Sending Rifles via Royal Mail

[craynerd]

As the title says, is it legal?

I have wrapped my gun up really protected for sending off to my buyer but even tho its v large (due to all the padding) it still is in a rifle shape!!!!

Should i put it in a box to obscure the shape or am i ok sending as is?

Also is it 100% legal?

Whats sort of method should i send it....?

Regards
Chris

PS . no insult to Davestate who has already confirmed it is ok, just wanna make 100% sure!

[Sniper 296]

stick it in a box and say it stuff.....

[familytales]

Far as I know it is still legal but they had a 'consultation' earlier this year on whether to drop firearms from regular Royal Mail parcels, so no doubt soon they will announce a ban. Probably a good idea to disguise the contents anyway and they don't ask what's in it.

[alan-aitch.]

Firearms are already a no no with Royal Mail. UK legal airguns are still ok.

The problem is finding someone on the PO counter that knows the difference.

A box would help.

Alan.

[Gwylan]

Take the stock off, wrap both bits in bubble wrap, and it will fit in a shorter box, and not look so much like a rifle.
Gus

[familytales]

Firearms are already a no no with Royal Mail. UK legal airguns are still ok.

The problem is finding someone on the PO counter that knows the difference.

A box would help.

Alan.

Yes, sorry, I meant airguns when I said firearms.

[Rapidnick]

Take the stock off, wrap both bits in bubble wrap, and it will fit in a shorter box, and not look so much like a rifle.
Gus

100% the way to go! I have never had a problem doing it this way.

[draftsmann]

I have wrapped my gun up really protected for sending off to my buyer but even tho its v large (due to all the padding) it still is in a rifle shape!!!!

If it's merely wrapped - even with bubble wrap - it is NOT protected sufficiently to post or courier. You're asking for a cracked stock or bent barrel - and a pissed off buyer. You really need to box it.

Adrian

[Rich]

Get yourself a piece of sewer pipe from the builder's merchant. 100mm diameter, hard plastic, put the action inside with some polystyrene chips or similar, plug the ends, wrap with brown paper. VERY strong, won't bend, will withstand a lot of impact with no damage, and it's not very heavy either.

And it doesn't look like a rifle.

Rich

PS Cardboard tubes from the carpet shop make good alternatives.

[GiZZeRR]

I always box a rifle when sending it through the post. They don't need to know what it is but make sure it has enough insurance cover. Airgun Centre use RoyalMail and I've returned gun the same way....never a problem.

[PALADIN]

Seems Special Delivery have had a clampdown on acceptance of certain size items at PO counters

and won't take anything longer than 61 cms !!!!

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/c...ediaId=2600017

but PO counters accept Parcel post items up to 1.5 metres in length ok

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/j...mediaId=400031

good luck

[craynerd]

Thankyou guyz, I have taken ages wrapping it up, but i agree, it needs a box and i think it will be best if i remove the stock from the barrel like you said. OK time for a re-think.

Thanks again

[blackfox]

hi all heres what i found out about the ban

Hi there all,



I got my wife to have a check on this. The only official reference that she managed to bring up on her terminal at work was that Royal Mail had requested postcomm to prohibit carraige in mail services.



As for spares??? Well if its in a jiffy bag and sent by post you do not have to specidy what you send through the mail unless its going overseas.

At present there are absolutely no restrictions on the movement of blank-firing weapons by Royal Mail within the UK or there shipment by Royal Mail overseas. But if Royal Mail has there way any type of blankfirer, replica weapon of any kind,even a toy which "looks too realistic" & all assoc. spare parts etc will be prohibited from using Royal Mail within & outwith the UK. The majority of Royal Mail posted within the UK today is moved by air , all such items are now scanned and if this ban goes ahead then anything which looks the least bit like a firearm,real or not, legal or not, will be seized & handed over to the police.

here are a few other points for consideration. I've previously shown how the ban will increase handling costs on the shipment of blankfirers & parts. In the case of a gun spring I pointed out it could be as staggering as a 6200% increase in postal charges. (£13 by Parcelforce compared to 21p by Royal Mail).

Take another example, you do not live near any outlets which sell blankfirers or repair them. The only practical alternative for you is to use the postal service. At present I can send a Peacemaker by Special Delivery for £5.20 secure in the knowledge that if it is lost or damaged in transit I can claim compensation up to £500 (more if I pay an additional fee). The alternative cheapest available service by Parcelforce is I believe £13 ( but it may nave increased since I last checked) & the item is only insured for £150 in the first instance. That's a 250% increase in postal charges for a second rate service!

