Shipping Firearms via USPS - What a hassle!!

[mtang45]

Recently made a trade deal here on the files and was shipping two long guns via USPS to complete the deal today. I got a copy of the FFL from the receiving dealer and went to the PO counter, boxes addressed to him under my arm to ship them to him (I am not an FFL). I declared that I was shipping firearms (like I'm supposed to) and the folks behind the counter FREAKED!! They began to throw a million questions at me like "Do you have a permit on file with us to do that?". " Do you have an FFL?". After I calmly replied NO to both questions they stated "You can't ship firearms!". I said, why not they are both long guns? In which they replied "What are long guns?". This banter of questions and answers went on for several minutes with them sticking firm to the fact that I could not ship them. I finally asked are your regulations and policies different than the USPS? In which the lady clerk replied "Sir, we ARE the USPS!". I then stated "Good, now that we have established that, then I'm sure you can ship them!" They whipped out the USPS manual and began reading after 10 minutes of reading rules and regulations out loud, they concluded that in fact they could except rifles and shotguns (long guns) from private citizens as long as they were addressed to an FFL, AND I could show them a copy of his FFL (I did). So, were all ready to go...right! WRONG!!! they insisted that the common plastic shipping tape that I had used was not correct. That all firearms shipped registered mail had to be packaged with brown paper packing tape and that every seam on the box had to be completely covered. AND I could not just cover the plastic tape because the brown paper tape won't stick to it. I have to remove it first. So now I'm pissed....I bought some brown paper packing tape right there. Spread my packages on on the counter, whipped out my pocket knife and began stripping plastic tape and replacing with brown paper packing tape. An hour later the job was done and they less that cheerfully took the packages and shipped them.

Now you would think that I was doing this in some high crime infested ghetto post office by their reaction. But this was upscale suburbia with lots of pro gun folks running around everywhere. Three guns shops within 5 minutes drive of the post office. An indoor range, a couple of outdoor ranges just outside the city limits and an Annual Spring festival in the former downtown of this one time rural community called "Cole Younger Days".

Can anybody out there verify the brown tape thing? Thats what really pissed me off about this whole thing!