HERE ARE THE ACTUAL POSTAL REG'S - SUGGEST THAT YOU CUT & PASTE AND SAVE IT TO YOUR PC AND THEN PRINT IT OUT AND TAKE A COPY WITH YOU EVERY TIME YOU GO TO THE POST OFFICE IN CASE YOU RUN INTO AN EMPLOYEE WHO IS NOT EXPERIENCED WITH THE REQUIREMENTS INVOLVED WITH MAILING FIREARMS:
Contents <DMMTC.htm> Index <I022.htm>
C000 General Information
C020 Restricted or Nonmailable Articles and Substances
***C024****Other Restricted or Nonmailable Matter*
***Summary*
C024 describes other restricted or nonmailable items (e.g., firearms,
sharp instruments, controlled substances, pesticides).
***1.0****Pistols, Revolvers, and Other Concealable Firearms*
1.1***Definitions
*
The terms used in this standard are defined as follows:
a./Handgun/ means any pistol, revolver, or other firearm or device the
mailing of which is regulated by this standard.
b./Pistol/ or /revolver/ means a handgun styled to be fired by the use
of a single hand and to fire or otherwise expel a projectile by the
action of an explosion, spring, or other mechanical action, or air or
gas pressure with enough force to be used as a weapon.
c./Firearm/ means any device, including a starter gun, designed to, or
that may readily be converted to, expel a projectile by the action of an explosion, spring, or other mechanical action, or air or gas pressure with enough force to be used as a weapon.
d./Other firearms capable of being concealed on the person/ include, but are not limited to, short-barreled shotguns and short-barreled rifles.
e.///Short-barreled shotgun/ means a shotgun that has one or more
barrels less than 18 inches long. The term /short-barreled rifle/ means
a rifle that has one or more barrels less than 16 inches long. These
definitions include any weapon made from a shotgun or rifle, whether by
alteration, modification, or otherwise, if such weapon as modified has
an overall length of less than 26 inches. A short-barreled shotgun or
rifle of greater dimension may be regarded as nonmailable when it has
characteristics to allow concealment on the person.
f./Licensed manufacturer/ and /licensed dealer/ mean, respectively, a
manufacturer of firearms or a bona fide dealer of firearms, duly
licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms of the
Department of the Treasury, under the Gun Control Act of 1968 (Public
Law 90-618), 18 USC 921, et seq.
g./Antique firearm/ means any firearm (including those with a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar type of ignition system) manufactured in or before 1898, or any replica thereof, if such replica:
(1) Is not designed or redesigned for using rimfire or conventional
centerfire fixed ammunition.
(2) Uses rimfire or conventional centerfire fixed ammunition that is no
longer manufactured in the United States and that is not readily
available in the ordinary channels of commercial trade.
1.2***Handguns
*
Pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person (referred to as /handguns)/ are nonmailable unless mailed between the parties listed in 1.3 <#Raq21444> and 1.5 <#Raq24427> after the filing of an affidavit or statement required by 1.4 <#Raq18782> and 1.6 <#Raq12747>.
1.3***Authorized Persons
*
Subject to 1.4 <#Raq18782>, handguns may be mailed by a licensed
manufacturer of firearms, a licensed dealer of firearms, or an
authorized agent of the federal government or the government of a state, territory, or district, only when addressed to a person in one of the following categories for use in the person’s official duties:
a. Officers of the Army, Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or
Organized Reserve Corps.
b. Officers of the National Guard or militia of a state, territory, or
district.
c. Officers of the United States or of a state, territory, or district,
whose official duty is to serve warrants of arrest or commitment.
d. USPS employees authorized by the Chief Postal Inspector.
e. Officers and employees of enforcement agencies of the United States.
f. Watchmen engaged in guarding the property of the United States, a
state, territory, or district.
g. Purchasing agent or other designated member of agencies employing
officers and employees included in 1.3c <#Raq17487> through 1.3e
<#Raq38459>.
1.4***Affidavit of **Addressee
*
Any person proposing to mail a handgun under 1.3 <#Raq21444> must file
with the postmaster, at the time of mailing, an affidavit signed by the
addressee setting forth that the addressee is qualified to receive the
firearm under a particular category of 1.3a <#Raq32652> through 1.3g
<#Raq24539>, and that the firearm is intended for the addressee’s
official use. The affidavit must also bear a certificate stating that
the firearm is for the official duty use of the addressee, signed by one of the following, as appropriate:
a. For officers of Armed Forces, by the commanding officer.
b. For officers and employees of enforcement agencies, by the head of
the agency employing the addressee to perform the official duty with
which the firearm is to be used.
c. For watchmen, by the chief clerk of the department, bureau, or
independent branch of the government of the United States, the state,
the territory, or the district by which the watchman is employed.
d. For the purchasing agent or other designated member of enforcement
agencies, by the head of such agency, that the firearm is to be used by
an officer or employee included in 1.3c <#Raq17487> through 1.3e
<#Raq38459>.
1.5***Manufacturers and **Dealers
*
Handguns may also be mailed between licensed manufacturers of firearms
and licensed dealers of firearms in customary trade shipments, or for
repairing or replacing parts.
1.6***Certificate of **Manufacturers and **Dealers
*
A licensed manufacturer or dealer need not file the affidavit under 1.4
<#Raq18782>, but must file with the postmaster a statement on Form 1508
signed by the mailer that he or she is a licensed manufacturer or dealer of firearms, that the parcels containing handguns (or major component parts thereof) are customary trade shipments or contain such articles for repairing or replacing parts, and that to the best of his or her knowledge or belief the addressees are licensed manufacturers or dealers of firearms.
1.7***FBI Crime Detection **Bureaus
*
Handguns may be mailed without regard to 1.3 <#Raq21444> through 1.6
<#Raq12747> if:
a. Addressed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), or its
director, or to the scientific laboratory or crime detection bureau of
any agency whose members are federal law enforcement officers or
officers of a state, territory, or district authorized to serve warrants of arrest or commitment; or
b. Offered by an authorized agent of the federal government as an
official shipment to any qualified addressee in categories 1.3a
<#Raq32652> through 1.3g <#Raq24539>, or to a licensed manufacturer or
dealer of firearms or to a federal agency.
***2.0****Antique Firearms*
Antique firearms sent as curios or museum pieces may be accepted for
mailing without regard to 1.3 <#Raq21444> through 1.6 <#Raq12747>.
***3.0****Rifles and Shotguns*
Although unloaded rifles and shotguns not precluded by 1.1e <#Raq23834>
and 1.2 <#Raq23847> are mailable, mailers must comply with the Gun
Control Act of 1968, Public Law 90-618, 18 USC 921, et seq., and the
rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, 27 CFR 178, as well as
state and local laws. The mailer may be required by the USPS to
establish, by opening the parcel or by written certification, that the
gun is unloaded and not precluded by 1.1e <#Raq23834>.