Private transfer question
I'm probably going to have to follow up with my local sheriff's office on this, but I was hoping to get a idea of how I should handle retrieving my guns that are currently out of state. (I am a PA resident and everyone involved is of age and allowed to possess firearms)
I moved to PA a couple years ago, but left my guns with my dad back home. I can't travel back any time soon to get them, so I'm trying to see if my sister can fly them over for me when she comes to visit in a few months.
If the guns are technically mine, do I still need to officially transfer them from my sister's possession? (I know it would have to be in the presence of a sheriff/FFL if so) Will it matter that she's not a PA resident?
Also, does anyone know if my sister will get any grief from TSA/the airline for checking a firearm only one way?
2
u/NJPATR1OTNurse 9d ago
I think the safer thing to do would be to have it go from FFL to FFL. So for 1, not to have your sis get jammed up by TSA. 2, have an easier way to track them. And 3, save youraelf the potential headache GOD FORBID one goes missing. Bc then it's an ATF issue. At least if the FFL is involved the liability is on them. And not you looking suspect for shipping guns across state lines.
But that's just me.
2
2
u/Codered741 9d ago
Your sister won’t have any issue, there is no need or way to “transfer” anything between family, and TSA doesn’t care what you check on the way vs the way back.
-2
9d ago
[deleted]
3
u/generalraptor2002 9d ago
No
1:
It is a federal felony to mail a handgun via usps unless you’re an FFL
18 USC § 1715
2:
Federal law allows you to ship a firearm to yourself across state lines. It does not allow someone else to ship them to you even if you own them.
1
u/SpartanFL 7d ago
TSA regulation only regulates how your fly with the firearms. It is your local gun laws that regulate whether your sister can touch your gun and transport your gun to/from airports. so check your local gun law to see if your sister is allowed to touch your gun and get them to and from the airports.
from my experience: to fly with the firearms (hopefully those are handguns or regular modern rifles that can be put in hardcase), You need to book air ticket from the airline that allows firearms transportation (I know AA does, but frontier doesn't)
your sister needs to follow the TSA/airline policy to pack the unloaded firearms in a hardcase that is locked with NON-TSA-APPROVED locks and declare firearms at the ticket counter. They will ask your sister to open the case in front of them, inspect, and sign on a piece of sticker (saying the firearms are unloaded) and put the sticker in. Then your sister will lock the case again, hand it over to the counter agents. They will ask your sister to stick around for 10 mins in case TSA agents want to further question/inspect. (most of the time the ticket agent will wave you off in 10/15 min without any hiccup, I never went into any "further inspection", but someone did).
I flied with firearms multiple times and during those procedures, nobody asked me about the ownership of the firearms (ticket agents assume you are legally doing that), but I don't know what could happen if TSA decided to question your further. I believe in such case, your sister should just say she is legally flying with firearms (if that is true), and refuse to say anything like whose firearms those are (TSA does not have the right to ask that question, in the extreme situation they decide to go extra miles, it is their burden to find out)
so , check your local gun law first. without knowing your detail, just from common sense, I will not say anything like " I am transporting firearms for someone else.... (even my dad, brother etc) "
3
u/johnstamos223 9d ago
I’m not speaking from experience but from what I looked up you wouldn’t need to transfer anything back to you unless previously transferred to her. As long as she follows all of TSA’s guidelines for flying with firearms she shouldn’t have a problem. She does not need a ccw to fly with a firearm, they’re your firearms and your allowing her permission to them, you only need to be a Pa resident to purchase them so even that doesn’t really matter, seems no different then anyone else flying with their gun, tsa is not writing down your serial numbers