Mistaken Rifle Delivery Panics Some, but Highlights Real Problems for Gun Owners

liberal with miss shipped rifle
Upon opening the box, the recipient decided to take a picture of himself smiling and holding the required FFL paperwork, as he stood over the rifle, though he later told a public radio reporter he was “shocked” to have the rifle in his kitchen.

Charlotte, NC –-(Ammoland.com)- A recent news story from Washington, D.C. highlights just how irrational anti-gun advocates can be about firearms.

A SIG semi-automatic rifle was mistakenly delivered to an address in the nation’s capital. It was intended for a gun store in Pennsylvania but appears to have been accidentally re-labeled in transit.

Upon opening the box, the recipient decided to take a picture of himself smiling as he stood over the rifle, though he later told a public radio reporter he was “shocked” to have the rifle in his kitchen. Of course, the unloaded rifle posed no threat, as no ammunition was on hand or even available to purchase in D.C.

The recipient notified the D.C. police, who came and seized the gun. At this time it is not known what will happen to the rifle, or if the intended recipient will ever receive the rifle in Pennsylvania, where is it perfectly legal. But the harmless outcome of this random error obviously didn’t satisfy the Brady Campaign, whose president, Dan Gross, put out a statement saying “We have to be better than a nation where assault weapons are so prevalent and can so easily end up in dangerous hands. It’s deeply disturbing.”

In the age of Internet shopping, the amount of goods shipped by common carriers has grown immensely, and by and large, the major cargo companies do a very good job of getting the right packages to the right people. But, inevitably, mistakes will happen when dealing with millions of packages each day.

Unfortunately, gun owners often experience difficulty when legally shipping a firearm, not due to laws or corporate policies, but because of a different kind of error:  personnel working at local shipping offices who simply do not understand the rules for shipping firearms.

Federal law does impose certain restrictions on the shipment of firearms, but each of the common carriers also has policies that go beyond the law in certain ways. Here are links to web pages for UPS, FedEx, and USPS that explain their shipping policies. Before shipping a firearm, it is a good idea to print out the information on these pages and have it with you to show any clerk who may not fully understand the rules.


About NRA-ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

NRA - Institute for Legislative Action

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Bill

Prior to the passage of the 68GCA (which the NRA supported by the way), we could buy guns through the mail without background checks or 4473 forms, yet crime was low! When the NRA supported the end of mail order sales they changed our culture. Women would routinely buy guns through the mail for their family members will little or no hesitation. 50 Years ago this would have been NO big deal. Had the NRA not supported President Johnson’s call to end mail order sales we could still be buying guns through the mail today. The reason behind the change… Read more »

EthanP

Over the years I have shipped two rifles via UPS for repairs. One was lost in transit for four months. Both were returned via UPS. both were dumped on the front porch with no one home. Fortunately I lived in a low crime area and both boxes, clearly marked firearm were still there when I got home. Since then I only ship even long guns via an FFL. It's safer that way. Although as this shows, it's not perfect.

Jim Griffiths

The Brady Bunch's Dan Gross said, “We have to be better than a nation where assault weapons are so prevalent and can so easily end up in dangerous hands. It’s deeply disturbing." Why does Mr. Gross feel that the accidental recipient is a "dangerous" person? What does Mr. Gross know that we don't? Or is Mr. Gross simply being hysterical since the rifle didn't end up in dangerous hands? Quite the contrary, the accidental recipient showed a respect for the law and public safety by notifying law enforcement officials immediately. The continuing incompetence of the Brady Bunch is a source… Read more »