Shipping a shotgun is legal, but how you ship one depends on who is receiving it and which carrier you use. In almost every case, if the shotgun is crossing state lines, it has to go to a federally licensed firearms dealer on the other end. USPS will let a private owner send a shotgun without a license of their own; UPS and FedEx will not. Get the packaging, labeling, and drop-off right and it’s a routine shipment. Miss a step and it’s a federal offense.
Who Can Legally Receive Your Shotgun
The Gun Control Act of 1968 sets the rule that catches most people off guard: if your shotgun is crossing state lines to a private buyer or recipient, you cannot ship it directly to them. The recipient in the other state has to be a Federal Firearms License holder. You do not need a license to be the sender, but the person on the receiving end almost always does.
Within your own state, federal law is more relaxed. A non-licensed individual can ship a shotgun to another non-licensed individual as long as both are residents of that state and the transfer is otherwise legal. State law can add its own restrictions, so check yours before you ship.
Sending a shotgun to a licensed dealer, manufacturer, or importer is always permitted under federal law, no matter which state either party is in. That covers the most common situations: an online sale where the buyer’s local dealer receives the gun, a shipment back to a manufacturer for repair, or a transfer handled through a dealer as intermediary.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
There is one useful exception for the sender who is also the recipient. If you’re traveling for a hunting trip, moving, or heading to a second home, USPS allows a non-licensed owner to mail a shotgun to themselves at an out-of-state address. The package must be addressed to you with an “in care of” endorsement naming whoever will hold it at the destination, and only you can open it when it arrives. UPS and FedEx do not permit this without an FFL initiating the shipment, so self-shipping is effectively a USPS-only option for private owners.2Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail
Choosing a Carrier
Federal law tells you who can receive your shotgun. Carrier policy decides whether you can hand the box over at all.
USPS
The Postal Service is the most accessible option for someone shipping their own shotgun. Unloaded rifles and shotguns are mailable, and no FFL is required to send one. A non-licensed owner can mail a shotgun to another individual within the same state, to a licensed dealer in any state, or to themselves at an out-of-state address for a lawful purpose like hunting. Every mailing needs a class of service that provides tracking and signature capture at delivery, and the package must carry a “Return Service Requested” endorsement.
Short-barreled shotguns concealable on a person are nonmailable under the same rule that bars handguns from the mail. Nothing on the outside of the package can indicate that it contains a firearm.2Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail
UPS
UPS only accepts firearm shipments from federally licensed shippers who have signed a UPS agreement for transporting firearms. If you are a private individual without an FFL, you cannot walk into a UPS location and ship a shotgun on your own. You would need to work through a licensed dealer who has that agreement in place.3UPS. How To Ship Firearms
Firearms shipped through UPS must use Direct Delivery Only service. Packages can be handed over through a scheduled pickup, an on-call pickup, or a drop-off at a UPS Customer Center. If a licensed shipper sends you a pre-labeled return package, you can drop that specific package at The UPS Store or a Customer Center, or schedule a pickup for it.4United Parcel Service, Inc. 2026 UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service United States
FedEx
FedEx follows the same pattern as UPS. Only shippers who hold an FFL and have signed a FedEx Firearms Shipping Compliance Agreement can send firearms through the network. Private individuals without a license cannot use FedEx to ship a shotgun. All firearms must be unloaded, no ammunition in the same package, and every shipment requires Adult Signature Required or Direct Signature Required at delivery.5FedEx. How To Ship Firearms
Packaging the Shotgun
The basics are the same across carriers. The shotgun has to be completely unloaded, with nothing in the chamber or magazine. Place it in a hard-sided case with enough padding to keep it from shifting, then put that case inside a plain outer shipping box. Nothing on the outer box, no label, sticker, or marking, can reveal that a firearm is inside. If the shotgun breaks down without specialized tools, disassembling it makes the package smaller and less obvious.
If you’re shipping to a dealer, put a copy of the recipient’s FFL inside the box. Confirm the license is current before you ship. Licensed dealers can verify another FFL through the ATF’s FFL eZ Check system at fflezcheck.atf.gov.6Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). FFL eZ Check Application Private senders should ask the receiving dealer to confirm their license is active before dropping the package off.
Dropping It Off
Federal law requires you to give the carrier written notice that the package contains a firearm whenever you’re shipping to anyone other than a licensed dealer, manufacturer, importer, or collector.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Individual carriers may also want verbal notification at the counter regardless of who the recipient is. Declaring the contents both in writing and out loud avoids any confusion.
