How to Ship a Firearm: 2026 Compliance Guide

How Do You Ship a Firearm Legally?

To ship a firearm legally, you must follow federal law, the rules of your chosen shipping carrier, and the state and local laws of the destination state. The most important rule is this: a nonlicensee cannot ship firearms across state lines directly to another private person. With limited exceptions, an interstate transfer to an unlicensed buyer has to go to a federal firearm licensee (FFL) in the recipient’s state, where the buyer completes an ATF Form 4473 and passes a background check before taking possession.

Here is the short version of who can ship what, and where:

What Each Carrier Allows

USPS, UPS, and FedEx all move firearms, but their rules differ sharply, and they are stricter than federal law in places. The biggest split is that the postal service still accepts long guns from private individuals, while UPS and FedEx accept firearms only from approved licensees.

USPS

The postal service is the only common carrier that accepts firearms from people who do not hold a license, and only for long guns. A nonlicensee may mail an unloaded rifle or shotgun to an FFL dealer in any state, or mail one to themselves in another state for a lawful purpose like hunting, addressed with an “in care of” endorsement so only the owner opens it. The shipment must use a service with tracking and signature capture, such as USPS Priority Mail with Signature Confirmation. Handguns are currently nonmailable for private individuals under federal postal law, a point covered in the next section. USPS Publication 52 governs the details.

UPS

UPS accepts firearms only from shippers who hold an FFL and have an approved Firearm Products agreement on file. Handguns, as defined in the United States Code, move only by UPS Next Day Air, and UPS may require Next Day Air for any firearm at its discretion. Every firearm package needs Delivery Confirmation Adult Signature Required and Direct Delivery Only, and it must ship in new corrugated packaging with a serial number on the firearm. UPS does not accept automatic weapons or machine guns. A shipper with an approved agreement can give a customer a prepaid label to return a firearm product, dropped off at a UPS Customer Center or The UPS Store, but firearms cannot be routed to a third party retailer or access point. Review the UPS firearms policy before you ship.

FedEx

FedEx requires shippers to hold an FFL and sign a FedEx firearms shipping compliance agreement before it will accept any firearm. Without that prior approval, FedEx will not move a firearm, and an unlicensed person cannot ship one through FedEx at all. Handguns ship via FedEx Priority Overnight, the firearm has to be unloaded and secured in a case, the outer box carries no identifying markings, and delivery requires an adult signature. Ammunition is treated as dangerous goods and is never accepted at a FedEx Office retail location. See the FedEx firearms policy for current specific requirements.

The 2026 Handgun Mailing Change: What Is Actually in Effect

A major change to handgun mailing is in motion, but as of mid-2026, it is not final, so the safe practice has not changed yet. For nearly a century, 18 U.S.C. § 1715 has made handguns and other concealable firearms nonmailable for private individuals, leaving only FFLs and certain government officials able to mail them. That is still the rule a post office counter will apply until USPS officially updates its mailing standards.

Here is what changed and where it stands:

What this means for shippers right now: until USPS finalizes the rule, treat handguns as nonmailable by nonlicensees and route them through an FFL or an approved carrier. Even if the change takes effect, the Gun Control Act and state law still control who may receive a firearm and how interstate transfers work, and National Firearms Act items stay restricted. Because this area is moving, confirm the current Publication 52 language and carrier policy before every handgun shipment.

Special Cases: Antiques, Collectibles, NFA Items, and Parts

Some firearms and firearm products follow different rules, and knowing the category before you ship saves a returned package or worse. The main exceptions cover age, collector status, and the most heavily regulated items.

• Antique firearms. An antique firearm, generally a muzzleloader or a firearm made in or before 1898 that does not use fixed ammunition, falls outside the federal definition of a firearm under 18 U.S.C. § 921. These typically ship without the FFL routing that modern firearms require, though carrier rules still apply.
• Curio and relic collectibles. A licensed relic collector can receive qualifying curio and relic firearms across state lines under their license, which changes who the lawful recipient can be.
• NFA items. A short-barreled rifle, short-barreled shotgun, suppressor, or machine gun is regulated under the National Firearms Act and needs prior ATF approval before transfer. Carriers add their own limits on top, and UPS, for example, does not accept automatic weapons at all.
• Firearm parts. Most parts are not firearms. A barrel, handguard, or stock ships like any other product. The moment a part is the serialized frame or receiver, it is the firearm and follows every rule above.

