You can ship a gun through the mail, but the rules are narrow and unforgiving. The U.S. Postal Service accepts unloaded rifles and shotguns from private individuals; it does not accept handguns from anyone but licensed dealers and manufacturers. If the firearm is crossing state lines to another person, federal law requires the shipment to go to a Federal Firearms License (FFL) holder in the recipient’s state, who then handles the transfer. Get the wrong detail wrong and you’re looking at a federal felony, not a fine.
What USPS Will and Won’t Accept
USPS allows private individuals to mail unloaded rifles and shotguns. The package has to go by a mail product that provides tracking and signature confirmation at delivery, and the outer box cannot carry any markings, logos, or labels suggesting a firearm is inside.1Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail – Section: 432 Mailability
Handguns are a different matter. Under 18 U.S.C. § 1715, handguns and other concealable firearms are nonmailable when sent by a private person. The statute reserves handgun mailing for licensed manufacturers and dealers, including firearms sent between a dealer or manufacturer and an owner for repair, and for shipments to certain government officers for official use.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1715 – Firearms as Nonmailable; Regulations If you are a private owner who needs to send a handgun somewhere, USPS is not the way.
Interstate Shipments Must Go to an FFL
The bright line in federal firearms shipping is state lines. An unlicensed individual cannot transfer a firearm directly to a resident of another state. The shipment must go to a licensed dealer in the recipient’s state, who processes the paperwork and background check before releasing the gun.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Best Practices: Transfers of Firearms by Private Sellers This applies whether the transfer is a sale, a gift, or a trade.
Within the same state, federal law is more permissive for long guns: a private individual may ship a rifle or shotgun directly to another resident of the same state without routing through an FFL. Some states, however, require every transfer to go through a dealer, so check your state’s rules before you drop anything off. Handguns face tighter restrictions no matter the distance, because of the carrier rules below.
Using UPS or FedEx Instead
Because private individuals can’t mail handguns through USPS, private carriers are the practical route, but they come with their own gate: UPS and FedEx accept firearms only from licensed dealers, manufacturers, importers, or collectors operating under an approved shipping agreement. You cannot walk into a UPS Store or FedEx Office as a private person and hand over a firearm. To send one, you take it to a local FFL, who ships on your behalf.4UPS. How To Ship Firearms
Handguns also have to move by the fastest service. UPS requires handguns to ship via Next Day Air.4UPS. How To Ship Firearms FedEx similarly requires express overnight service for handguns. Long guns can go by standard ground with either carrier. Both companies require the shipper to notify them that the package contains a firearm, while the outer packaging itself stays unmarked.
Two Situations That Skip the FFL
Two common shipments don’t follow the usual dealer-transfer rules, and it costs people time and money not to know this.
Sending a Firearm for Repair
Anyone who isn’t otherwise prohibited from having firearms may ship a gun directly to a licensed manufacturer, importer, or dealer for repair. The manufacturer or dealer can then send the repaired gun (or a replacement of the same kind and type) directly back to you, even across state lines, with no background check and no Form 4473.5ATF eRegulations. 27 CFR 478.147 Section 1715 carries the same exception on the USPS side, so a handgun can lawfully move between a licensed dealer or manufacturer and an owner for repair purposes.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1715 – Firearms as Nonmailable; Regulations
Shipping a Firearm to Yourself
You can ship a firearm to yourself at another location, including in another state, for a hunting trip or other lawful activity. Address the package to yourself, in care of whoever is at the destination address. The person receiving it on your behalf should not open it or take possession. No FFL transfer is needed because ownership never changes. You still have to comply with the firearm laws of the destination state, so shipping something the destination state restricts is not a workaround.
Packaging the Firearm
The firearm has to be completely unloaded. Check the chamber, the magazine, and any tube or cylinder. Secure it with a hard-sided case, trigger lock, or cable lock, then place it inside a sturdy outer shipping box with enough cushioning that it can’t shift in transit. The outer box should be plain cardboard with no markings, logos, or labels that hint at what’s inside.1Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail – Section: 432 Mailability
If you’re shipping to a dealer, tuck a copy of the recipient’s FFL inside the package and bring a spare; carriers sometimes ask to see it at drop-off. Never pack ammunition in the same box as the firearm.
Ammunition Ships Separately
Ammunition cannot travel with a firearm, and its own rules are strict. USPS treats most ammunition as prohibited hazardous material, so it’s largely nonmailable through the Postal Service. UPS will ship small arms ammunition, but only when it’s packaged and labeled to Department of Transportation hazmat standards. Qualifying “limited quantity” ammunition must carry a black-and-white diamond-shaped hazmat marking, roughly four inches square, on the outside of the box. If you’re sending both a gun and ammunition to the same destination, plan on two separate shipments.
What Happens When the Firearm Arrives
At the receiving FFL, you don’t just pick the gun up and walk out. The dealer processes it as a transfer.
Form 4473 and the Background Check
You complete ATF Form 4473, which collects your personal information and asks a series of eligibility questions. The dealer then runs your information through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). A “proceed” response clears the transfer. A “delayed” response requires the dealer to wait.6Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
If NICS hasn’t returned a final answer after three business days, the dealer may proceed with the transfer but isn’t required to. For buyers under 21, when NICS flags a potentially disqualifying juvenile record, the wait extends to 10 business days.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Some states add their own waiting periods on top of the federal timeline.
Age Limits
A dealer can transfer a rifle or shotgun to anyone 18 or older, but cannot transfer a handgun or handgun ammunition to anyone under 21.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts If a handgun is shipped to an FFL for an 18-year-old, the dealer is legally barred from completing the transfer.
Transfer Fees
The receiving FFL charges a fee to process the paperwork and run the check. Fees typically run from $25 to $75, though some shops charge more. Call around; the spread between dealers in the same area can be significant. The transfer fee is separate from any state-mandated background check fees or sales tax.
Penalties If You Get It Wrong
An illegal firearm shipment is not a paperwork problem. It’s a criminal one.
Mailing a handgun through USPS in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1715 carries up to two years in federal prison, a fine, or both.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1715 – Firearms as Nonmailable; Regulations Willful violations of other Gun Control Act provisions, including illegal interstate transfers, carry up to five years. Certain violations under 18 U.S.C. § 922, such as shipping firearms as a prohibited person, carry up to 10 years.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties These are federal charges, prosecuted in federal court, and state charges can stack. An honest mistake about which carrier allows what, or about whether a shipment crossed state lines, is not a defense.
If the Firearm Is Lost or Stolen in Transit
When a firearm disappears during shipment, federal regulations treat it as lost from the sender’s inventory, and the sender bears the reporting duty. You must report the loss or theft to the ATF within 48 hours of discovering it by calling 1-888-930-9275 and submitting ATF Form 3310.11. The loss must also be reported to local law enforcement.9Federal Register. Commerce in Firearms and Ammunition – Reporting Theft or Loss of Firearms in Transit
This is why you always ship with tracking and keep your own records: the tracking number, the firearm’s serial number, and the recipient’s FFL information. If the carrier loses the package, those records are what the ATF report and any insurance claim will rest on.