Other points to consider:

Royal Mail argue that they need to make these changes because of air transport security regulations which require them to scan all packages & call in the police if any are found to be "suspicious". This delays the mail while they wait for the police to arrive & examine the package.

But what i can't understand is if that's the case for Royal Mail why is it not the same for all the other carriers, surely air safety regulations would apply to all carriers? So why ban the items by Royal Mail but not by Parcelforce? It doesn't add up does it?

Again if you live in one of the outlying areas as I do Parcelforce items are delivered by , wait for it..... Royal Mail!!!!.

And one more point for the moment: Parcelforce & Royal Mail are all part of the same company!! (Royal Mail Group PLC ). The whole thing just seems to be one big rip off to me.

The Government have apparently issued a directive to the the Royal Mail/Post Office to the effect that they want the postal services to implement a ban on the posting and carriage of anything to do with firearms...that includes toys, de-acts, as well as firearms themselves, replicas, blank firers and anything connected with them such as spare parts, and it would appear that the postal services are ready to agree.



This is not a widely known thing and I have the information from a dealer who as well as receiving information about this proposal from the G.T.A. has also today received an official letter from the Royal Mail relative to his being an R.F.D. and having a business dealing in guns. Courier services are not effected but of course then they will have a monopoly and as such the price for shipping will no doubt go through the roof.

http://www.postcomm.gov.uk/documents...ocv10clean.pdf

[Rapidnick]

As has been stated before, there is no need to draw attention to a packed rifle. In fact it is better if you don't-for all sorts of reasons. Separating stock from action and packing both items in a stout-but shorter-box is sufficient. The idea above of using a length of drain pipe is certainly another refinement of the packing process. Bubble wrap is brilliant stuff and provided the outer layer is hard -like cardboard-you should be OK. If asked, use a vague 'true but incomplete' description such as 'engineering parts'.
Whatever else this is doing, we are moving ever closer to accepting that personal handover of complete rifles is the only way to go! However inconvenient, I don't think that I would buy or sell a rifle again without personal handover-it just solves so many problems.

[Dave T]

30 June 2005 19/05
Transporting firearms by post – Postcomm’s decision

Postcomm – the independent regulator for postal services - has today announced its decision not to allow Royal Mail to prohibit the transport of firearms in the post.

There already exists a highly regulated system for transporting firearms and, in this wider context, Royal Mail had asked to be allowed to refuse to carry firearms and component parts through its letters network. But after a three month consultation failed to provide sufficient evidence to support Royal Mail’s arguments in favour of a ban, Postcomm has decided not to agree to the proposal. Separately, Royal Mail has told Postcomm that it will not pursue this request but will continue to keep the matter under review.

Sixty-two individuals and organisations responded to Postcomm’s consultation. The majority of the responses that Postcomm received did not support the arguments put forward by Royal Mail.
The principal reasons for Postcomm’s decisions are:

• Royal Mail has not provided sufficient evidence that carrying legal firearms in its letters network causes undue and unavoidable disruption;

• Royal Mail has not provided sufficient evidence to show that prohibiting the carriage of firearms in its letters network would contribute to a material
• reduction in the number of illegal weapons entering and circulating within the UK;

• Prohibiting the carriage of (legal) firearms and component parts in the post would cause hardship for many people and businesses, especially those in rural areas.

Organisations responding to the consultation included, amongst others, a number of sporting and historical societies, the Home Office, the Gun Control Network, Post watch, Royal Mail and many individuals. A full list is provided in Postcomm’s decision document - “Notice of a proposed direction for Royal Mail to prohibit the carriage of firearms” - which is available on Postcomm’s website at www.psc.gov.uk. Printed copies will be available shortly from Postcomm at 6 Hercules Road, London, SE1 7DB.

The consultation was requested by Royal Mail in September 2004, launched on 13 December 2004, and closed on 14 March 2005.

Postcomm – the Postal Services Commission – is the independent regulator for the postal industry. Postcomm’s main tasks are to:

• Seek to ensure a universal postal service at an affordable uniform tariff
• Further the interests of users wherever appropriate through competition
• License postal operators
• Control Royal Mail’s prices and quality of service
• Give advice to government on the future of the post office network.

Postcomm’s policies are steered by a board of seven commissioners, headed by the chairman, Nigel Stapleton.

More details are on Postcomm’s website, www.psc.gov.uk.

More information

Chris Webb T 020 7593 2114 M 07779 635881 chris.webb@psc.gov.uk.
Suzanne Murray T 020 7593 2164 M 0784 1287821 suzanne.murray@psc.gov.uk