Can I mail myself a 30 round mag?

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  • natsb

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 18, 2013
    1,257
    southern MD
    I travel a lot to other States. While browsing a gun store in Georgia I saw some good deals on 30 round AR mags. I wanted to buy some but... How would I get them home?

    Is it okay to put an empty mag in carry-on luggage?

    If I mail them to myself, am I violating the "receive" wording in the new law?

    Is carrying a mag across the boarder the only legal way to get one?

    Am I asking too many questions? :0)
     

    WeaponsCollector

    EXTREME GUN OWNER
    Mar 30, 2009
    12,120
    Southern MD
    I'm no lawyer, but I don't see why you can't take them apart and mail the harmless parts to yourself. If you're really paranoid you could use two different boxes and put the springs in one box and the other parts in another.
     

    Alan3413

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 4, 2013
    16,929
    So you can't mail your personal property back to yourself? Is there a reg that prohibits mailing mags?

    Just trying to get some clarity.

    BTW, TSA regs say no mags in carry on. Checked is okay but needs to be in a "secure container".
     

    natsb

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 18, 2013
    1,257
    southern MD
    So you can't mail your personal property back to yourself? Is there a reg that prohibits mailing mags?

    Just trying to get some clarity.

    That is what I am trying to understand. I would not be buying it from someone, just sending my stuff to myself. But still... the law says one cannot "receive" a mag. Therefore, the technicality is if getting your own mag in the mail qualifies as receiving it. This gets so confusing. Feels more like a lawyers employment act than a law.
     

    JettaRed

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 13, 2013
    1,138
    Middletown
    If 'receive' is defined as transfer of ownership, you aren't receiving them in Maryland if you already own them, are you?

    The OP presents an interesting question. How different is shipping them from another state than bringing them into Maryland in the back seat of your car?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    balttigger

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 15, 2008
    3,051
    Middle River, MD
    If you can mail yourself a firearm, why not a magazine? We always see people saying it's OK to ship yourself a firearm if travelling; I don't see a difference here.
     

    moojersey

    Sic Semper Tyrannis
    Sep 7, 2013
    3,006
    Cecil County
    :
    I travel a lot to other States. While browsing a gun store in Georgia I saw some good deals on 30 round AR mags. I wanted to buy some but... How would I get them home?

    Is it okay to put an empty mag in carry-on luggage?

    If I mail them to myself, am I violating the "receive" wording in the new law?

    Is carrying a mag across the boarder the only legal way to get one?

    Am I asking too many questions? :0)

    Just mail them to me. I'll take care of them for you :D
     

    natsb

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 18, 2013
    1,257
    southern MD
    You are receiving it from the mailman.

    That makes sense. I guess it all boils down to context and whose dictionary is being used. I guess I'll take the mail option off my list. I understand the mailing parts option mentioned earlier, but it doesn't seem to be worth the cost.
     

    jonnyl

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 23, 2009
    5,969
    Frederick
    There was a letter from the AG's office about letting other people shoot your handguns if they don't have an HQL. The concern was whether the person without the HQL was "receiving" a handgun. The letter reference the Chow case in which the opinion was that a temporary loan was not a "transfer" because there was no change in ownership. The letter continues that even though that case was about "transfer" that in their view "receive" is the "...equivalent part of the same transaction...".

    sell, rent, transfer = buy, rent, receive

    As with everything else regarding gun laws in this state there's room for gray, and I don't want to be a test case. But it appears the state considers "receive" to be on the opposite side of a transfer of ownership. Unless of course they're going to argue that receive has one meaning when discussing handguns and another meaning when discussing assault clips. :D

    I'll dig up the letter and post if folks are interested, but I got it from here somewhere..
     

    swinokur

    In a State of Bliss
    Patriot Picket
    Apr 15, 2009
    55,394
    Westminster USA
    Here are 2 documents on receiving a now banned item you owned prior to Oct. 1.

    Bring the mags back with you. No prohibition on ownership, just receiving, manufacture etc.

    IANAL
     

    Attachments

    • Licensing Div - Advisory LD-FRS-13-006 - Warranty and Replacement Parts.pdf
      65.7 KB · Views: 192
    • AG Oct 1 opinion.pdf
      115.4 KB · Views: 159

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