U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- United Parcel Service has issued new rules for shipping firearms and firearm parts, but the announcement comes a week after UPS canceled the accounts of gun retailers who may have violated the rules that weren’t yet made public or even in effect.
In a story published July 1, we revealed that UPS was terminating the accounts of gun dealers, and that any packages currently in the UPS system could be “seized and destroyed.”
In a letter sent to one Florida gun dealer, Ghost Firearms, UPS said they were terminating the account because they “may be violating” laws concerning homemade firearm parts.
“We write to inform you that UPS has learned that your company may be violating applicable laws concerning the shipment of “ghost guns” to unauthorized locations,” the letter states. “In light of our concern, UPS has determined that it will cancel your account, effective immediately.”
In a follow-up story published July 5, we revealed that five Democratic Senators recently sent ominous letters to UPS and 27 other carriers, blaming them for escalating violent crime rates.
“We are concerned that lax shipping security measures are contributing to the epidemic of gun violence in this country by allowing criminals to use stolen firearms to commit crimes,” the letters each state.
They were signed by Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.), Christopher S. Murphy (D-Conn.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
In their letters, the Senators peppered the shippers with 20 questions and document requests. They were sent May 19 to UPS, FedEx, the U.S. Postal Service, and trucking and rail carriers located in the United States and Canada.
UPS media relations personnel did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment for either story.
Now, UPS has quietly updated its rules for shipping firearms on its website.
Now, they require a serial number on any frame or receiver, as required by a federal rule that hasn’t yet taken effect.
Any item that meets the definition of a firearm (including firearm mufflers or silencers) or a “frame” or “receiver” under federal law (including any partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional frame or receiver as defined by 27 CFR § 478.12) must be identified and bear a serial number in satisfaction of the requirements for identifying such items under federal law, including 27 CFR § 478.92 and/or 27 CFR § 479.102, regardless of whether any such items are otherwise exempt from or not subject to identification requirements under applicable law. This prohibition applies even before the effective date of 27 CFR § 478.12.
UPS’ previous rules contained no serial number requirements.
Takeaways
Over the past two weeks, UPS’ messaging has been a hot mess.
They threatened dealers’ livelihoods. They seized and destroyed property – all with no advance notice – and when they were caught and their actions became public, they failed to address their mistakes.
In other words, they punished gun dealers for violating secret UPS rules that weren’t even public – all because they got a scary letter from five anti-gun politicians.
As a private business, UPS is free to enact whatever shipping rules they want, but we are free to choose a carrier that’s not so schizophrenic.
This story is presented by the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project and wouldn’t be possible without you. Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support more pro-gun stories like this.
About Lee Williams
Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” is the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.
The globalists have a check list. Legal gun ownership is at the top of that list it seems. This is a war and they are raiding supply chains of firearms and ammo. If we are cut off from internet retailers, that leaves gun shows and dwindling supplies from gun shops. If we allow this to continue, we deserve what we get.
Agree, but do you have any actionable suggestions on how to combat this?
Time to instill some fear into the government. Until they fear the people, there will not be liberty.
time to build an american free market shipper
FJB/FUPS !
Infiltrating every facet of life is the ultimate goal of the left.
and the leave me alone people will be forced to kill them all, Ted Kaczynski had family that turned him in how many have no family and these idiots stir the hornets nest, these people do not need guns most have an IQ beyond conventional measure the type of people that built the atom bomb
UPS knuckles under to subtile pressure from the feds. The new rules the BATFE plans on placing into effect in August will not stand the scrutiny of the judicial system. The recent decision re the EPA sets the stage for reining in the over reach of the BATFE and other federal agencies!
What’s more most of these unconstitutional laws that the ATF have been creating will not hold muster now.
Hopefully we see enforcement of the power of the 2nd Amendment. Thomas’s opinion is fantastic and hopefully these crazy scared pathetic leftists will start getting their due ass whooping.
Including dismantling of the NFA and ATF.
So add random numbers on your parts and claim it’s a serial number. UPS isn’t going to check them all, so problem solved
Great idea!
still, this only applies to 80% and 100% machined receivers or frames. other parts are still fine.
There is no ‘only’. You do not cede ground in a war.
they ether want our business or dont., this says they dont want our business
Exactly
Sounds like you live in a good neighborhood. Believe I do as well. My neighbors have certainly received numerous packages erroneously delivered to us. Have yet to not end up getting packages sent to me either. If we entrust a shipper, we should not have to depend upon our neighbors to perform last leg delivery! In past when I used to use UPS, I had them redirect any valuables to a store. Among other advantages, I could pick up heavy ammo package and sneak it into the house without having to explain spending to the wife :). Now it’s simple… Read more »
It’s not a war; it’s a peace keeping action.
