Post Offices

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So I podcast Tom Gresham's "Guntalk" every week. I was listening to the 11/16 episode yesterday while at work and he said something that seems contradictory to information I have so far learned.

He said that it was perfectly legal to have the USPS mail firearms to yourself if you are planning on visiting another state to hunt. He said that the USPS may raise a stink about it and refuse but that they DO ship guns.

Now if you can not carry a gun in a United States Post Office, how are you going to get your gun in there to ship it?

Maybe I am confused.....

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IMHO, bringing a firearm in a secure package to legally* mail it means that it is not loaded or readily available to you (it's boxed, right?) and stays with the USPS when you leave. Logically, you have to "carry" it into the PO in order to legally mail it.

"Normal" carry, where you're wearing it on your hip (or elsewhere), and it's accessible to you while you're in the PO, and you carry it away with you again when you're done doing your business, is not necessary in the same way. I know, I've bought stamps etc., while unarmed.

IANAL, etc., etc., but IIRC one can normally do whatever is reasonably necessary in order to carry out an act that is specifically provided for by law (in this case, shipping a firearm). Otherwise the legal act is not really legal, and legal interpretation tries to avoid obvious contradictions.

That's a general legal principle, btw, and I do not say that there can't be some (unintended?) Catch-22 in some law somewhere, or that there isn't some fine point of legal interpretation that I don't properly understand. Comment from actual attorneys is invited.

Not trying to start up the "can you carry in a PO" debate

regards,

GR

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* I do not review the situations where it is legal to mail a firearm. Separate question.

** Yes, yes, I know all about the debate about carrying and "lawful purpose". I express no opinion on that question.

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Gah! Double post! Sorry.

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IIRC only FFL Dealers can use the postal system to ship handguns. Anybody can ship unloaded long guns.

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How 'bout UPS/Fedex/DHL?

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Used an agent of FEDEX to send a revolverto S&W (free shipping only for theoriginal purchaser).As hewanted the business hepacked and shipped according to S&W instructionsto "Customer Service", no mention of S&W or thecontents of the packageexcept on his andmy copy of the receipt. Arrived the next AM.

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How about just going to the source?



http://faq.usps.com/eCustomer/iq/usps/request.do?session={eb3845f0-b69c-11dd-4fe4-000000000000}&event=1&view()=c%7B0ed22230-57e2-11dc-51b6-000000000000%7D&objectId=&eksObjectId=&objectType=Case&isJumpEnabled=false&isContentJumpEnabled=false&vendorKey=&objTitle=&versionId=1442&searchProperties=type:natural&naturalAdvance=false&allStr=&phraseStr=&anyStr=&noneStr=&keywordStr=&tTitle=&topicFromSub=&topicsORSubUrl=&report(0000)=p{e521dc60-6973-11dd-e6c4-000000000000}&bcobjectId={e4ae5a10-6973-11dd-e6c4-000000000000}&search=firearm&topicAndSubtopic=Buying$ALL#Whatisrequiredtomailashotgunorotherfirearmtoafamilymember

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Vegassteve wrote:

How about just going to the source?



http://faq.usps.com/eCustomer/iq/usps/request.do?session={eb3845f0-b69c-11dd-4fe4-000000000000}&event=1&view()=c%7B0ed22230-57e2-11dc-51b6-000000000000%7D&objectId=&eksObjectId=&objectType=Case&isJumpEnabled=false&isContentJumpEnabled=false&vendorKey=&objTitle=&versionId=1442&searchProperties=type:natural&naturalAdvance=false&allStr=&phraseStr=&anyStr=&noneStr=&keywordStr=&tTitle=&topicFromSub=&topicsORSubUrl=&report(0000)=p{e521dc60-6973-11dd-e6c4-000000000000}&bcobjectId={e4ae5a10-6973-11dd-e6c4-000000000000}&search=firearm&topicAndSubtopic=Buying$ALL#Whatisrequiredtomailashotgunorotherfirearmtoafamilymember

Click to expand...

Did the web designer for the government get paid by the letter? :shock:

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Dang... based on the title of the post, I was prepared to answer "obsolete and irrelevent".

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So basically you are allowed to "go postal" as long as you remove your firearm from your box and quickly load it before killing everybody.

It would seem more consistent to me if they either saw guns as dangerous or they did not VS seeing guns only as dangerous if they are not first placed in a cardboard box and not loaded. Apparently they make enough money shipping firearms to make exceptions....