FFL to FFL???

I am curious on why an FFL would only accept transfers from other FFLs when Federal and State law does not apply? I know some States have regulations around this, but I am an individual selling a lower to someone in Penn. and his nearby FFL will only accept a transfer from another FFL. He told the guy something about doing this "to reduce hassles". Not sure why this is the case. Are the Feds bothing FFLs that perform transfers from individuals or is there another risk that I am just not understanding?

Thanks for any thoughts on this.... I don't think my buyer minds spending the extra $20 for my FFL to get involved, but it still bothers me that there is yet another hurdle to overcome...

I don't have any comment on the "whys" although I do know that it's completely legal at least on the federal level for an FFL to accept a shipment from a non-FFL.

With that said, however, I prefer to work with an FFL on both ends where possible because it often is less expensive even when paying both FFLs a fee. The reason for that is that a non-FFL can only ship a handgun by a common carrier(i.e. UPS or Fed-Ex) and their polices require that the gun be shipped overnight. That typically means $60+ to ship the gun.

On the other hand, an FFL can use USPS to ship a handgun to another FFL. A typical handgun can be shipped(and insured for full value) for $15-25(depending on size and value) through priority mail.

So, even pay $20 plus the cost of shipping to the FFL for them to ship it to the buyer will still put the buyer ahead vs. you shipping to their FFL.