The United Parcel Service (UPS) confirmed it updated its policies to comply with the Biden administration's regulations on "kit guns" and "ghost guns" via the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), which take effect on Aug. 24.
"UPS's policy now clarifies that the company does not accept any firearms, frames or receivers, or partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional frames or receivers (as defined by the new federal regulation) unless those items have been identified and given a serial number in compliance with federal requirements," a statement from UPS said.
UPS also confirmed it notified at least one Florida-based gun parts retailer on June 20 that its packages could be "seized and destroyed" if they "may be violating applicable laws concerning the shipment of 'ghost guns' to unauthorized locations."
"It's a national letter it's a blanket thing," said TJ, the operations manager of the Florida-based retailer, Grid Defense.
TJ said its packages were ultimately delivered by UPS. TJ said fellow gun industry colleagues in Florida, Ohio, and Texas had their accounts frozen by UPS without prior notice. Grid Defense is in talks with UPS' compliance division to get their account restored.
While UPS said it will "deliver firearms that are legally in transit," it also "[does] not intend to seize or destroy goods unless a shipper intentionally or repeatedly violates UPS policy or federal regulations."
FedEx, another major shipping company, said last year it "implemented even stricter requirements than required by law for the shipment of firearms through our networks."
"FedEx prohibits customers from tendering specific firearm accessories such as bump fire stocks, rapid-fire trigger activators, unserialized firearms or ‘ghost guns' and any other firearms manufactured using 3D printing," the FedEx statement said. "As federal, state and local laws change, we will comply with those new regulations as well to protect the safety of our team members and the communities that we serve."
The United States Postal Service (USPS) also issued a statement to VICE's original report, saying it would "would defer to ATF's interpretation" on how gun shipping regulations apply to gun parts.
"Congress has not conferred on us the discretion to restrict use of the mails for policy reasons," a USPS spokesperson said. "With respect to firearms, we implement the Gun Control Act and ATF regulations, and so any such policy decisions would need to be made by Congress and/or ATF."
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