Ammunition Ships Differently Than Firearms

Ammunition is not a firearm, and it follows its own rules as a dangerous good. It can never travel in the same package as a firearm. Carriers classify ammunition as hazardous materials, so it must be packaged and labeled under Department of Transportation rules and the carrier’s own ammunition policy. The postal service treats most ammunition as nonmailable. State law at the destination state matters too, since several states restrict who can receive ammunition and require a background check at delivery. Check the destination rules before you create a shipping label for any ammunition order.

How Dealers Ship at Volume Without the Headaches

For a gun store, the compliance headaches in shipping come from disconnected records, not from the rules themselves. The rules are knowable. The risk shows up when an outbound firearm never makes it into the bound book, when the receiving FFL is not verified, or when a repair round trip leaves gaps in the acquisition and disposition record. A dealer shipping at volume needs every firearm shipment logged the moment it moves.

A few practices keep shipping clean for an FFL dealer:

• Log every movement. Record each outbound firearm as a disposition and each returning firearm as an acquisition in the bound book, with the serial number and the receiving FFL on file. A single repair sent to a manufacturer and returned creates four A&D entries across the two licensees.
• Verify the receiving FFL. Confirm the other dealer’s license is active using the ATF FFL eZ Check and keep a copy of the license on file before the firearm ships.
• Tie shipments to the transfer. The firearm a customer buys online should connect to the receiving FFL selection, the background check, and the 4473 on the other end, so nothing leaves unlogged.

This is where running the business on one system pays off. Gearfire’s point of sale and retail management keeps sales, the bound book, and inventory management connected, so an outbound firearm is recorded against the right disposition without duplicate entry. For dealers selling online, a firearm-friendly eCommerce platform routes each order to the buyer’s chosen FFL and validates the license at checkout, which is the same logic covered in our guide to FFL compliance for online sales. Pair that with firearm-friendly payment processing and the back end of the shipping process stays compliant by default.

Firearm compliance carries real legal weight, and it sits outside the scope of any single guide. For regulatory guidance, work with qualified counsel such as FFLGuard. For dedicated bound book and 4473 software, many dealers use a partner like FastBound.

Pre-Shipment Compliance Checklist

Ship With Confidence

Shipping a firearm without compliance headaches is achievable when the rules, the carrier requirements, and your records all line up. Follow federal law, match the carrier policy to the firearm type, watch the moving 2026 handgun mailing rule, and log every shipment as it happens. Do that, and shipping becomes a routine part of the business instead of a source of risk.

Gearfire builds the technology that keeps the retail and compliance side of shipping in order. The point of sale, inventory management, eCommerce, and payment processing tools work together so a dealer ships, sells, and stays on record with confidence. Contact Gearfire to see how the platform fits your store.

FAQs About Shipping a Firearm

Can I ship a firearm to another person in a different state?

Not directly. With limited exceptions, an interstate transfer to a private buyer must go to an FFL dealer in the recipient’s state. That dealer runs the NICS background check and completes the Form 4473 before the buyer takes possession, usually for a transfer fee.

Can I ship a handgun through USPS?

Under current federal postal law, only FFLs and certain authorized government officials can mail a handgun. Private individuals cannot. A 2026 proposed rule would change this, but it is not final, so treat handguns as nonmailable by nonlicensees and route them through an FFL or an approved carrier for now.

Can a private individual ship a rifle or shotgun?

Yes. A nonlicensee may mail an unloaded long gun through the postal service to an FFL in any state, or to themselves in another state for a lawful purpose. UPS and FedEx accept firearms only from approved FFL shippers, so the post office is the practical option for an individual shipping a long gun.

Do I have to tell the carrier the package contains a firearm?

Yes. Federal law requires written notice to a common carrier or contract carrier that the package contains a firearm. At the same time, the outside of the package cannot be marked in any way that shows it contains a firearm.

How do dealers keep firearm shipments compliant?

Dealers log every outbound firearm as a disposition and every returning firearm as an acquisition in the bound book, verify the receiving FFL with eZ Check, and tie each shipment to the transfer record. Running sales, inventory, and the bound book on one system keeps those records connected.