Handgun delivery mix-up has Burien man fuming
SEATTLE -- The entire country seems to be talking about gun control right now, but one local gun story has everyone involved scratching their heads.
A Burien man says a legally purchased and registered handgun of his was delivered to the wrong address on Christmas Eve, and he wants someone to step up and take responsibility for what he calls a "dangerous mistake."
Richard Crist sent his gun in for repairs, but things somehow got mixed up when the gun was shipped back to him. The gun, which was packed inside a FedEx box, had the correct address on it but was delivered to home a couple of blocks away.
Crist calls himself a fastidiously careful gun owner and said he's very angry about the screw-up.
"I'm beyond that," he said. "My first reaction was, just, shaking."
The woman who received the box realized it wasn't for her and returned it unopened the following day.
"If some psycho had gotten a hold of this gun, and gone in and shot a bunch of people, it's my butt," Crist said. "This is registered to me. It's a registered gun. It's registered to me."
The FedEx website shows the box being delivered at 4:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Someone signed for it, and Fed Ex computers read the signature as "S. Crest," but say it could have been "R. Crist."
Crist insists he didn't sign for the package and wonders if someone claimed to be him when the box arrived at the wrong address.
A Burien man says a legally purchased and registered handgun of his was delivered to the wrong address on Christmas Eve, and he wants someone to step up and take responsibility for what he calls a "dangerous mistake."
Richard Crist sent his gun in for repairs, but things somehow got mixed up when the gun was shipped back to him. The gun, which was packed inside a FedEx box, had the correct address on it but was delivered to home a couple of blocks away.
Crist calls himself a fastidiously careful gun owner and said he's very angry about the screw-up.
"I'm beyond that," he said. "My first reaction was, just, shaking."
The woman who received the box realized it wasn't for her and returned it unopened the following day.
"If some psycho had gotten a hold of this gun, and gone in and shot a bunch of people, it's my butt," Crist said. "This is registered to me. It's a registered gun. It's registered to me."
The FedEx website shows the box being delivered at 4:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Someone signed for it, and Fed Ex computers read the signature as "S. Crest," but say it could have been "R. Crist."
Crist insists he didn't sign for the package and wonders if someone claimed to be him when the box arrived at the wrong address.
Fed Ex almost lost a sword sent to my father. It was delivered to the opposite side of the city. S instead of N. The S address doesn't even exist. This is the kicker. My dad see a FedEx truck slowly driving past his house and he stops the driver asks him are you for his address. The driver says no. My dad pleads with the driver to check please. The driver begrudgingly agrees. He did have a packeg that I also sent to my dad for x-mas. My dad's St address is clearly posted on his silver tin streetside mail box in black 3&1/2 " letters, with nothing even close to blocking them.Â
There is no gun registration in Washington.
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It is perfectly legal to send a firearm directly to the original manufacturer for repair, no FFL needed.
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It's only a revolver folks, not a nuclear weapon.
If it was delivered FedEx, nobody knew what it was anyway, and the mistake was just a driver oversight. I'm sure this happens more than you think. It was just an unfortunate coincidence that a gun was in the package. Speaking of that, can guns be shipped standard that way? That doesn't sound legal.
By law the gun should have been sent through a FFL carrier. Modern firearms, (not black powder), are not allowed to be shipped direct.
I suspect the Fedex delivery person signed for it and dropped it at the front door. They have done some pretty shoddy things before and I refuse to use them any longer to ship anything.
The driver probably got lost, decided that he/she would just drop it off at this address, signed for it and left; probably hoping for the best. I worked at FedEx customer service in the past to know that this is NOT an isolated incident and that it happens more than one would think. At least this is a happy ending and he got his gun back. Like him, I would hate to think what would have happened if it ended up in the wrong hands. :s
Having dealt with shipping firearms through FedEx before, I have to wonder about the person who shipped it back to him. The shipment should have been marked for either direct signature required or adult signature required. (Adult signature required requires an ID of someone over 21Â and Direct signature requires the signature of the person it was shipped to.)
If I had a dollar for every time FedEx or UPS delivered my packages to one of my neighbors - or flat-out lost them - I could buy myself a little something nice. Â
Registered?Â
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Not in this state, which is a definite blessing. There is no need for bureaucrats and the media to know who owns what.
@Iconoclast
If a firearm is purchased through a FFL licensed retailer, it was registered at the time of sale.Â
 @oldster70  @Iconoclast Don't give logical answers to illogical people. Their tiny brain will explode.
Big deal
I do not believe him
 @armor Really? I do. I had a gun cabinet delivered to a house 2 blocks over while *I* received a tiny box from Amazon with the other guy's address on it. It is FAR more common than you could possibly ever believe, especially during the busy holiday shipping season.
So fastidious a gun owner he's dropping his weapons in the mail. FAIL!
 @KOMO_Sapiens He didn't drop it in the mail, the repair shop Fed Exed it to him. IMO he should have told the gun shop to call him so he could pick it up in person.
@jcman @KOMO_Sapiens He did send it out to be repaired and it was FedEx back.
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Your both right-continue.
If it's a story about a gun, and it doesn't glorify self defense of a legitimate victim, then it's what our media deems "news-worthy"!Â
why is this a story ??? must be a slow news day...
Ohhh....what a heart warming story...a gun nut gets his gun back.
@cyclops Why is he a nut because he owns a gun?
 @citizen kane Yes from reading the story you get the impression he is nuts about guns.  He said so himself.
 @cyclops  @citizen kaneÂ
You're close cyclops, he's simply a gun owner, you however, whiny and obsessed with gun owners are the gun NUT!
