Transfer Dealers

[additude]

I am trying to buy a rifle from a guy that is out of state and I'm having some problems, I think and was wondering if I can find some answers from someone.

I have never bought a gun that needed to be transfered before, and I'm buying the rifle from a private individual, but the only transfer dealers that I can find say that they will only send their FFL's to other FFL dealers and not deal with private individuals.

The seller says that he needs the transfer dealer to send him their FFL so he can put it in the box and ship it to them.

I've had 3 FFL's tell me they will not send an FFL to a private individual....one said that no dealer would send it to a private individual.

I don't know if I'm dealing with hard core FFL's or a private seller that won't budge.

Whats really supposed to happen? How is this supposed to work? I don't know what to do.

Thanks,

Wes

[csapor]

In my experience, buyer and seller both go to FFL's ie; gunstores that do transfers.
I dont think theres any other way. You seller sounds mis-informed. :blink:

[willyjixx]

its probably not the way you want to do it but have you looked at an online broker?

[DocWagon]

I didn't think you needed to do an FFL transfer for long guns, only handguns. I could be wrong, though.

[mbott]

Only the purchaser has to go through a licensed dealer. Under federal law, it is permitted for the seller to ship, via US Mail if they want to, a rifle or shotgun to a federally licensed dealer in the purchaser's home state for pick up by the buyer. There is no federal requirement for the seller to use a licensed dealer to send the rifle or shotgun to the purchaser's dealer.

This type of unlicensed transfer is covered the the Questions and Answers section of the Federal Firearms Regulations Reference Guide. Of course, any firearms transactions must also be legal under state and local laws, too.

I have never bought a gun that needed to be transfered before, and I'm buying the rifle from a private individual, but the only transfer dealers that I can find say that they will only send their FFL's to other FFL dealers and not deal with private individuals.

That's the tough part of this: there is nothing that says a dealer has to be a party of any transaction. And a face-to-face transaction between the two, non-licensed parties would violate federal law, too.

Of course, if the rifle would happen to be a C&R, then you both could get C&R licenses and then ship it between yourselves. C&R pistols, too.

See the following for full details (and the above is not legal advise. I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TV).

The Q&A portion of the Federal Firearms Regulations can be found here: http://www.atf.gov/pub/fire-explo_pub/qa.pdf

The entire Federal Firearms Regulations can be found here: http://www.atf.gov/pub/fire-explo_pub/qa.pdf both in an html version and also as a downloadable pdf file. Enjoy!

--
Mike

[additude]

Thanks Mike,

I ended up finding a FFL dealer that would handle the transfer for me. I did check the ATF web site and decided that because it was out of state, it needed only to be shipped to a FFL dealer in the receiving state.

If it was an in-state purchase between two private parties, then there wouldn't be any FFL needed.

Now pistols are a different ball game....and I may have to figure that out also in the near future.

Thanks for everyones help.

Wes