Mailing a firearm is legal in the United States, but only under specific conditions that depend on the type of gun, who’s sending it, who’s receiving it, and which carrier handles the package. The shortest version: handguns cannot go through the U.S. Postal Service unless you hold a Federal Firearms License (FFL), private carriers like FedEx and UPS now accept firearm shipments almost exclusively from licensed dealers, and any interstate transfer to another person has to route through an FFL on the receiving end.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1715 – Firearms as Nonmailable; Regulations Long guns have more room, and a few situations, like shipping a gun to yourself or to a gunsmith, follow their own rules.
The Federal Rules Behind Every Shipment
Two laws do most of the work: the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the postal statute at 18 U.S.C. § 1715. The Gun Control Act built the licensing system that channels interstate firearm commerce through FFLs, meaning licensed dealers, manufacturers, importers, and collectors.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Gun Control Act (GCA) Three federal rules apply no matter which carrier you pick:
- A non-licensed person cannot ship a firearm to a non-licensed person in a different state. The transfer has to go through an FFL at the destination.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Handguns are nonmailable through USPS for private individuals. The exceptions cover licensed dealers and certain government officials.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1715 – Firearms as Nonmailable; Regulations
- When you hand any common or contract carrier a firearm for interstate shipment, you must give written notice that the package contains a firearm. The carrier cannot require exterior labeling that identifies the contents.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Within a single state, the rules relax. A non-licensed resident can transfer a rifle or shotgun to another non-licensed resident of the same state, subject to whatever state and local law adds on top. Cross a state line, and the FFL requirement kicks in.
What You Can and Can’t Send Through USPS
For handguns, the answer is short. If you don’t hold an FFL, you can’t mail one. USPS treats pistols, revolvers, and any firearm concealable on the person as nonmailable for private individuals.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1715 – Firearms as Nonmailable; Regulations Licensed manufacturers, dealers, and importers can mail handguns to other FFLs or to authorized government agencies, and that’s the extent of it.
Rifles and shotguns are different. A non-licensed individual can mail a long gun through USPS in two situations: to an FFL in any state, or to another resident of the same state. The intrastate option surprises people, but it’s how the postal regulations read. The firearm must be unloaded and packed in a sturdy container with no exterior markings revealing the contents, and you have to declare the contents to the postal clerk at drop-off.4Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail – Section 43 Firearms
Ammunition cannot go in the same package as a firearm. It has separate rules under hazardous materials regulations.
FedEx and UPS: Dealer-Only in Practice
Private carriers layer their own policies on top of federal law, and those policies have tightened.
FedEx updated its policy in 2022 to bar firearm shipments unless the shipper holds an FFL, and even licensed shippers need approval from a FedEx account executive first.5FedEx. How to Ship Firearms If you’re a private individual trying to send a firearm to a dealer, FedEx is off the table.
UPS works the same way. Firearm shipments are accepted only as a contractual service from licensed importers, manufacturers, dealers, or collectors to authorized recipients under an approved UPS agreement. Handguns must move via UPS Next Day Air. All firearm shipments require adult signature confirmation and direct delivery, and the labeling cannot identify the contents.6UPS. How To Ship Firearms
The practical path for a non-licensed sender: USPS for long guns, and for handguns, coordinate with the receiving FFL. Many dealers will send you a prepaid label through their own carrier account. If an FFL sends you a UPS return label, you can drop pre-labeled firearm packages at UPS Customer Centers or The UPS Store locations.6UPS. How To Ship Firearms
Shipping a Firearm to Yourself
You can send a firearm to yourself in another state without going through an FFL. If you’re traveling for a hunting trip or a competition, you can ship the firearm ahead, addressed to your own name in care of someone at your destination. The person receiving the package shouldn’t open it or take possession of the firearm. This works for rifles, shotguns, and handguns, though a handgun still can’t move through USPS, so you’d need a private carrier, usually through an FFL’s shipping account.
