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I had a gun store owner tell me that mail order ammo is against the law

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hminsky

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He said "I have to check your license at the time I make the sale, so the mail order places can't legally sell here".



sigh.
 
If that's the case then how did the shooter from the Illinois college buy his ammo on Topglock?

Most if not all will require you to fax them a copy of your license and permit etc.
 
Can't speak for MA or CT but I've never had to prove anything more than age which was done with a driver;s license. No one ever asked for anything related to a firearm's permit or FID card. Even NJ only required proof of age the last time I purchased ammo in the state.
 
I am not aware of a specific mass "law". There very well may be one but it does not matter because the AG believes it is illegal...and for the common man (ie. one who does not have thousands of dollars to litigate)...that is all that matters.
 
Scrivener said:
Please cite the statute or regulation which criminalizes such sales.
Click to expand...

I am not sure what you mean by "criminalized" sales. To the best of my knowledge the ag has historically only gone after the seller when it comes to mail order ammo sales.
 
massnee said:
I am not sure what you mean by "criminalized" sales. To the best of my knowledge the ag has historically only gone after the seller when it comes to mail order ammo sales.
Click to expand...

I believe what he is asking for(correct me if I'm wrong Scriv)is the statute that makes this an illegal act.[grin]
 
This was the little shop in Waltham, (Law Enforcement Supplies or something like that). They are very nice and helpful, just a little vague on some of the finer points I guess.

I actually mentioned that I got ammo from the same place I got my surplus M1 Carbine (not naming any names here), and he said "oh, they shouldn't be doing that!".

I should also point out that the shop's bulk pricing on .45 ACP was cheaper than I could get anyplace else, even from my secret list of suppliers who ship here.
 
hminsky said:
This was the little shop in Waltham, (Law Enforcement Supplies or something like that). They are very nice and helpful, just a little vague on some of the finer points I guess.

I actually mentioned that I got ammo from the same place I got my surplus M1 Carbine (not naming any names here), and he said "oh, they shouldn't be doing that!".

I should also point out that the shop's bulk pricing on .45 ACP was cheaper than I could get anyplace else, even from my secret list of suppliers who ship here.
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If that's the case I would start buying my bulk .45acp ammo there.Money is money,right?[smile]
 
Of course a MA dealer told you this,they are the ones indirectly profitting from this non-existent "law".

I haven't bought ammo from a Mass dealer (besides WalMart) in years.

I can get 1K of 5.56 Privi shipped for $330.00,and I have seen the EXACT same stuff in shops here for $440+ a case.Dealers in MA are more than happy this non-existent "law" is in place so they can rape us on ammo.

Go into a shop,there are stacks and stacks of ammo most likely marked up 30%..Ya,the wholesale prices of ammo has gone up,but so has the profit margins on ammo of MA dealers.

Competition is a bad thing for MA dealers,it might mean the profit margin has to go back down to something normal like 15% on ammo.

Disclaimer: This does not apply to EVERY MA dealer,just every single one I have been to.
 
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Greg said:
Of course a MA dealer told you this,they are the ones indirectly profitting from this non-existent "law".

I haven't bought ammo from a Mass dealer (besides WalMart) in years.

I can get 1K of 5.56 Privi shipped for $330.00,and I have seen the EXACT same stuff in shops here for $440+ a case.Dealers in MA are more than happy this non-existent "law" is in place so they can rape us on ammo.

Go into a shop,there are stacks and stacks of ammo most likely marked up 30%..Ya,the wholesale prices of ammo has gone up,but so has the profit margins on ammo of MA dealers.

Competition is a bad thing for MA dealers,it might mean the profit margin has to go back down to something normal like 15% on ammo.

Disclaimer: This does not apply to EVERY MA dealer,just every single one I have been to.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Many Massachusetts dealers, (notice I did not say all, so stand down boys), mark up ammunition to sometimes stunning levels. Example? Look at Speer GDHP +P 135gr 38 Specials. Pop in to your local haunt and see what they're getting for a box...$1.00 a round in some cases. Online? 24-cents. The dealer I buy from is out - I guess "stupid people" like me cleaned him out - after all, I read in a thread here recently that buying ammo online was a waste of money - no good deals to be had. I was at a local FFL here in The Berkshires a few days ago - guess what I found? 400 rounds of 7.62x54R all tucked nice and neat in a Spam can. I got excited at first until I saw the price: $149.99 [shocked] How much of a mark-up is that - 50%??? More??? This same dealer had "USA Pre-ban" AR-15 mags for: $49.99 - gouging maybe? This same dealer told me it was illegal to buy ammo mail order in Massachusetts....

The fact of the matter is there's lots of "good guy" dealers out there that can find a balance between profits and loyalty to their customers. We should publish a list of those people - I'd drive across the state to buy a case of ammo. There's also an element within the FFL community who take advantage of the situation here in the Bay State to reap large rewards off our suffering and our ignorance. Anyone who can't see that is not only blind, but is bullshitting themselves....
 
As far as i understand the law is you just have to have the proper license to be able to purchase ammunition. I do not know of a specific law that states they have to check your license. I went to the store the other day and bought 1000 rds of .22, 200 rds of .40 s+w, and 200 rds of 7.62x39 and the only thing they asked me was, "Are you preparing for war?" and when i mentioned i lived in Brockton that was enough said right there..... But no license was pulled out. And when you order from the online stores you are agreeing to their terms of business and that you can legally buy from them. That should be plenty.

