Federal law lets you ship a firearm for repair directly to a licensed gunsmith, manufacturer, dealer, or collector, and lets them ship it back to you when the work is done. The rules for how you get it there depend on what you own. Rifles and shotguns can go through the U.S. Postal Service. Handguns almost always have to be handed off to a local dealer first. Items regulated under the National Firearms Act require extra ATF paperwork. Getting any of this wrong is a federal offense carrying up to five years in prison, so the details are worth reading before you tape the box shut.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
The Legal Basis
The general rule is that non-licensees cannot ship firearms to other non-licensees across state lines. The repair exception lives in 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(2)(A), which lets an individual mail a lawfully owned firearm to any federally licensed importer, manufacturer, dealer, or collector. The same provision lets the licensee send the repaired firearm, or a replacement of the same kind and type, straight back to you.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
The recipient must actually hold a Federal Firearms License. A friend who is handy with guns doesn’t qualify, even for a quick fix, and even if you both live in the same state.
Verify the Gunsmith’s FFL First
Before you pack anything, confirm the gunsmith holds a current license. The ATF runs a free tool called FFLeZCheck that verifies status when you enter the first three and last five digits of the license number. Any legitimate gunsmith will hand you those digits or send a copy of the license itself.2ATF. Federal Firearms License Search – FFLeZCheck
FFLeZCheck does not validate Type 03 collector licenses. If you run into that, the site displays a phone number for verbal confirmation. For a standard gunsmith or manufacturer the check takes about half a minute.
Shipping a Rifle or Shotgun
Non-licensees can mail rifles and shotguns to an FFL through USPS. Publication 52 sets the terms. The firearm must be completely unloaded. The outside of the package cannot carry any marking that reveals what’s inside. The packaging has to meet USPS standards for sturdiness and security.3Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail – 432 Mailability
You also have to use a mail class that includes both tracking and signature capture at delivery. That’s a USPS requirement for regulated firearms unless the shipment is between licensees. The clerk at the counter may ask you to open the package or sign a written certification that it is unloaded before accepting it.3Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail – 432 Mailability
One boundary: short-barreled rifles and shotguns capable of being concealed on the person are nonmailable through USPS. Those are NFA items, and the NFA section below applies.
Shipping a Handgun
Handguns are the hard case. Federal law prohibits non-licensees from mailing handguns through USPS. Only licensed manufacturers, dealers, and importers can put a handgun in the mail stream.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Private carriers exist, but their doors are largely closed to individuals. UPS accepts firearm shipments only from licensed importers, manufacturers, dealers, or collectors who have signed a dedicated UPS shipping agreement and opened a special account. You cannot walk a handgun into a UPS Store and ship it yourself.4UPS. How To Ship Firearms
The practical route is to take the handgun to a local FFL and pay them to send it out on your behalf. The dealer has the license, the carrier account, and the packaging routine. Handling fees typically run about $25 to $75, on top of actual shipping.
Written Notice to the Carrier
Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(e), anyone shipping a firearm through a common carrier for interstate delivery must give the carrier written notice that the package contains a firearm. This applies to USPS and to private carriers.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
This sounds like it conflicts with the rule that you cannot label the outside of the box. It doesn’t. The disclosure goes to the carrier’s employee at the counter or into the carrier’s internal paperwork. The same statute prohibits the carrier from putting any external label, tag, or marking on the package indicating firearm contents. The notice stays internal.
Getting the Repaired Firearm Back
This part is easy. The FFL can ship the repaired firearm directly to your home. No background check is required, and the gunsmith does not need to run an ATF Form 4473. The ATF lists return of a repaired firearm as an explicit exception to both the Form 4473 requirement and the NICS check.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide – Section: Exceptions to the ATF Form 4473 Requirement
The exception also covers replacement. If the manufacturer determines your firearm cannot be fixed and sends you a new one of the same kind and type, that replacement can ship directly to your address as well.6Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide – Section: Exceptions to the NICS Background Check
The controlling phrase is “same kind and type.” If you sent in a 9mm compact pistol and the manufacturer wants to substitute a different model or caliber, the exception no longer applies. That shipment has to move through a standard FFL transfer with a background check.
NFA Firearms: Extra Steps
If your firearm is regulated under the National Firearms Act, meaning suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns, or destructive devices, add a layer. The ATF does not treat sending an NFA firearm to an FFL for repair as a “transfer” under the NFA, so a tax-paid transfer form is not required. Still, the ATF recommends submitting a Form 5 before sending the firearm and recommends that the repairing FFL obtain an approved Form 5 to return it.7Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. NFA Handbook – Chapter 9 – Transfers of NFA Firearms
If you skip Form 5 on either end, both you and the gunsmith should keep documentation showing that the conveyance was for repair, identifying the specific firearm, and noting the expected repair timeline. That paper trail protects both sides if the ATF ever asks why the firearm changed hands.
Interstate transport adds its own requirement. To ship a machine gun, destructive device, short-barreled rifle, or short-barreled shotgun across state lines for repair, you must first obtain an approved ATF Form 5320.20 (Application to Transport Interstate or to Temporarily Export Certain National Firearms Act Firearms). The form asks for travel dates and whether the firearm will return to its original location. If repairs run past the date you listed, submit a new Form 5320.20.8Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Application to Transport Interstate or to Temporarily Export Certain National Firearms Act Firearms – ATF Form 5320.20
Penalties
Shipping a firearm to an unlicensed person, failing to notify the carrier, or moving an NFA item interstate without authorization are all federal offenses. Under 18 U.S.C. § 924(a)(1)(D), a willful violation of the shipping provisions in § 922 carries up to five years in federal prison, a fine, or both.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 924 – Penalties
State Law May Add Requirements
Everything above is federal law, which sets the floor. Your state or the gunsmith’s state may add restrictions, particularly on handguns, certain semi-automatic rifles, or magazines above a specified capacity. Some states require that a repaired firearm be returned through a local dealer rather than shipped straight to your home. Check both states before you send anything, especially if the firearm or any of its features are regulated differently where the gunsmith operates.