Sending a Firearm to a Gunsmith
Shipping to a licensed gunsmith is one of the most common scenarios, and the return trip has a useful exception. When a gunsmith ships a repaired or customized firearm back to the person who sent it, no ATF Form 4473 or background check is required, because the gunsmith is returning the owner’s own property. If the gunsmith sent the gun to anyone else, the full background check process would apply.7Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Questions and Answers
Getting the firearm to the gunsmith uses the same channels as any other shipment: USPS for long guns to the gunsmith’s FFL, or a private carrier for handguns, with the gunsmith usually providing the label. Call first. Most gunsmiths have specific intake procedures and preferred carriers.
Antique Firearms
The Gun Control Act’s definition of “firearm” explicitly excludes antique firearms, so most of the shipping restrictions in this article don’t reach them.8GovInfo. 18 USC 921 – Definitions An antique firearm is generally one manufactured in or before 1898, or a replica not designed to use modern rimfire or centerfire ammunition. Muzzle-loading rifles, shotguns, and pistols designed for black powder and incapable of firing fixed ammunition also qualify.9Federal Register. Secure Gun Storage and Definition of Antique Firearm
Because antiques sit outside the Gun Control Act’s definition, they can move between non-licensed individuals across state lines without an FFL transfer. Individual carriers still set their own policies, though, and some states regulate antiques differently from federal law. Check both before shipping.
NFA Items Follow a Different Process
Silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns, and destructive devices are governed by the National Firearms Act, and shipping them involves an extra layer of federal approval beyond what standard firearms require. Before transferring any NFA item, you have to file the appropriate ATF form and receive written approval. No transfer can happen until that approval comes through. A non-licensed owner who needs to move an NFA item across state lines, even to ship it to an FFL for repair, should obtain an approved ATF Form 5320.20 first.10Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. NFA Handbook – Chapter 9 – Transfers of NFA Firearms
How to Package a Firearm for Shipment
The preparation basics don’t vary much between carriers. The firearm must be completely unloaded, with no ammunition in the chamber or magazine. Place it in a hard case or well-padded box that stops the gun from shifting during transit. Keep the outer packaging plain, with no markings that identify what’s inside. Carriers actually prohibit content-revealing labels, and for good reason: labeled firearm packages are theft magnets.
Before you ship to an FFL, ask for a current copy of their license. Any reputable dealer will send one without hesitation. Verify that it hasn’t expired and that the address matches where you’re shipping. That step protects you if questions come up later about whether the transfer was legitimate.
Ammunition ships separately. When you send ammunition by ground, Department of Transportation rules treat small arms cartridges as hazardous materials with specific packaging and labeling requirements, including the limited-quantity diamond marking on the outer box.11eCFR. 49 CFR 172.315 – Limited Quantities Most carriers accept ammunition only on ground service.
Picking Up a Shipped Firearm
For any interstate shipment, and for most handgun transfers even within a state, the firearm arrives at an FFL rather than at your door. You pick it up in person. The FFL has you complete ATF Form 4473, which collects your identifying information and asks about your eligibility to possess a firearm.12Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record
The FFL then runs a background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. In some states a designated state agency handles the check instead of the FBI directly. Most checks come back within minutes, but a “delayed” response can take up to three business days to resolve.12Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 4473 – Firearms Transaction Record Bring a valid government-issued photo ID, typically a driver’s license showing your current state of residence.
FFLs charge a transfer fee for handling the paperwork and background check. Fees are not federally regulated and vary by dealer, with most falling in the $20 to $75 range. Some dealers charge more for handguns, multiple firearms, or transfers that need extra state paperwork. Call ahead so the fee isn’t a surprise.
Penalties for Getting It Wrong
Mailing a handgun through USPS as a non-licensed person is a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine, or both.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1715 – Firearms as Nonmailable; Regulations Shipping a firearm interstate to someone you know lives in another state, without routing through an FFL, violates 18 U.S.C. § 922 and can carry up to five years in prison.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties
Penalties climb sharply when a firearm is shipped with criminal intent. Shipping a firearm interstate with the intent to commit a violent crime carries up to ten years. Smuggling firearms into the country in connection with a felony, terrorism, or drug trafficking can mean up to fifteen.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties
Failing to give a carrier written notice that a package contains a firearm is itself a federal violation under § 922(e).3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Even if you had every right to ship the firearm, skipping the disclosure creates criminal exposure. State laws can add penalties on top of federal ones, particularly in states with permit or registration requirements for transfers.