The same basic local, state and federal firearm laws apply to guns for sale online that govern all firearms sold in the United States. If you are not familiar with Federal Firearm Laws, click on A Citizen's Guide to Federal Firearms Laws for a summary of federal restrictions on the purchase, sale and shipment of firearms. Any individual who does not possess a Federal Firearms License (FFL) may not sell a firearm to a resident of another state without first transferring the firearm to a dealer in the purchaser's state.

Although federal law does not restrict eligible (see Ineligible for Gun Ownership below) gun owners from buying or selling guns within the same state, anyone transferring ownership of a firearm must comply with all state and local laws, ordinances, and firearms regulations. Gunlife does provide a convenient Firearms Laws State-By-State Map for our members. This information is subject to change without notice and is not intended to be legal advice. When in doubt, always contact an attorney in your state of residence for legal clarification.

Federal firearms laws mandate that firearms may NOT be mailed or shipped from a non-FFL in one state to another non-FFL in another state. In all cases where firearms are sold to eligible individuals in another state, the seller must ship the gun to someone who holds a Federal Firearms License. The FFL will transfer the gun to the buyer for a nominal fee and the FFL is legally bound to complete all the paperwork and background checks as required by law.

Carriers like UPS, FedEx and USPS have internal policies that must be satisfied when shipping any firearm, weapon or handgun. In general, shotguns and rifles can be shipped by ground service as long as the carrier is properly notified as to the package's content and the firearm is not loaded. Both UPS and FedEx require that handguns be shipped via Next Day Priority services and the U.S. Postal Service only permits the shipping of handguns from one FFL to another FFL.