If you aren’t a federally licensed dealer, the only way to ship a firearm yourself is by mailing an unloaded rifle or shotgun through USPS, with tracking and a signature service, to a licensed dealer (FFL), to yourself in care of someone in another state, or to a resident of your own state. Handguns can’t be mailed by the public, and UPS and FedEx now accept firearms only from licensees with a signed carrier agreement, so a handgun has to be shipped for you by an FFL.
Key Takeaways
- Handguns: nonmailable for the general public. Under USPS Publication 52, only licensed manufacturers, dealers and importers (and certain officials) may mail them.
- Rifles and shotguns: mailable through USPS when unloaded, using a service with tracking and signature capture at delivery.
- UPS and FedEx: firearms are a contract-only service for federal licensees who have signed the carrier’s firearms agreement. Individuals can’t ship guns with either carrier directly.
- Interstate transfers: a firearm sold or given to an unlicensed person in another state must go through an FFL in the recipient’s state.
- Never ship ammunition with a firearm. USPS lists ammunition as prohibited in domestic mail.
Who can legally ship a firearm?
Federal law, mainly the Gun Control Act and 18 U.S.C. 1715 for the mail, splits shippers into two groups: federal firearms licensees (FFLs) and everyone else. Licensees can ship handguns and long guns to each other in the ordinary course of business. A nonlicensee has far fewer options, and the options depend on whether the gun is a handgun or a long gun.
The ATF’s shipping FAQs state the core rule for nonlicensees: you may ship a firearm to a licensee in any state, or to a resident of your own state, but not to an unlicensed person who lives in another state. Any sale or transfer to someone across state lines goes to an FFL in the buyer’s state, who completes the transfer and the background check. Your own state may add more requirements, such as running intrastate private transfers through a dealer, so check state law even when the package never leaves your state.
There’s one more federal exception. You may ship a rifle or shotgun to yourself in another state for a lawful activity like a hunting trip, addressed to you “in care of” the person who will hold it, as long as only you open the package.
What are the USPS rules for shipping firearms?
USPS rules are in Publication 52, section 43. Every firearm mailing must follow the Gun Control Act and 18 U.S.C. 1715, be packed under the general rules in DMM 601, and carry no markings on the outside that reveal what’s inside. The Postal Service can ask you to open the package, or to certify in writing that the gun is unloaded and eligible to mail. A hard-sided case inside a plain outer carton meets both requirements, and our guide to rifle shipping boxes compares the case and box options for long guns.
Handguns
Handguns, and any firearm that can be concealed on the person, are nonmailable for the public. Section 432.2 allows them only between licensed manufacturers, dealers and importers (who file PS Form 1508 with the postmaster), or to certain officials, such as law enforcement and military officers, with an addressee affidavit. Short-barreled rifles and shotguns that can be concealed are nonmailable too.
Rifles and shotguns
Unloaded rifles and shotguns are mailable under section 432.3, and a nonlicensee owner can mail one in four situations:
| Situation | Who it goes to | USPS requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Mailing to a dealer | An FFL dealer, manufacturer or importer in any state | A service with tracking and signature capture at delivery |
| Mailing to yourself in another state | Yourself, “in the care of” the temporary custodian | Tracking and signature capture; only the owner opens it |
| Mailing within your own state | A resident of the same state (if state law allows) | “Return Service Requested” endorsement, plus tracking and signature capture |
| Licensee to licensee | Another FFL | Unrestricted; tracking and signature recommended |
“Tracking and signature capture” means pairing a tracked service such as Priority Mail or USPS Ground Advantage with a signature service like Signature Confirmation or Adult Signature. If a firearm is lost, USPS may pay an indemnity claim, and it may also pay when the repair estimate from a reputable dealer exceeds the gun’s value at mailing.
Can you ship a gun through UPS or FedEx?
Not as a private individual. UPS accepts firearm products “only as a contractual service,” and only from licensed importers, manufacturers, dealers and collectors who open a dedicated account, provide their licenses and sign the UPS firearms agreement. FedEx works the same way: shippers must hold an FFL and sign the FedEx Firearms Shipping Compliance Agreement, and shippers without an FFL aren’t eligible.
For approved UPS shippers, handguns travel only by UPS Next Day Air Early, Next Day Air or Next Day Air Saver. Every firearm package needs Delivery Confirmation Adult Signature Required and Direct Delivery Only, the label can’t identify the contents, and the package can’t be delivered to an Access Point or third-party retailer. UPS doesn’t ship firearms or firearm parts internationally and refuses automatic weapons outright.
This is why older advice that tells individuals to “send handguns by UPS or FedEx overnight” is now out of date. If you need to send a handgun, take it to a local FFL, who ships it to the receiving FFL under the dealer’s own carrier agreement.
How do you ship a handgun if you aren’t a dealer?
You can’t mail it, and UPS and FedEx won’t take it from you, so the practical route goes through a licensed dealer:
- Arrange the receiving end first. Confirm the receiving FFL (or the manufacturer, for a repair) will accept the handgun, and get a copy of their license if they ask the sending dealer for one.
- Take the unloaded handgun to a local FFL. Many gun shops ship for customers; ask what they need from you and how they handle the paperwork.
- Let the dealer pack and ship it by next-day air under their UPS or FedEx agreement, or by USPS as a licensee filing PS Form 1508.
- Complete the transfer at the receiving FFL. The buyer, or you if it’s your gun coming back from repair, picks it up and goes through any required background check.
Manufacturers that service their own guns often send a prepaid return label or shipping instructions. Use exactly what they provide.