It should be illegal to send guns through the mail.Â
 @KH US Postal Service (USPS) will accept rifles and shotguns from ANYONE. Handguns and other firearms like frames, receivers, AR lowers cannot be mailed by anyone except a licensed dealer or manufacturer. Even holders of an 03FFL "Collector of Curios & Relics" cannot mail or recieve by mail, a firearm other than a rifle or shotgun. So shut up.
 @KHÂ
You must be a proud public school grad huh?
He never sent it through the mail.
 @KH that wasn't the mail... it was parcel carrier/shipping company...
It might be a good idea, when sending your firearms in for repair to properly insure them and send it Certified Mail. The dumbass delivery zombies are just that, so cover your assets...Oh and make sure you cross the "T"s and dot the "i"s before you ship, or your neighbor might end up with a free firearm......SCORE!!!!!!!!!!
 @TreeTopFlyer Handguns and other firearms like frames, receivers, AR lowers cannot be mailed by anyone except a licensed dealer or manufacturer.
I've seen a similar situation like this before.
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UPS said I signed for a package but never did. Once pressed, the driver admitted forging my signature and just leaving the box on my doorstep.
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I believe him.
 @HonkeyCat They did that with a custom gun a few years ago...luckily a neighbor saw it and held the package for me.
DOESNT MAKE SENSE THAT SOMEONE WOULD PRETEND TO BE HIM THEN RETURN IT UNOPENED. DOESNT SMELL RIGHT. CALLING BS ON THIS ONE.
 @Gene Stephens Calm down, kiddo! No need to screech at the top of your lungs. Take a deep breath, collect your thoughts and try to respond like a mature adult, not a screaming toddler with no self-control.Â
@MargeGunderson @Gene Stephens I'M NOT YELLING!!!!!! :o}
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@Gene Stephens  Sometimes drivers sign for packages.  Usually because they don't want to make a second trip.
First mistake was using FedEx. Nothing but trouble. Delivery to wrong places, packages left in plain view of the street, overnight packages that take a week, you name it.
 @chuckh0308 FedSucks is the absolute worst. If they are the only delivery option I won't even order from that company.Â
Their idiot drivers around here are too incompetent to even use their turn signals when cutting off other drivers, pulling out into traffic, slowing down to turn across traffic, etc.Â
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Last time I got burned by those imbeciles, I rearranged my schedule to be home that day, checked their online delivery status every 20 minutes.
The morons three times changed the scheduled delivery window, then, around 6 p.m. just randomly put "business closed, nobody responded to knock" (yes, to our clearly marked residence, not business) and never even showed up.Â
 @chuckh0308 Better than USPS can lose items for 30+/- days or better... or ship them to a post office 30 miles from the post office it should of gone too and watching it all happen on there tracking page then confronting them on it.... then listening to there stupid responses
"If some psycho had gotten a hold of this gun, and gone in and shot a bunch of people, it's my butt," Crist said. "This is registered to me. It's a registered gun. It's registered to me."
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This guy is an over reacting idiot . Even if the gun was stolen and used in a crime he wouldn't be responsable because it was delivered to the wrong address. Out of his control.
 @Wolfeel Ok, and just HOW was he going to prove it got delivered to the wrong address? Â
 @Wolfeel All gun owners should have this attitude. By buying a gun, you are accountable and responsible for all that happens with it. If you don't properly secure it and someone commits a crime with it, that's partially your fault.Â
This should be a part of the new push for more sensible gun laws. While not directly applicable to this case, owners should be held liable for failure to properly secure and store a firearm. No more 'tragic accidents' without accountability. The easy solution is to require liability insurance, just like is required for automobiles. Â
 @KH  @Wolfeel LOL...Someone's must be smoking that legal weed.
 @KH  @Wolfeel I don't argue that people should be very careful but consider the situation. This guy had little to do with it. The gun was shipped by the repair business. Therefore it was either their fault for not shipping with signature required (not the case in this instance) or it was the delivery company, which in this case it was their fault. The idea that this guy is responsible for what the delivery company did etc is bs. He's looking for his 15 minutes of fame. He's had it now lets move on to actual news.
This happens all the time with packages. The story is not that FedEx delivered a package to the wrong address. The story is that we live in a country so obsessed with guns that we casually send them through the mail as if they were DVDs from Amazon.Â
 @lakeview A firearm sent through the mail is just as safe as if they were DVDs from Amazon. Now if its loaded, illegal by the way, thats different.Â
 @lakeview Typically guns have to be shipped through a business with a Federal Firearms License (FFL). However in a case of repair, the firearm can be shipped directly from, and to the customers home or business, not just casually through the mail. It is very likely that the delivery man or the incorrect receiver knew what was in the package.
I understand that this doesn't have the gravity of the news story's subject matter but UPS managed to ship my sister's Christmas present from Utah to Pacific, WA then...instead of to my house, all the way to New Jersey. It's finally on its way back, two weeks late and I can't imagine that the electronic device inside will have survived nearly two and a half trips across the country.Â
 @windtreeman Consumer reports did drop tests on packages shipped by Fed Ex, UPS and USPS and found that USPS had the lowest drop rate.  Just a FYI.
 @windtreeman The only thing that makes UPS look even remotely competent in comparison is FedSucks.Â
Glad your sister's present is eventually on its way and hopefully if it isn't working properly UPS does the right thing and fixes its many screw ups.Â
 @MargeGunderson Haha, thanks for this reply and your reply on my previous shipping comment (I did contact UPS to see if I could pick it up from the HUB but they said it was impossible, unfortunately). Agreed, I'd take Fed-Ex over UPS any day (gun mishap and all) and whenever USPS has to deliver to my door, they seem to throw it from several yards away.