Stripped lower.

The Professor

The Professor

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I'm a Mass resident with proper mass LTC. A friend in NH has a srtipped lower to sell which I'd like to buy, private sale. Is this legal?
When the build is complete, I'd register it in Mass.
Can a NH dealer sell a Mass resident a stripped lower?

Thanks, Mark
 
AFIK, you just go through a FFL to do the transfer from NH to MA (for your friend's lower). As far as buying a stripped lower in NH as a MA resident, I don't think there would be any issue.
 
Golddiggie said:
AFIK, you just go through a FFL to do the transfer from NH to MA (for your friend's lower). As far as buying a stripped lower in NH as a MA resident, I don't think there would be any issue.
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It gets sadder. A stripped lower is an "other" on the 4473, and like handguns "other" can't be transferred to residents of other states. You'll have to bring your friend to an MA ffl and get them to transfer it for you.

- - - Updated - - -

The Professor said:
Thanks. It somehow "felt" strange to me.

It saddens me to even have to discuss this as Americans.
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It is a very sad thing that a chunk of metal should be subject to such onerous regulations.
 
The Professor said:
Thanks. It somehow "felt" strange to me.

It saddens me to even have to discuss this as Americans.
Click to expand...

Fed law for cross state line purchases. In state it all depends on the state. Such as if you were a NH resident, you could buy anything your friend has (also a NH resident) without worry. Might be worth looking at the NH resident to NH resident gun buying/selling 'laws'... Compare it with what's in MA and you'll either laugh, or cry.
 
The Professor said:
I'm a Mass resident with proper mass LTC. A friend in NH has a srtipped lower to sell which I'd like to buy, private sale. Is this legal?
When the build is complete, I'd register it in Mass.
Can a NH dealer sell a Mass resident a stripped lower?

Thanks, Mark
Click to expand...

No and No, and it's a federal thing not a state thing. Private sales between people who live in different states have been illegal for many years. Also a few years ago the feds "ruled" that lowers could no longer be transferred as rifles, which means that the exception for buying a long gun from an FFL outside of your home state no longer applies to lowers.

The only legal way to do it is to have an FFL in your home state do the transfer.
 
jasons said:
No and No, and it's a federal thing not a state thing. Private sales between people who live in different states have been illegal for many years. Also a few years ago the feds "ruled" that lowers could no longer be transferred as rifles, which means that the exception for buying a long gun from an FFL outside of your home state no longer applies to lowers.

The only legal way to do it is to have an FFL in your home state do the transfer.
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This. As has been said, it could be made into a pistol. Jack.
 
jasons said:
No and No, and it's a federal thing not a state thing. Private sales between people who live in different states have been illegal for many years. Also a few years ago the feds "ruled" that lowers could no longer be transferred as rifles, which means that the exception for buying a long gun from an FFL outside of your home state no longer applies to lowers.

The only legal way to do it is to have an FFL in your home state do the transfer.
Click to expand...

Hope the friend has a MA issued permission slip (if he's taking it into MA for the transfer). Might be worth checking to see if a NH FFL would ship the lower to a FFL in the PRM to do the transfer.

Sounds like it would be a ton easier to just buy a stripped lower in the state you live in.
 
was the stripped lower previously built into a rifle and then subsequently stripped?
"once a rifle, always a rifle" that should make a difference.....

if lowers can't be transferred as rifles why has every gun shop i've bought a lower from run the thing as a "rifle" instead of an "other?"

Hope the friend has a MA issued permission slip (if he's taking it into MA for the transfer).
Click to expand...

a stripped lower is not a firearm according to the PRM..... shouldn't need a permission slip....
 
Golddiggie said:
Hope the friend has a MA issued permission slip (if he's taking it into MA for the transfer). Might be worth checking to see if a NH FFL would ship the lower to a FFL in the PRM to do the transfer.
Click to expand...

Not needed for a stripped lower. It's not considered a firearm in MA unless it can actually fire a round.

Golddiggie said:
Sounds like it would be a ton easier to just buy a stripped lower in the state you live in.
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Probably.

inerlogic said:
was the stripped lower previously built into a rifle and then subsequently stripped?
"once a rifle, always a rifle" that should make a difference.....
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From what I've heard they're not even supposed to transfer a lower as a rifle even if it has a rifle stock attached to it when the sale takes place, so I'm not sure that the "once a rifle always a rifle" concept would matter. I guess it would be up to the specific FFL's risk tolerance.

inerlogic said:
if lowers can't be transferred as rifles why has every gun shop i've bought a lower from run the thing as a "rifle" instead of an "other?"
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I don't know, maybe they didn't get the memo?

inerlogic said:
a stripped lower is not a firearm according to the PRM..... shouldn't need a permission slip....
Click to expand...

Yep


EDIT: Here's the actual memo from the ATF: https://www.atf.gov/files/press/releases/2009/07/070709-openletter-ffl-gca.pdf
 
Last edited:
Moved to MA gun laws thread
EDIT:
Shit, I found this thread during a search. I didn't realize until after that it was in the NH portion of "Gun laws". My bad.
 
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