How do you pack a firearm for shipping?
Packing has two jobs: keep the gun secure, and keep the package from advertising what’s inside. Federal law bars carriers from requiring any label that shows a package contains a firearm, and both USPS and UPS forbid outer markings that reveal the contents.
- Unload it completely and confirm the chamber and magazine are empty. Remove any ammunition from the case, pockets and pouches.
- Lock it in a hard case. A sturdy, lockable case keeps the gun from shifting and makes tampering obvious.
- Box the case. Put it in a new corrugated box with cushioning on every side so it can’t move.
- Keep the outside plain. Cover or remove any manufacturer, gun-store or case branding, and don’t write “firearm” or a model name on the address label.
- Address it correctly. Address it to the FFL’s licensed premises, or to yourself “in care of” the custodian. Add “Return Service Requested” for an intrastate mailing.
Can you ship ammunition with a firearm?
No. USPS lists ammunition among the items you can’t send in the U.S. mail, and UPS requires ammunition to ship separately from firearms under its own hazardous-materials and agreement rules. FedEx won’t accept ammunition at FedEx Office or other retail counters.
Don’t leave a stray round in a case pocket, either. A single cartridge makes the package a prohibited mailing.
Can you print a firearm shipping label with ParcelPath?
ParcelPath fits one firearm case: a nonlicensee mailing an unloaded rifle or shotgun by USPS. ParcelPath is free, with no subscription or per-label fee, and gives you up to 89% off USPS rates, so you can compare Priority Mail and Ground Advantage for a long-gun box in the ParcelPath rate calculator before you buy. Make sure the label includes a signature service. If you can’t add one online, buy the postage at the Post Office counter instead, because the signature requirement in Publication 52 isn’t optional.
The ParcelPath shipping calculator page explains how weight, size and distance drive the price of a heavy long-gun box. For a firearm, plan to hand the package to a clerk rather than leaving it in a collection box, since the Postal Service may ask you to open it or certify that it’s unloaded. Our guide to shipping labels and printers covers printing at home, and a USPS Label Broker code lets you print the label at the Post Office if you don’t own a printer.
Don’t use a ParcelPath UPS label for a firearm. UPS takes firearms only from licensees on a dedicated, contract-based account. The same caution doesn’t apply to items that aren’t firearms. A gun safe, a cleaning kit or an airsoft gun, which ships legally under its own rules, can go by UPS or USPS like any other parcel. USPS requires Adult Signature for air guns with a muzzle velocity of 400 feet per second or more.
Dealers who sell cases, optics or safes online can use our guide to product pricing with a shipping calculator to build delivery costs into their listings.
What mistakes get firearm shipments rejected or seized?
- Mailing a handgun as a nonlicensee. It’s nonmailable under 18 U.S.C. 1715. Go through an FFL.
- Shipping directly to a private buyer in another state. That’s an unlawful interstate transfer. The gun must go to an FFL in the buyer’s state.
- Skipping the signature service on a USPS long-gun mailing. Publication 52 requires tracking and signature capture at delivery.
- Using a UPS or FedEx label without a firearms agreement. Both carriers limit firearms to approved licensees.
- Branded or labeled boxes. Outer markings that reveal a firearm break USPS and UPS rules and invite theft.
- Ammunition in the package. It’s prohibited in the mail and has to ship separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I mail a handgun through USPS?
Not unless you’re a licensed manufacturer, dealer or importer, or one of the officials listed in USPS Publication 52. Handguns and other concealable firearms are nonmailable for the general public under 18 U.S.C. 1715. A private owner needs a local FFL to ship the handgun to another licensee, usually by next-day air under the dealer’s carrier agreement.
Can I mail a rifle or shotgun through USPS?
Yes, if it’s unloaded and you follow Publication 52 section 432.3. A nonlicensee can mail a long gun to an FFL in any state, to themselves in care of someone in another state, or to a resident of their own state where state law allows. Each mailing needs a service with tracking and signature capture at delivery.
Can I ship a gun to someone in another state?
Not directly to an unlicensed person. Federal law requires an interstate transfer to an unlicensed recipient to go through a federally licensed dealer in the recipient’s state, who completes the transfer and any required background check. You can ship the firearm to that dealer, and the recipient picks it up there.
Does UPS let individuals ship firearms?
No. UPS accepts firearm products only as a contractual service for licensed importers, manufacturers, dealers and collectors who open a dedicated account and sign the UPS firearms agreement. Approved shippers must send handguns by a UPS Next Day Air service, with Adult Signature Required and Direct Delivery Only.
Can I ship ammunition in the same box as my gun?
No. USPS lists ammunition as an item you can’t send in the domestic mail, and UPS requires ammunition to travel separately from firearms under its own rules. Check every case pocket before you seal the box, because a single loose cartridge makes the whole package unmailable.
Sources
- USPS Publication 52, section 432: Mailability of firearms
- USPS Publication 52, section 43: Firearms definitions
- USPS Publication 52, section 433: Legal opinions on mailing firearms
- USPS: Shipping restrictions (ammunition and firearms)
- UPS: How to ship firearms
- FedEx: How to ship firearms
- ATF: Firearms FAQs on shipping by nonlicensees (atf.gov), citing 18 U.S.C. 922(a)(2)(A), 922(a)(5), 922(e) and 27 CFR 478.31
Part of our Shipping Guides hub.
In this section:
- How to Ship a Gun Safe
- How to Ship to an FFL
- How to Ship an Airsoft Gun
- Can You Mail a Knife
