A Private Sale Primer

This is a pretty amusing rules of the road for responding to an ad for buying a firearm off someone where the transfer is arranged online1.

1) For any PSHers who run across this, this is not illegal, or a loophole, and all federal and state laws apply to the transaction.  It’s illegal to ship a firearm via common carrier to anyone other than a federal firearms licensee, with limited exception.  Handguns may not be transferred between residents of different states without going through a licensee, and all handgun transfers in Pennsylvania must go through a licensee or Sheriff.

2 thoughts on “A Private Sale Primer”

  1. “Handguns may not be transferred between residents of different states without going through a licensee”

    I’ve spent a lot of time digging through the federal law on guns, and I’ve never seen this one. Are you sure about it? The only thing I’ve ever seen that actually applies to anyone who isn’t a licensed dealer is that you can’t buy a gun outside of your state. But the way it’s phrased (or at least my understanding of it), if someone in NC wants to sell me a gun privately, it’s a felony if I drive from VA to his house to buy it, but it’s legal if he drives to my house to sell it to me. Just like how all of the federal age limits for selling firearms are specifically targeted at licensed dealers/collectors only.

    I still love the law saying that licensed dealers can’t sell ammo to anyone under 21 if it’s used exclusively for handguns. As a group at the range one day, we managed to identify a rifle or carbine that shoots every handgun round we could think of, making that law absolutely useless. However, since no one actually understands what the law actually says, people continue to put up signs saying that it’s illegal to sell any handgun ammo to anyone under 21.

  2. “If I knew that buying and selling firearms involved so much sticking hands up skirts and down pants I’d have been a lot more active.”

    Me too!

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