Pass Along RJ
February 09

Gun Buying
by Steve Smith

The gun companies think that everyone buys their shotguns in the fall just before the season; that's why you see so much advertising in magazines then. They must think a guy goes into a sporting goods store and says, "Let's see, I need a hunting license and some bootlaces and a pin-on compass, and that Beretta over-under in 20-gauge, and some flashlight batteries, and . . ."

Now, in the middle of the winter, is when a lot of serious shotgun fanciers do their most serious shopping. There are a number of gun shows about this time, and new models are introduced at the SHOT Show (this year in Orlando in Mid-January) and dealers will soon stock them. And if you're not interested in a new shotgun, you might look at the used guns that were traded in by someone who was looking for a new shotgun.

Nowadays, of course, the Internet is a good place to start shopping; and even if you hesitate to buy a shotgun on-line, a little snooping around will give you an idea of the going price for what it is you have in mind, so if one is available at your local gun shop, you can make a reasonable offer if the price on it is a little high.

If you buy a gun from a private owner -- still legal -- it's a good idea to pay a gunsmith to go over it to make sure it's in working order and there are no problems, the same as you would with your mechanic and a used car.

There are a number of companies that deal in fine used shotguns -- British, Spanish, European, and classic American guns. If they've been in business any length of time, they can be trusted. If you decide on a gun from them or from anyone out of state, you pay for the gun, it's shipped to your local Federal Firearms Licensee, and you pick it up from him. You will have three days to examine the gun, run a shell or two through it (unless it's new or unfired), and return it if it isn't what you want. You'll pay the shipping and insurance both ways, as well as the FFL dealer's fee for processing. If you like the gun, of course, the deal's done.

There is always some confusion about the shipping of firearms. Essentially, long guns can be shipped to anyone in another state through an FFL dealer, and guns coming in from another state have to come to an FFL dealer. Only the party receiving the gun has to be an FFL holder. But -- and I won 10 bucks on this once -- you as an individual can ship and receive long guns within your own state from another private individual; no FFL dealer needed.

The shipping can get problematic, sometimes. A lot of UPS and FedEx offices don't recognize the legality of non-licensee intrastate shipping as I described, and insist that somebody have an FFL or the gun's going nowhere. There are some reports that UPS doesn’t want to ship any guns to anyone anywhere under any circumstances. USPS will handle the guns as parcel post, however. Complete shipping information for UPS, FedEx, and the Postal Service can be found at: www.seark.net/~jlove/shipping.htm

Please do us a tremendous favor and forward this e-mail on to your retriever-owning friends!

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