You can get great deals on just about the thing you want, online. With sites like Amazon, eBay, and others. People are turning every day to buying what they want online. However what about gun enthusiasts? What do gun enthusiasts do? How do you buy guns online, when you can’t find the gun you want locally? What about using the Internet to find great deals online, for guns? Buying guns online starts with knowing the local, state, and federal laws on guns.
Laws
When buying a gun online you must first know if you are legal to own a gun in your state. As gun laws are different for each state you’ll need to check your states and local laws first. Then you’ll have to understand firearm shipping laws and other federal laws.
If you purchase a firearm from an FFL (Federal Firearm License) holder they will have to mail your purchase to a local FFL holder. If you choose to purchase a gun from a private individual they have to mail the firearm to an FFL holder also.
There are only a few exceptions. Due to the Gun Control Act Of 1968, the government regulates firearm sales across state lines. Which means you can’t mail a gun to an individual across state lines. However, you can mail long guns within your state. Though the USPS doesn’t allow mailing of handguns, ever. You’ll have to use someone like UPS to mail a handgun and they have their own set of rules on how to do it.
The other exception is you can mail a gun across state laws to yourself. As long as it’s labeled correctly and you are the only one to open the package. This, of course, doesn’t help you buy guns online, but good information to know.
Big Box Stores
When you want to know how to buy guns online, using big box stores is the easiest. Most big box stores that sell guns, also have a website that you can order from. Places like Cabela’s, Scheels, Academy Sports & Outdoors, all sell guns online. You pick out your gun on their website. Buy it. Then pick it up from their local store. This allows you to buy online things that may not be in stock at your local store.
Online Stores
As with any niche market, there are tons of websites that specifically sell guns. All of these sites require that you talk to a local FFL dealer before you purchase from them. Of course, some sites have exact directions on how to buy guns online. Some will even give you a list of local FFL’s in your area that they have worked with before. Making it very easy to find somewhere to have your firearm shipped to.
Private online sales
Private online sales have slowly gone down in numbers over the years. As many people don’t want to ship their guns across state lines to an FFL dealer. Not to mention the recent regulations on how many guns you can sell a year as an individual for profit without an FFL license.
Although there are sites that allow individuals to list their guns for sale locally. The biggest one being Armslist which is the Craigslist of firearms. This allows individuals to list their firearms and gun-related items online. Where other people search for them and find local gun deals. Of course, these sellers still have to follow their local laws, for selling guns to other individuals. Many of the sells add their own requirements such as the buyer must have a CCW permit or proof they aren’t a prohibited person. Some will even go as far as having an FFL do the transfer.
Gun Auctions
The best way to get a deal online is by using Gun Broker. It’s an online auction site for guns, gun accessories, and almost anything related to guns. There is even a section for class 3 firearms. Of course, all laws are followed, and all firearms are shipped to FFL dealers. The site runs like most online auction sites where your options of buying now, no reserve or the seller can set a reserve price. The sellers have ratings so you can determine if you want to trust them. The other nice thing about Gun Broker is you can see what price guns you may be interested in are selling for. So when you find them locally you know if it’s a good price or not.
Conclusion
How to buy guns online is really a matter of knowing the laws. The only thing that makes buying guns online any different than any other online purchase is the shipping. All shipping of firearms across state lines must either be to an FFL or from the owner to the owner. It’s really that simple. If you are buying online within your state it’s best practice to follow all local laws and pick up your firearm in person.