Definitely price things out though when buying online. You might find that after loading up your cart online and then getting to checkout that the amount of money you will have to pay for shipping may put you over what you would pay to just buy locally. Although buying online can also get you ammo that some local stores do not normally carry as well. For example the only 7.62x54r ammo i can find around here is corrosive milsurp stuff and I'd rather not shoot that out of my Dragunov. So I got some new make ammo instead. Fortunately it priced out just about right after shipping and all.
 
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rscalzo said:
Can't speak for MA or CT but I've never had to prove anything more than age which was done with a driver;s license. No one ever asked for anything related to a firearm's permit or FID card. Even NJ only required proof of age the last time I purchased ammo in the state.
Click to expand...

+1

Some of you guys need to realize that there is a world outside of Massachussetts that does not require you to have a license just to own and shoot guns.

I've bought ammo from many places online and the only state they require a "license" for before selling ammo is Illinois. There you cannot possess ammo without an FOID (close to FOAD, if you ask me).
 
Heh, getting legal information from gun store employees is like getting automotive advice from a chef.
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I'm sure that generalization will go over well with many of the fine retail firearm's owners that frequent this forum and have officered honest and accurate information in the past.
 
MassMark said:
Exactly. Many Massachusetts dealers, (notice I did not say all, so stand down boys), mark up ammunition to sometimes stunning levels. Example? Look at Speer GDHP +P 135gr 38 Specials. Pop in to your local haunt and see what they're getting for a box...$1.00 a round in some cases. Online? 24-cents. The dealer I buy from is out - I guess "stupid people" like me cleaned him out - after all, I read in a thread here recently that buying ammo online was a waste of money - no good deals to be had. I was at a local FFL here in The Berkshires a few days ago - guess what I found? 400 rounds of 7.62x54R all tucked nice and neat in a Spam can. I got excited at first until I saw the price: $149.99 [shocked] How much of a mark-up is that - 50%??? More??? This same dealer had "USA Pre-ban" AR-15 mags for: $49.99 - gouging maybe? This same dealer told me it was illegal to buy ammo mail order in Massachusetts....

The fact of the matter is there's lots of "good guy" dealers out there that can find a balance between profits and loyalty to their customers. We should publish a list of those people - I'd drive across the state to buy a case of ammo. There's also an element within the FFL community who take advantage of the situation here in the Bay State to reap large rewards off our suffering and our ignorance. Anyone who can't see that is not only blind, but is bullshitting themselves....
Click to expand...

Hey Mark, if you don't mind to tell me, what dealer was this? I usually use Pete's in Adams for EVERYTHING. The time or 2 I went to Avid Sports (cousin's husband swears by them but he bow hunts alot) they didn't have much in the way of guns but always had a "sale" table of ammo. You can just PM me if you don't want to "out" the dealer.

Oh yeah ... the guys at Avid told me flat out that it was ILLEGAL for me to buy ammo in MA through the mail. He said ... "I even have a hard time getting it shipped to my store because of all the hazmat fees."[rofl] Just to be fair and not "bash" I must say that I never asked the guys at Pete's so they might say the same but I don't know.
 
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USMC109 said:
If that's the case then how did the shooter from the Illinois college buy his ammo on Topglock?

Most if not all will require you to fax them a copy of your license and permit etc.
Click to expand...

The owner of topglock said he just sold him hi-cap mags
 
MichaelJ:

Petes is awesome - talk about black rifle paradise.... [wink] Pete also claims it's illegal to ship ammo, but at least he'll get it for you. He puts the offer out there to have it shipped to him and that a nice guy thing to do - even if he's misinformed. I wish it was closer by. He also is the least gouging dealer on ammo in the Berkshires, (though I got some great deals at Pats as well)

And you are on the money about Avid. Great guys, but zero knowledge about Mass laws. Check out that spam can full of 54R next time you're there. Ask them about GOAL as well...They have an interesting view.
 
Ammo Shipping

While Hazmat fees are not charged, some shipping companies consider ammo a hazardous materials and handle it is a certain way. UPS has did designation on ammo shipments although they do ship it.

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/service/terms/common_items.html

The routing may be changed to avoid air shipment of the items but the costs are the same. However they have a 70 pound max so large shipment may go up in cost over a ground freight shipment.
 
rscalzo said:
While Hazmat fees are not charged, some shipping companies consider ammo a hazardous materials and handle it is a certain way. UPS has did designation on ammo shipments although they do ship it.

http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/resources/service/terms/common_items.html

The routing may be changed to avoid air shipment of the items but the costs are the same. However they have a 70 pound max so large shipment may go up in cost over a ground freight shipment.
Click to expand...

Whatever shipping company considers ammo HAZMAT is wrong and doesn't know shit about HAZMAT.It is a Consumer Commodity and the only restrictions is that it can't be shipped by air.

Now,certain companies may choose NOT to ship ammo for a variety of reasons,but HAZMAT is not one of them.
 
The term is "ORM-D, Cartridges - small arms". It is accepted at UPS shipping depots (Ashland and Chelmsford come to mind), but not at "UPS Stores" (which aren't).

You can only use UPS for shipping true Hazmat if you are a contract customer - you cannot drop it off at the depot. A shooter who ships hasmat in another industry informs me that the contract requires the shipper to cover, without limit, all of UPS's expense in regards to any hazmat cleanup, even if the spill is the fault of UPS.
 
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