Not from what I’ve read. Well… maybe so far in AFT regulations in place now. Look at proposed regulations and proposed laws across the country. Basically they call for serialization of ALL gun parts. I bought a caliber conversion barrel for one of my pistols, and the new barrel was serialized! While seller may have kept record, it otherwise did not impact me beyond just being offensive. Other states are trying to make such parts go through an FFL and require background check to take delivery. As Hazcat says – “There is no ‘only’.” We have compromised, now it’s their… Read more »
UPS hasn’t created a system that can record and verify the serial numbers of the guns or 80%. It will be a big problem for them to come up with a system.
The only thing the woke suits at UPS understand is money, Now that they have pissed off millions of people who use their services to ship everything imaginable, lets see how they stand when next quarters financial results and losses show up on the balance sheet, Boycott UPS for all shipping transactions.
So that block of aluminum and the 3D printer materials that I ordered now require serial numbers!
roll stamped in such a way as to imprint number on anything you print, aluminum and steal have to be sub microcosmical numbers in structure of atoms
It would be interesting to FOIA or sue for information about whether any law enforcement agency has provided a list to these shipping companies of firearm parts manufactirers they want inspected (particularly USPS)…whether any shipping company has opened or confiscated any shipments based on any provided list, and whether they allowed government agents to do anything with or otherwise document the contents of said packages…at the direction of whom, and under the auspices of what law.
Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has dementia and should not be in office. So much for democratic credibility.
UPS is a world economic fund (wef) partner.
STOP using ups. Shut them down. They are your enemy. They are part of the fourth reich. They are traitors to the U.S.
Lol, if you stop using companies with any kind of connections to wef you might be living in a cave with pelts for clothes.
Then so be it…….f’ those traitor companies and every employee who advances their interests……kill all they send.
An attitude like yours supports and grows these nazis
If you don’t stop supporting the companies facilitating totalitarian assholes you may end up living in a cave wearing pelts…….see todays NYC nuke psa
Ups there are other shippers that arrive on time for less money. Democrats want to continue to disarm America. Biden who voted for this rock head more votes than any president , BULL SH-T Propaganda bought to you by the elite media & socialist democratic party. Why would the democrats start telling the truth now !!!!!!
The Democrates can’t tell the truth because they are so convinced that their lies ARE the truth.
My company was just notified by XPO Logistics that they were dropping our account at the end of the month and no longer shipping firearms.
I understand the semtiment that a private business is free confuct its business as ir sees fit, within the law; but why does the government step in and say that a resltor has to sell a house yo a black man or a homosexual, but allows that same business to deny me service if I sm armed? UPS is a shipping company; stupid SOBs need to concern themselves with moving parcels from point A to point B and stop trying to coerce me into their political bent. I certainly dont need any jackass or jackass company trying to over regulate… Read more »
Instead of attacking their customers for shipping disfavored-legal parcels – UPS should have been on top of their service providers (railroads) to up their security. UPS should also have pre-emptively been hitting up governments such as LA (city, not state) to provide sufficient police security for rail lines, switchyards and where-ever. This issue is far broader than just firearms – secure shipping is necessary for pretty much every business. Working in insurance, though not property insurance, I may have a slightly different viewpoint – but while minor ongoing losses to theft are an accepted part of most businesses, wholesale looting… Read more »
One minor, yet major correction, there is no such thing as “gun violence” that’s a term made up by gun fearing politicians. Violence is violence, what you call “gun violence” does not exist. It’s violence that is committed using a gun. Let’s look at a couple of simple,, provable facts, guns are not violent, they do not commit violence all by themselves. It’s violent PEOPLE using guns.
I’m fully aware that guns are not violent and that they do not assault. Sorry sarcasm did not come through. Was trying to point out idiocy of demonizing “gun violence” and that violence performed using a firearm is not necessarily a bad thing.
Question(s): how does UPS discover the contents of any package? How does UPS intend to verify that parts shipped are serialized?
Are they now an authorized enforcement arm of the AFT? Destroying private property is not legally actionable?
in other words….better to support the nazis and save a little money?
I appreciate those, like me that spend more, despite the financial hardship to be sure their kids and grandkids won’t grow up in a nazi country.
I WILL NOT TRADE COST AND CONVENIENCE FOR CONCENTRATION CAMPS FOR MY POSTERITY. PERIOD.
“Surely, if we don’t hang together we’ll be hung individually”
And we’ll be hung individually by those companies that killed our friends and supporters by drawing us away with a 10% discount.
how cheap is the price of freedom?
