Internet sales - date of purchase?

[DocNugent]

When you purchase a firearm online (out of state), what is the Date of Purchase for warranty and other legal matters (e.g., "Regulation X applies only to firearms purchased prior to ..date..)?
- the date you place the order (or win the auction)?
- the date you pay for the firearm (if different from date order was placed)?
- the date the seller ships the firearm to your FFL?
- the date you fill out your FFL's paperwork and get NICS approval?
- the date you actually take possession of the firearm?

[bhpdrew]

My understanding is the date the firearm is transferred is the date where any warranty would begin to take effect.

[Massivedesign]

I agree, upon transfer from FFL to your hands.

[deadshot2]

Simple answer, when did it legally become "yours". Technically, when you purchase something that is shipped via "Common Carrier (and UPS, etc, is a Common Carrier) the "title" of the merchandise passes to you with the common carrier merely being your agent. If a manufacturer wanted to get right down the the minute for warranty purposes then it would be the moment they put a label on the box and shipped it. The transferring FFL is merely another "agent" in the process for purchasing a firearm.

Luckily, the Manufacturers I have ever had to deal with didn't get all that picky.

[DocNugent]

. . . If a manufacturer wanted to get right down the the minute for warranty purposes . . . . the Manufacturers I have ever had to deal with didn't get all that picky.

Okay, now what about Date of Purchase for regulatory purposes? Governments DO tend to be picky.

EXAMPLE: A new regulation banning some feature of a particular rifle will apply to weapons purchased on or after January 1, 2013, so you order one, pay for it, and email a copy of your FFL's license to the seller on December 10, 2012, to get under the deadline. Unfortunately, a massive snow storm keeps the firearm from actually arriving at your FFL until January 2, 2013.

If your NCIS is "go," can you legally take delivery?

Who owns that firearm?

From the warranty discussion above, it sounds like you'd be SOL, one way or the other.