USPS shipping regulations regarding firearms?

[gunhorde]

Can someone point me to an online reference for the USPS shipping regs? I need to print out as copy to provide to the manager of a local post office. Two of the gorillas at a downtown location told me I could not ship a firearm UNLESS it was a pre-1898 antique or I was a licensed dealer. :

I want to "edumacate" their whole shop on this so I don't have to deal with their stupidity again. My local PO is fine, but occasionally I need to use this other location to ship during the day when I'm at work. I cannot even BEGIN to describe how angry I was - when i mentioned that I had been shipping firearms as a private citizen for over 5 years, one of the idiots told me he's been WORKING there for 11 years - I was tempted to say "gee, too bad you haven't learned your job in all that time!" but I was too mad to think about it at the time...

TIA for any info.

[Mongo4567]

This is the USPS regs: http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/pubs/pub52.pdf. Firearm info starts on page 63.

[gunhorde]

Excellent, thanks!

[zampilot]

Long gun, unloaded, no ammo and "disassembled" (bolt removed, barrel band removed, who knows?)
Oh I forgot: the clerk doesnt need to know any of that, only the Postmaster for that station.

[ranvette]

Why even bother using them? I went to ship a rifle one time with them and it was enough.I walked right out and went to the ups.Who needs to be subjected to that foolish
crap they are insane.Just go to ups or fedex.The bottom line here is the USPS does not want to ship guns.Those crazy regulations are a deterrent to get you to go else were.They wanted me to fill out this and that paper work.Than take the gun apart omg.The lady behind the counter acted like i had a loaded gun in the box.I said see ya !

[Texxut]

... or, rather, my wife does.

I sent my wife to the local post office, to ship a Franchi I-12 back to their service dept for repair. I had the shotgun dissembled and packed per manufacture's instructions and had a return auth number. I know it's legal and permissible, as I had done this before and my son had just done the same thing less than a month ago. I'm at work, and my wife strides into the PO with a long box. That's where everything falls off the track. She gets some employee that just flat out says "you can't ship a firearm unless you're a licensed dealer!". She try's to explain that it is permissible for a mere citizen to mail a shotgun to the manufacture for repair. He'll hear nothing of if and is getting agitated. Not being armed with chapter and verse, she leaves and calls me from the parking lot. I ask her to give me a few minutes to do some research and I'll call her back. I call her back and send her back in with this information:

Domestic mail manual upDateD 9/11/2008
601
11.3 rifles and shotguns...

And

TITLE 27--ALCOHOL, TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND FIREARMS
CHAPTER I
PART 178
Subpart I
Sec. 178.147 Return of firearm.

Back she goes (did I mention what a good women my wife is?)
She draws a different employee (who is willing to listen) and
begins again. The supervisor called another PO and they said
absolutely not. Finally the counter guy had to show the supervisor
chapter and verse (in their own mannual) before the shipment was
approved! The rifle was shipped and received by the manufacturer, but what a battle to make it happen. That was a good employee! He was willing to go to bat for his customer, when he knew it was the right thing to do.
I wonder how many of these post office battles are just poor training and how many are anti gun efforts my employees forcing their own beliefs on patrons at their mercy.

[zeebill]

With your comment about not using USPS I am almost sure you have never noticed the endless posts about one or any of the above destroying a rifle or losing it or God knows what next. It is frustrating to deal with local Postal Employees but once you educate them about their job and take a forceful stand they are by far the most reliable method of shipping. If you want to argue about it just ask the many who have experienced disasster with one of the above. I had to get the local Postal Employee to call her boss at the local hub and have her talk her way through the process of mailing a rifle but persistance paid off and everything eventually went through fine. Now when I walk in she knows just what to do and it takes just minutes. Bill

[cpw]

Simpson Ltd and Empire Arms willl not use the USPS for shipping firearms

[JB]

I've had less damage with USPS than I have UPS, but dealing with so many cluess USPS employees can be a real pain. I've had a number of USPS employees tell me that I couldn't legally ship a firearm. I'm dealing with an insurance claim now and the postmaster on the other end told the buyer that only an FFL can ship a firearm.

