Licensed dealer). You have a choice of any FFL that is active; it is likely the one closest to you in your state or one that you are already familiar with and like to deal with. You will perform your background check at the FFL where the gun will be shipped. The same process applies if you visit the store and find the gun you’ve been searching years for but you either cannot or do not want to take it with you. You will pay for it plus a $50 shipping fee, and we will ship it to an FFL in your home state. It is really just that easy!
Note: Under federal law, all background checks for handguns must be performed in your home state. I.E. if you find a handgun you like while visiting Shedhorn from out-of-state, we must ship it to an FFL in your home state.
Shipping Firearms Purchased Online to Shedhorn Sports
We understand we are not the only gun dealer and buying guns is fun! So many of our customers and other locals will make gun purchases online and choose Shedhorn Sports as their FFL dealer for shipment. When you purchase a firearm from an FFL (online or storefront retail store), you will let that FFL know where you want your gun shipped and that FFL will contact us to obtain our FFL information for shipment. In this scenario, the FFL receiving the firearm will typically charge a transfer fee due to the time it takes to process the firearm in as an acquisition and then the disposition and background check. Shedhorn Sports charges a $50 transfer fee.
Shipping Firearms to Others
Another scenario we are often asked is about shipping guns that you currently own and want to send to someone else outside of your state. You must ship these guns to an FFL as well, so the receiver of the firearm can perform a background check to receive the firearm. The ATF does not allow you to ship a firearm out-of-state to someone else without that person going through a background check (some limited conditions apply that allow you to directly ship). The ATF Frequently Asked Questions document reads:
“Under Federal law, an unlicensed individual is prohibited from transferring a firearm to an individual who does not reside in the State where the transferee resides. Generally, for a person to lawfully transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person who resides out of State, the firearm must be shipped to a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) within the recipient’s State of residence.”
If you ship a long gun (rifle or shotgun) to an FFL, you can typically use USPS, UPS, or Fedex to get it to the FFL. If you ship a handgun to an FFL, you cannot use USPS and must use a contract carrier like UPS or Fedex. Check your local regulations to make sure you are following the law.
The FFL receiving the firearm will typically charge a transfer fee due to the time it takes to process the firearm in as an acquisition and then the disposition and background check. Shedhorn Sports charges a $50 transfer fee for firearms received in as a transfer. If you have a firearm you want us to ship out for you, we will charge a $50 transfer in fee plus $50 shipping fee.
Shipping Firearms to Yourself
This scenario is limited to shipping firearms to yourself. For instance, if you are hunting in a different state, you are able to ship your firearm to yourself. The ATF Frequently Asked Questions document reads:
“May I lawfully ship a firearm to myself in a different State? Any person may ship a firearm to himself or herself in the care of another person in the State where he or she intends to hunt or engage in any other lawful activity. The package should be addressed to the owner of the firearm “in the care of” the out-of-State resident. Upon reaching its destination, persons other than the owner of the firearm must not open the package or take possession of the firearm. The out-of-State resident is encouraged to place the package in a safe and secure location until the owner of the firearm is available to take physical possession.”
If you ship a long gun (rifle or shotgun) to yourself, you can typically use USPS, UPS, or Fedex. If you ship a handgun, you cannot use USPS and must use a contract carrier like UPS or Fedex. Check your local regulations to make sure you are following the law.
