Stolen gun via mail

[walkerjon0]

Okay so sold a gun to a member, and during the shipping transition process it was stolen i assume via distribution warehouse.

I have been in contact with atf on my end and getting grey answers.

What is my best way to report it stolen and if it ever resurfaces it gets caught? Since it was stolen in another state I can’t get clarification if i take action here, or there.

Thanks!

 

[spife7980]

Write the post master

 

[B y r o n]

According to my search:

"AI Overview


If a gun is stolen during shipping, the shipping Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) must report the theft to both the local police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) within 48 hours of discovery
. If you are an individual and not the shipping FFL, you must contact the sending and receiving FFLs and the local police.
For the shipping FFL
The shipping FFL is legally responsible for reporting the theft and is the primary party that interacts with the ATF.

1. Report to local police. Call the local law enforcement where the theft occurred or where the business is located to file a police report.
2. Contact the ATF. Notify the ATF's Stolen Firearms Program Manager toll-free at 1-888-930-9275.
3. Complete the required form. Fill out and submit the FFL Theft/Loss Report (ATF Form 3310.11) to the ATF's National Tracing Center. You must also maintain a copy for your own records.
4. Notify the Interstate Theft Program. For firearms stolen in transit between states, the ATF's National Tracing Center (NTC) oversees a program to investigate and track stolen or missing firearms.
5. Record the theft in your records. Within 7 days of discovery, record the theft as a disposition entry in your Acquisition and Disposition (A&D) book.

For the private citizen
If you are an individual and your firearm was stolen while being shipped between two FFLs, you should take the following steps. The ATF does not accept reports directly from private citizens.

1. Contact the sending FFL. This is the dealer who shipped the firearm. They are responsible for reporting the theft to the police and the ATF. As the sender, they are legally required to initiate the report.
2. Contact the receiving FFL. The FFL to whom the firearm was being shipped should also be notified. They should document the incident and may need to file their own internal report.
3. File a police report. You should file a report with your local police department. In some states, private citizens are legally required to report a lost or stolen firearm to law enforcement.
4. Contact the carrier. Report the missing package to the shipping carrier (e.g., USPS, FedEx, UPS) and start a missing package search. Provide all relevant tracking information and details.
5. Notify your state authorities. If your state has a firearms registration office, contact them and report the firearm as stolen. "

 

[Baron85]

I had something similar happen earlier this year. Made a trade for 2 pistols. The member shipped the guns to me through his FFL insured.

Guns made it part of the way to me to a distribution center and then stopped. After a few days of no movement I spoke to the post master on my end and the sellers FFL did the same in their end. Started a claim with the post office and after about a few week we filed for the insurance which started an investigation of some sorts and eventually the guns where found, supposedly with damaged labels or something and where diverted to post office lost and found center.

Whole process took almost 3 months but everything arrived safely in the end.

Very important to have crystal clear communication between you and buyer during this. Setup weekly updates or what ever works for you guys so the buyer doesn’t feel like you’re ghosting them. Crappy situation but stuff happens. And if you have insurance on the gun, file that as soon as possible.

 

[wvfarrier]

Always contact the post master

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Post master is for USPS. Alot of guns are sent via fedex/UPS so that matters. ATF & State Police as well as Local. Remember some states have a requirement to notify them of a lost/stolen gun within X days, so keep that in mind from both ends.

 

[vh20]

Okay so sold a gun to a member, and during the shipping transition process it was stolen i assume via distribution warehouse.

I have been in contact with atf on my end and getting grey answers.

What is my best way to report it stolen and if it ever resurfaces it gets caught? Since it was stolen in another state I can’t get clarification if i take action here, or there.

Thanks!

You said "mail", so I assume you mean the actual US Postal Service? If so, I'm curious if you sent it Registered Mail, or by some other service they offer (Priority Mail, etc). If Registered, everyone who handles it is supposed to sign off on it, so there should be a record of it.

 

[Holliday]

Do NOT ship or mail guns without an airtag or equivalent tracker (hidden). You can always factor this in to the price or simply include a return prepaid padded envelope.

 

[db2000]

Registered mail, albeit slow sometimes, is the way for anything extremely important.

 

[1911hombre]

Do NOT ship or mail guns without an airtag or equivalent tracker (hidden). You can always factor this in to the price or simply include a return prepaid padded envelope.

I thought the airtag squauks to anybody's iphone it travels with if it is not the owner.

 

[Holliday]

I thought the airtag squauks to anybody's iphone it travels with if it is not the owner.

The current version can easily be silenced (and should be).

Scuttlebutt is, the newer version coming out soon will not be able to be silenced.

 

[Cal97c]

This time of year is hellacious with USPS shipping because of the holidays. I have ordered things through USPS that seemingly take forever to get here only to suddenly show up. Give it till next Tuesday then check into it. Good luck!

 

[Jrb572]

USPS doesn’t get excited about a lost firearm. I had one go missing for a month and kept getting give it a little longer to show up. Even if you call and speak with whoever is in charge they don’t care

 

[walkerjon0]

Sorry for the delay response, yes it was sent priority with signature to an FFL. I would assume every time it was scanned it would’ve had to be monitored, and/or signed off on , but usps has told me to kick rocks and won’t honor the shipping insurance either.

 

[LeftyJason]

I thought the airtag squauks to anybody's iphone it travels with if it is not the owner.

My Samsung s25+ tells me I have a device tracking me. I have an airtag that belongs to my wife's phone on my keys and Bluetooth ears. I can track with IPad that I am using for school.

 

[Im2bent]

Sorry for the delay response, yes it was sent priority with signature to an FFL. I would assume every time it was scanned it would’ve had to be monitored, and/or signed off on , but usps has told me to kick rocks and won’t honor the shipping insurance either.

So you told the post office a gun is missing and they told you to fuck off? Did you contact the atf?

 

[Holliday]

and won’t honor the shipping insurance either.

Wait, what exactly was their reasoning for denying the claim? My experience with USPS claims is that you need to be on the ball with them.

They often will deny the initial claim on principle. Just think about how many folks give up right there. That is a shit ton of money saved.

Be intrepid and precise. Follow their timelines and requests for updated information to the letter. Sometimes the process is quick, sometimes it can take months. Thinking about a possible claim when packing for shipment and taking photos etc. is the better part of wisdom.

Finally, USPS hates this type of bad publicity. Crowing on their X or FB accounts can sometimes get the ball rolling. This has worked exceedingly well for me in the past.

Good luck

 

[Holliday]

So you told the post office a gun is missing and they told you to fuck off? Did you contact the atf?

He needs to write letters to the postmaster and send copies to area supervisors etc. Hard copy letters with a *signature required* carry a great deal more weight in these days of e-comms.

I would also write the area ATF supervisor and include a copy the postmaster letter. Also a copy of the ATF letter with the postmasters letter. These can be redacted and used on social media as well. Should it come to that.

 

[Holliday]

My Samsung s25+ tells me I have a device tracking me. I have an airtag that belongs to my wife's phone on my keys and Bluetooth ears. I can track with IPad that I am using for school.

You are correct. They are not perfect - BUT they are a reasonable stop-gap. If his package is just misplaced or has a damaged label and it’s sitting in a USPS warehouse right now, there’s a good chance he’d know exactly where it is.

There are a million excuses why one should not use a tracker. The reality is most criminals are too freaking stupid to even look for them. Yeah the more sophisticated ones are going find the tracker whether it’s sending out signals or not.

That said, there are plenty of different trackers out there to choose from. There are also GPS trackers, which would be much more accurate. These things have gotten very cheap lately, so there are no really good reason not to put some sort of tracker in a higher value package.