Of couse I've had clueless UPS people too. One UPS lady told me that it was highly illegal to ship ammo UPS. Another told me that as long as the shipper had an FFL, the receiver of the firearm didn't have to! There's lots of clueless people out there.

[Tex in Maine]

This must be a regional problem, I have never had a problem shipping from the post offices in my area. I walk in with my box, they ask if it contains anything dangerous, I say "no", which is true since an unloaded rifle is nothing more than a stick, they measure it and place a stamp on it. Everything I have shipped has allways arrived in fine order.

[limpetmine]

UPS is more than likely to distroy it in shipment! USPS may have problems, but none like UPS!

Why even bother using them? I went to ship a rifle one time with them and it was enough.I walked right out and went to the ups.Who needs to be subjected to that foolish
crap they are insane.Just go to ups or fedex.The bottom line here is the USPS does not want to ship guns.Those crazy regulations are a deterrent to get you to go else were.They wanted me to fill out this and that paper work.Than take the gun apart omg.The lady behind the counter acted like i had a loaded gun in the box.I said see ya !

[combat32]

You are screwing up when you tell them it is a firearm!, it is not required for you to do so or for them to know.Most are ignorant of the regulations, I know as I am a city carrier, do yourself a favor, just walk in pays your money and ship the box, don't say the word firearm.

I have been a postal employee for 5 years and I still learn something new, regulation wise, most every day.It's kind of like the Tax code, if amassed in one pile and dropped on you these regs would kill you.BTW I use USPS and UPS to ship firearms, but won't use FEDEX as that is where I had my ignorant employee experience.

[gunhorde]

My local UPS locations here are all franchise stores, and a bunch of REAL morons. FedEx will damage a firearm faster than I can throw it under a truck, so I'm left with USPS. My local office is GREAT, but the one up in Bloomington is staffed by people who are just there to put in their time, with as little work, effort or customers as possible. Anything out of the ordinary and they get all pissy and hostile.

Another good point is to keep the contents to yourself, I made the mistake of telling them it was a firearm (thinking of course, that it wouldn't be a problem) - but I think if I told them it was none of their business they'd probably refuse to send it for me. I'n pretty sure that's the reaction I would get.

The next time I need to use that office, I'll have both the printed regs in my possession, the URL for the online version (if the know how to use the Internet), and maybe the phone # for the Minnesota Attorney General's office. I'm NOT going to let a few incompetent postal employees deter me from shipping a firearm, period !!

Thanks for all of the comments, advise and stories!

[7.62x54r]

I just thought I'd mention that Tom is great guy, in spite of who he works for.

[combat32]

Not true but thanks anyway Ted, heard gas is a bit scarce in your neck of the woods, how ya feedin that Bronco?

[7.62x54r]

I had the foresight to fill up all three vehicles just before the hurricane hit, although I didn't top off all my spare cans. About the time the crunch hit Atlanta I went out of town to work and was able to find gas in south GA. My wife had two full tanks and managed to stretch it out for two weeks without any problem. She was worried though since it's her nature to fill up when it gets below half a tank. I did take empty cans with me last week to bring back gas, but it wasn't necessary. I only brought back enough to get me back to work so I wouldn't have to fool with it over the weekend and because it's cheaper where I'm working than at home. It really didn't affect my family to any degree. Of course now I'll have to fill up a week ahead of any hurricane to beat everyone else.

[zampilot]

+10000 for Zeebil: "by far the most reliable method of shipping".

[Spetznatz]

I ship all my rifles through USPS and have never had a problem. My local postal employee's never even ask what is in the box. That's the way it should be everywhere.

[ranvette]

I understand the concept of not telling them whats in the box.But try collecting 3 grand on a nice K98 or what have you.If it gets damaged or stolen in shipment i bet that would be fun to collect on?

[runner]

I need to ship a black powder muzzle loading pistol, (1851 colt navy replica) Am I correct that I can ship it via the US Postal Service?
thanks, runner