P.O. Box 2068     Ormond Beach, FL 32175    (386) 677-7314

Special orders:

• EMPIRE ARMS will handle special orders from ads in Gun List or Shotgun News, and internet sites such as GunBroker, for local customers only. All items must be picked up at our office within five days of arrival (none will be shipped or taken to a show). All special orders must be prepaid via a credit-card directly to the seller or by cash directly to us before the order will be placed.

• Our charge for this service is 10% of the purchase-price ($20 minimum, $50 maximum per firearm). We charge a $20 flat fee per firearm for established customers (those who have purchased a firearm directly from us already). If cleaning, inspection, headspacing or test-firing of the weapon is desired we charge $25 extra per firearm for this service.

• The purchaser must be able to prove residency in Florida for the past 90 days (U.S. citizenship is actually not required). If not a citizen (or no Florida I.D. or Drivers License), please bring either rent-receipts, water, light or phone bills for the last three months in order to substantiate your residency claim. After the Sept. 11th incidents a resident alien ("green card") number must be provided as well, and there may be a delay of up to a week in obtaining approval for the background-check.

• There is a nonrefundable $5.00 fee for Federal instant background-check (NICS) if the buyer does not have in their possession a Florida concealed weapons permit issued or renewed before Nov. 30, 1998. If the background-check on the customer comes back denied a $25 fee plus return shipping costs will be assessed.

• Although there is a three-day wait for handgun sales, that clock starts "ticking" upon actual payment for the firearm by the customer, so in nearly all cases the three-days will have passed before the firearm actually gets here so will be no delay in picking it up when it arrives.

• If EMPIRE ARMS is in any way involved in the financial part of the transaction with the seller the customer will be liable for Florida sales tax in Volusia County (currently 6.5%) on the full-price of item (since they will be technically purchasing it from us). If the item arrives here PREPAID then there is no sales tax due since we are merely legally transferring your own property to you.

• All shipping and C.O.D. charges (if any) will be paid for by the customer in advance. An additional $25 will be charged for all items returned to the seller as unsuitable in addition to the return shipping and insurance. Storage-charges of $10 per day will be acessed if not picked-up within 5 days of arrival, and you will likely lose your right of return from the seller if you are in any way displeased with the item.

• If you wish EMPIRE ARMS to "hunt something down" for you (instead of you doing it yourself) or find you the "best deal" on a new firearm we will gladly do so (or attempt to do so) for a nonrefundable charge of $25 (payable in advance) in addition to any other fees. We highly suggest that you utilize the internet or trade papers (such as Shotgun News or Gun List) to "find your own stuff and cut your own deals".

• Most of the large wholesalers and dealers already have our FFL on-file and will ship firearms to us without delay if you telephone them. Just act like you know what you are doing, and tell them to ship the item(s) to EMPIRE ARMS, PO Box 2068, Ormond Beach, FL 32175 (contact us if you need a street-address to ship to) and be sure to pay using your credit-card number. You must immediately call us (or e-mail us) and let us know EXACTLY WHAT you ordered and supply us with your phone number so we can reach you when the item arrives. All C.O.D. orders have to originate from our office (no exceptions) and must be prepaid before the order arrives

• Contrary to popular opinion (or misinformation) , the seller is not required to themselves have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) in order to ship any firearm to EMPIRE ARMS... a private citizen may legally ship them directly to us without a FFL. Please click HERE for the official ATF regulations if you doubt this. EMPIRE ARMS will, on request, give the buyer a signed copy of our FFL to send to the seller if necessary or mail it to them directly.

• All handguns (and ammunition as well) must be shipped via UPS or other courier-type service (such as Fed Ex). We recommend UPS for shipment of all firearms, but long-guns can indeed be mailed to us via the U.S. Post Office.

• EMPIRE ARMS will not be held responsible for the grading, quality, function, shootability or price of any firearms special-ordered from any other source and transferred through us. It is the sellers responsibility to carefully pack all firearms for shipment so that no damage will occur and insure them for their full value in case of damage in transit.

Click HERE to go back to where you were on our Terms of Sale page

Exact text from ATF publication 5300.4 (01-00), page 136:

A non-licensee may mail a shotgun or rifle to a resident of his or her own State or to a licensee in any State. Handguns are not mailable. 

A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. A non-licensee may not transfer any firearm to a non-licensed resident of another State.

The Postal Service recommends that long guns be sent by registered mail and that no marking of any kind which would indicate the nature of the contents be placed on the outside of any parcel containing firearms.

A non-licensee may ship a firearm by carrier to a resident of his or her own State or to a licensee in any State. 

A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun. 

In addition, Federal law requires that the carrier be notified that the shipment contains a firearm and prohibits common or contract carriers from requiring or causing any label to be placed on any package indicating that it contains a firearm.

[18 U.S.C. 922(a)(2)(A) and 922(e), 27 CFR 178.31]