Seemed obvious enough in original post 🙂 You “mailed” rather than “shipped” or “sent”. Cost high enough that it screams USPS to me. Final sentence tied it up nicely with a pretty ribbon. I applaud you for putting your money where your mouth is. Hoping the rest of us will do the same. Have you emailed or written UPS regarding this? Sure they’ll ignore your letter – but like politicians they have someone compiling statistics and losing $200 from a single client on a single package is likely to register. Next they need to get thousands of similar letters from… Read more »
Was anyone wondering why the IRS is stockpiling P90 fully automatic machine guns, and the ammo to go with them? We the People are naive enough to believe that we elect representatives to represent our interests, and all the while they are in Washington DC building this pay-to-play machine designed to make themselves wealthy, and to contain 330+ million people, by fear, misinformation, censoring, and outright lies. None of them give a damn about any of the identities that they pander to, as the pandering is a means to an end. That end is to eventually put an end to… Read more »
And your evidence of the irs stockpiling p90 guns ??
For the intellectually lazy a quick goggle found this: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-19-175.pdf
As of 2017 they had 15 smg’s. But three things:
They’ve made substantial purchases since then and purchases of less than $3500 skirted reporting. Also look at all of the different agencies that maintain arsenals.
Back about 1998 Rush Limbaugh reported on his radio program that the IRS or the USPS was buying 100.000 shotguns. Maybe Mossberg or Winchester should look through their records and tell us if this is true. In fact, all manufacturers should report on all sales of firearms to all government agencies down to the local level. Ammo manufacturers same thing. They need to decide which side of the divide they will stand with when the war starts. In my opinion all manufacturers should refuse all sales to any government agency at any level and continue to refuse sales until all… Read more »
Great idea in concept but the manufacturers are part of the issue. They love their Golden parachutes from the government purchases.
Well put.
“WE”
That’s what it will come to at some point when the real America wakes it’s ass back up.
Deliver the box and mind your own damned business, ups. You are box monkies, not atf secret agent mans.
And how will they verify all those items have serial numbers? Are they going to open every package and check? And what about all the property they’ve destroyed, are they going to reimburse the individuals who purchased it? Private shipping company or not, they are breaking the law by tampering with, and destroying, items purchased by law abiding citizens.
Americans will have to realize that if they keep electing democrats ALL our constitutional rights will eventually be a thing of the past, and the communist Chinese model of government will be our future.
Democrats are the New Nazis.
democrats are socialists nazis are socialists never has been a difference they were trying to bring us in on side of Germany fdr was not pro england we were on the fence japans attack put us on allied side
This all makes a lot more sense now. Some members of congress threatened UPS, and UPS panicked. Now that their lawyers have looked into the issue they are bringing their policies into conformity with the real rules (even though those rules may be thrown out eventually by the courts). This is another example of the left using “any means necessary” to accomplish their goals, which in this case is simply to put a thumb into the eye of people on the right who support the 2nd amendment (UPS not shipping things would not stop a single shooting, so that can’t… Read more »
Just found this on the UPS Website:
The labeling and outer box markings on all firearms shipments must not identify the contents as containing a firearm. Labeling, including the shipper’s and consignee’s abbreviated names on the shipping label or air shipping document, must be non-descriptive.
Maybe someone can help me with a few questions:
1) Does UPS currently get a Serial Number of a shipped firearm when it is shipped through them?
3) What information is on the shipping label to the FFL?
2) If they do, what do they do with the information when the firearm is delivered to an FFL? They would have the FFL address, the SN, and the purchaser information in their system wouldn’t they.
This could easily be a firearms registry if they record and keep all of that information. Thank you.
If it was going Barlow, AK, or Roosterpuke, west Texas, I might could understand it; but plenty of UPS trucks roll through NJ. They’s making big money on that deal.
UPS has backed down to a small degree:
https://youtu.be/RZXbC4O_KCw
so?
they are still a wef partner. They are still advancing the 4th reich. They still agree that “you will own nothing and be happy”. They still think your kids should eat bugs.
UPS is an enemy. DO NOT USE THEM. The firearms industry should cut them off en mass at once
Not just the one industry. Every gun-owner and every business those individuals operate, work for, or buy from should be boycotting UPS. Cancel their ass until they admit error and fire all responsible parties – up to and including CEO.
In case you don’t know it, you’re in the last innings of a COLOR REVOLUTION brought to you by the Globalist Oligarch Thugs that own this joint. The “Supreme Court” doesn’t control the US Military, and before these thugs will remove their fangs in your neck, expect to see B2’s carpet bombing red states that refuse to bend the knee. And yes, it’s that bad. It’s called REALITY.
and snipers taking out government trash at staggering rates
Think Reinhard Heydrich.
All his assassins were killed or committed suicide.