Gunsmith shipping a repaired pistol

[Viking Guy]

Gents,

I'm hoping someone can give me an answer on this. My wife and I are in the middle of moving to Georgia from Florida, 500 miles one way. While in Georgia, I dropped off a pistol for repair with a local gunsmith. The repair is complete but for a host of reasons we are unable to get back to Georgia any time soon. I've been in contact with the smith so no problem there. I asked if a friend of mine in Georgia could pick up the pistol for me and he said no as that would constitute a transfer. I respect his decision. I know that legally, I may ship a firearm to a smith for repair and following repair he may ship it back to my doorstep without involving an FFL. Will the fact that I dropped off the pistol versus shipping the pistol run contrary to the repair provision of him shipping the pistol back to me? In other words, may he ship it to me direct and remain in compliance with the law? I have no urgent need for the pistol but I can tell he would like it out of his shop. Thoughts?

TIA
VG

[lyman]

as long as it goes to you, that should be no problem, repaired handguns are shipped from warranty repair centers daily,

and he is correct, only you can pick it up,

[barretcreek]

The only concern I would have is UPS will not honor their insurance if one of their felonious employees steals the gun. They'll take your money for insuring it but won't pay the loss because they only pay if both shipper and recipient have FFLS. Bunch of low life scumbags.

[Gun Smoke]

The only concern I would have is UPS will not honor their insurance if one of their felonious employees steals the gun. They'll take your money for insuring it but won't pay the loss because they only pay if both shipper and recipient have FFLS. Bunch of low life scumbags.

If that's the case then maybe the smith could take it to a local gun shop to ship (for a fee of course) or would that be considered a transfer?

[togor]

The only concern I would have is UPS will not honor their insurance if one of their felonious employees steals the gun. They'll take your money for insuring it but won't pay the loss because they only pay if both shipper and recipient have FFLS. Bunch of low life scumbags.

That tends to be more of an issue when the recipient address is a known gun shop in the delivery area. It's certainly possible to ship things from one garden-variety address to another in such a way that doesn't scream "gun".

[Gun Smoke]

That tends to be more of an issue when the recipient address is a known gun shop in the delivery area. It's certainly possible to ship things from one garden-variety address to another in such a way that doesn't scream "gun".

That would reduce the chance of theft but not eliminate it. If a claim were to be made, UPS, like everyone else, will try every excuse not to pay. Some FFL holders have names and addresses that do not imply they are a gun dealer. Still, they would have a copy of their FFL in the box though. A lot depends upon the value of the gun. If it were me or the smith I would want it sent from a dealer if possible if that's what it takes to provide the ins.

[lyman]

UPS ships firearms every day,

they, and FedEx do repair returns every day, to the warranty centers and to the people that own them

unless the Smith puts big bold letters on the box saying it is a gun,, there will likely be no issues


the Smith needs to ship insured, regardless of the carrier,

and yes, it the Smith is not a FFL, and takes it to another shop, then a NICS check will have to be made at the dealer in GA it is shipped to (LGS cannot ship to the person having the repair done)



from a dealer has nothing to do with insurance, he will need a receipt from someone to prove value if lost,

yall are making this way to complicated,

[Gun Smoke]

I don't know about UPS and the others but I bought a rifle a couple of years ago from a seller off of GB. The rifle was sent by USPS. When it arrived it had heavy damage to the outside of the box and the stock was broken completely off of the receiver of the rifle. The receiving FFL dealer took about 30 pictures and told me to come and look at it.

I contacted the seller about what to do--refuse delivery or have him make a claim. He said over the years the post office has damaged many guns and never paid a claim (zero). So he now ships uninsured to save the money and just pays out of pocket for loss or damage. He says he comes out ahead this way and he is a volume dealer. Why he doesn't use a different carrier I don't know. He says he has tried them all.

We settled for a $100 credit to my CC (from him) which I had used to pay for the item.

Point is, if a claim is made to UPS under these conditions how much hassle will a person have?

[lyman]

UPS is notoriously slow on claims, I am still waiting on one from November,

USPS is slow, but pays out, and I use XPS (a shipper that give a discount on USPS services) that I was set up with by the USPS,
they (XPS) pay quickly, if I can get the receiving end to send me all the required info,


of course none of that matters if it is shipped and packed correctly

handgun damage claims are rare,

if a handgun gets lost, then a call the to carrier, and tell them it is a handgun, and was declared a handgun, gets them in a hurry to find it, since they are responsible for it



btw,

the cost for insurance is not that expensive, with either carrier,

[Viking Guy]

Thanks for all the replies! You've given me a lot of good info

VG

[Sunray]

"...moving to Georgia from Florida...While in Georgia..." Eh? Just curious.
Is it not a Federal requirement to ship FFL to FFL when crossing State borders?
The shipping carrier issue can be an issue, but that's more about who the carrier's customer is. If the smithy calls 'em, he's their customer and Viking Guy has no 'say' in anything.
I believe you can go to your local FedEx(They're the CMP's carrier. So they know about shipping firearms all over.) office and get them to go get the thing and deliver it to whoever/wherever you tell 'em to. That means you are their customer, you pay for the insurance(don't even think about not having insurance.) and have the 'say' if something goes wrong. Dunno for sure though. So call FedEx and ask.

[lyman]

"...moving to Georgia from Florida...While in Georgia..." Eh? Just curious.
Is it not a Federal requirement to ship FFL to FFL when crossing State borders?
The shipping carrier issue can be an issue, but that's more about who the carrier's customer is. If the smithy calls 'em, he's their customer and Viking Guy has no 'say' in anything.
I believe you can go to your local FedEx(They're the CMP's carrier. So they know about shipping firearms all over.) office and get them to go get the thing and deliver it to whoever/wherever you tell 'em to. That means you are their customer, you pay for the insurance(don't even think about not having insurance.) and have the 'say' if something goes wrong. Dunno for sure though. So call FedEx and ask.

the owner of a firearm (handgun or long gun) can ship to the repair or warranty center, and receive it back , across state lines,

[Viking Guy]

Certainly I would insure, pay the shipping, and pay for the smiths efforts in boxing up and taking to the carrier. But, in the end, its his call as to his comfort level and I respect that. Re moving from FL to GA...Though we dearly love our rural lifestyle on the St Johns river, after living mostly in FL since the late 70's (my wife is a native Floridian) we have both grown tired of the heat and humidity for 9 months of the year, the hurricanes (we got whacked 2 years in a row), and the bugs. We are trading all that for a rural place in the North Georgia mountains where we will have 4 distinct seasons though none extreme and actual terrain vs all flat. There are trade offs, but we are both retired and we have both loved and have visited the Ga mountains for years.

[JimF]

. . . . . .We are trading all that for a rural place in the North Georgia mountains where we will have 4 distinct seasons though none extreme and actual terrain vs all flat. There are trade offs, but we are both retired and we have both loved and have visited the Ga mountains for years.

Anywhere around Blue Ridge, Blairsville, Cleveland, Helen, or Hiawassee?

[Viking Guy]

Cleveland. Friends say its really snowing there today

[JimF]

Cleveland. Friends say its really snowing there today

Yeah, I know . . . .

Son and grandson in Milton, Ga., have about 1 inch of “useless white stuff” littering their real estate!