Yes, you can mail a shotgun in the United States, but only if it’s unloaded and only through channels the law permits for your situation. If you don’t hold a Federal Firearms License, your only carrier option is the U.S. Postal Service, and you can send the gun directly to another unlicensed person only within your own state. Interstate shipments to an unlicensed recipient have to route through a licensed dealer (an FFL) in the recipient’s state. Get any of that wrong and you’re looking at a federal felony, so the details below matter.
Who You’re Allowed to Ship To
The Gun Control Act splits the world into licensed dealers and everyone else. A licensed dealer can ship a shotgun to another FFL in any state, and when the receiving FFL hands the gun to a buyer, that dealer runs a background check through NICS and completes an ATF Form 4473.1Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide
If you’re not licensed, your options are narrower:
- You can mail a shotgun to another person in your own state, as long as you have no reason to believe they’re prohibited from possessing a firearm.
- You can mail a shotgun to an FFL in any state.
- You cannot mail a shotgun directly to an unlicensed person in a different state. That transfer has to go through an FFL in the recipient’s state, which then handles the background check and paperwork.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
Expect the receiving FFL to charge a transfer fee, typically between $20 and $75. Call first. Not every dealer accepts transfers from individuals, and some tack on storage fees if the buyer doesn’t pick up the gun quickly.
When the FFL Rule Doesn’t Apply
Three situations let you skip the FFL-to-FFL requirement for interstate shipments, and people miss them all the time.
Sending It Out for Repair
You can ship a shotgun directly to a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer for repair or service across state lines, and the shop can send it back (or a replacement of the same type) directly to you without going through a local FFL.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 27 CFR 478.147 – Return of Firearm This is probably the most common reason an individual ever mails a shotgun.
Shipping to Yourself
Federal law lets you mail a shotgun to yourself in another state if you’re going there to hunt or engage in another lawful activity. The usual approach is to address the package to yourself in care of someone at your destination. You’re both the sender and the recipient, so no ownership transfer happens and no FFL has to be involved. Carrier rules and packaging requirements still apply.
Temporary Loans for Sporting Purposes
The interstate transfer ban carves out temporary loans of a firearm for lawful sporting purposes. If a friend across state lines wants to borrow your shotgun for a hunting trip, federal law permits it, provided you have no reason to think the borrower is prohibited from possessing firearms.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts The word that matters is “temporary.” This doesn’t cover permanent gifts or sales.
Which Carrier Will Actually Take It
The three big carriers treat firearms very differently, and for an unlicensed shipper the choice is basically made for you.
USPS
The Postal Service is the only carrier that lets unlicensed individuals mail shotguns. USPS defines a mailable shotgun as an unloaded, shoulder-fired weapon with a barrel of at least 18 inches and an overall length of at least 26 inches. Anything shorter is treated as a handgun, which individuals cannot mail through USPS at all.5Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail – Firearms
You have to use a service with tracking and signature capture, such as Priority Mail Express or Registered Mail. Nothing on the outside of the package may indicate what’s inside. USPS may also require you to confirm the shotgun is unloaded, either by opening the package for inspection or providing written certification.6Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail – 432 Mailability
FedEx
FedEx doesn’t accept firearms from individuals at all. Only FFLs that have signed a FedEx Firearms Shipping Compliance Agreement can ship firearms with them.7FedEx. How to Ship Firearms You cannot walk into a FedEx counter with a boxed shotgun and hand it over.
UPS
UPS takes the same approach: firearm shipments only from federally licensed importers, manufacturers, dealers, and collectors who have an approved UPS agreement. Shotguns and other long guns can ship UPS Ground or Next Day Air, though UPS reserves the right to require Next Day Air at its discretion.8UPS. How To Ship Firearms
So the practical rule is simple. If you’re an unlicensed individual shipping a shotgun yourself, USPS is it. If your shipment is going through an FFL, the dealer will pick between UPS and FedEx based on their own accounts and rates.
How to Pack and Send It
The requirements overlap across carriers, and a few of them catch people off guard.
- Unloaded, without exception. Clear the chamber, magazine, and any attached accessories, and verify the action both visually and physically.
- No ammunition in the box. Ammunition is a hazardous material and can’t travel with the firearm. If you need to ship ammo too, it goes in its own box under the carrier’s hazmat rules.9UPS. How To Ship Ammunition
- A hard-shell case or a sturdy corrugated box with enough cushioning that the gun can’t shift in transit.
- A plain, unmarked exterior. No brand names, no “firearm” or “fragile” labels, nothing that hints at what’s inside. It’s both a legal requirement and basic theft prevention.
- A copy of the recipient’s FFL license inside the box when you’re shipping to a dealer. Most FFLs will email or fax their license to you first.
- Adult signature required at delivery. Make sure whoever is receiving the package knows to expect it and can sign in person.
Insurance Is Not What You Think
This is where shippers lose real money. FedEx states plainly that if you declare a value on a prohibited item like a firearm, you will not be reimbursed for loss or damage.10FedEx. Declared Value and Limits of Liability for Shipments FedEx declared value isn’t insurance in the first place; it only raises the carrier’s maximum liability, and firearms are carved out entirely. UPS has its own terms that may similarly cap or exclude firearms coverage.
For a high-value shotgun, don’t lean on carrier liability. Specialized firearms transit insurance exists through insurers that serve the industry. Homeowner’s or renter’s policies often cap firearm coverage at amounts too low to cover a valuable gun in transit, and coverage during shipment is not always included. Check your existing rider before you drop the box, and if there’s a gap, buy standalone transit coverage.
What It Costs to Get It Wrong
Federal firearms violations aren’t paperwork infractions. A willful violation of the Gun Control Act’s shipping and transfer rules is punishable by up to five years in federal prison, a fine, or both.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 924 – Penalties Those penalties stack on top of any state charges.
The most common trap is shipping a shotgun directly to an unlicensed person in another state, or shipping to someone without any reason to believe they can legally receive it. When you’re not sure, route the transfer through an FFL. A transfer fee is cheap compared to a federal charge.
One Note on Antique Shotguns
Federal firearms shipping rules don’t apply to antiques, because the law excludes them from the definition of “firearm.” A shotgun qualifies as antique if it was manufactured in 1898 or earlier and uses a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar ignition system. Replicas of those designs also qualify if they’re not built for modern rimfire or centerfire ammunition that’s still commercially available. Muzzle-loading shotguns using black powder that can’t accept fixed ammunition are covered too, regardless of manufacture date.5Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail – Firearms Carrier packaging rules still apply, and some states regulate antiques more strictly than the federal government does.