USPS shipments go to the post office counter. UPS shipments must be tendered through a scheduled pickup or an approved UPS facility, not a third-party retail location or a drop box, with the narrow exception for pre-labeled return packages from a licensed shipper. FedEx has similar restrictions tied to the FFL shipper’s compliance agreement. Get a tracking number and a receipt before you leave.
What Happens When It Arrives
Shipping the shotgun to a dealer is only half of the transfer. The recipient still has to pick it up, and picking it up means clearing a federal background check. Buyers who assume the gun will be handed over on arrival are often surprised.
At the dealer’s counter, the recipient fills out ATF Form 4473, answers the eligibility questions, and shows a government-issued photo ID. The dealer then runs the buyer’s information through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. A “proceed” response lets the transfer go through immediately. A “delayed” response holds the firearm until NICS clears the buyer or three business days pass without a denial. A “denied” response blocks the transfer.
Buyers under 21 face an additional wrinkle: if NICS turns up a possible disqualifying juvenile record within the first three business days, a waiting period of up to ten business days applies before the transfer can proceed. A completed NICS check is valid for 30 calendar days, so a buyer who waits too long may need a fresh check. State law can add its own waiting period on top of the federal process.
Dealers also charge a transfer fee for handling incoming shipments and the paperwork that goes with them. Fees vary widely, so call ahead before you or your buyer settles on a receiving FFL.
Ammunition Goes Separately
Ammunition cannot ride along with the shotgun. No carrier allows both in the same box. USPS will not accept ammunition at all; small arms ammunition is on its prohibited list.7USPS. Shipping Restrictions and HAZMAT – What Can You Send in the Mail UPS accepts small arms ammunition as a limited-quantity hazmat shipment via UPS Ground within the 48 contiguous states, with the required DOT diamond marking on the package.8UPS. How To Ship Ammunition FedEx accepts ammunition on FedEx Ground within the contiguous 48 states, but only from shippers who have been approved for hazardous materials shipping in advance.
Antique Shotguns
Shotguns made in or before 1898 qualify as “antique firearms” under federal law and fall outside the Gun Control Act’s licensing and transfer rules. Muzzle-loading shotguns designed for black powder that cannot accept fixed ammunition also qualify, even if made after 1898. A modern firearm converted into a muzzleloader does not qualify.9Federal Register. Secure Gun Storage and Definition of Antique Firearm
Because antiques sit outside the GCA, you can ship one directly to another individual without routing it through an FFL. Carrier packaging and notification rules still apply. Some states define antiques differently than federal law does, so check your state before assuming the exemption fits your shotgun.
Insurance and Declared Value
Default carrier liability is low compared to what a shotgun is often worth. UPS caps its liability at $100 per package unless you declare a higher value and pay for it. You can declare up to $50,000 per package, or $70,000 on certain Next Day Air shipments without hazardous materials. Declared value is not insurance; the payout is limited to the lesser of the declared amount, the purchase price, or the cost to repair or replace the item.4United Parcel Service, Inc. 2026 UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service United States For a valuable shotgun, or for real insurance rather than declared-value coverage, buy a separate policy through a third-party insurer before shipping.
If Your Shotgun Goes Missing in Transit
A firearm lost or stolen while in a carrier’s possession triggers reporting duties. A licensed dealer who sent the shipment must report the loss to ATF within 48 hours of discovering it, by calling 1-888-930-9275 and by submitting ATF Form 3310.11, and must record the loss in the dealer’s acquisition and disposition records within seven days.10ATF eRegulations. 27 CFR 478.39a Reporting Theft or Loss of Firearms If you shipped through USPS as a private individual and the package disappears, file a claim with the carrier immediately and contact local law enforcement. Report early. Recovery odds drop the longer a missing firearm sits in the system.
Penalties for Getting It Wrong
Federal firearm shipping violations carry real prison time. A general violation of the Gun Control Act’s shipping provisions, such as failing to give written notice to the carrier or shipping to an unlicensed out-of-state recipient, is punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties Shipping a firearm across state lines with intent to commit a felony carries up to ten years. Mailing a concealable firearm in violation of postal law carries up to two years.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1715 – Firearms as Nonmailable; Regulations State charges can stack on top depending on the circumstances.
Even honest mistakes create problems. Carriers report suspicious or improperly shipped packages to law enforcement, and a firearm that shows up without proper documentation can trigger an investigation. The packaging, notification, and FFL routing rules are worth following exactly.