How to Transfer a Gun Into Someone Else’s Name in Louisiana

To transfer a gun to someone else in Louisiana, you can hand it over in a private sale with no state paperwork, no permit, and no background check, as long as both parties are Louisiana residents, both are legally eligible to possess a firearm, and the transfer follows federal rules on age, interstate sales, and any items regulated under the National Firearms Act. The state imposes no registration system and no waiting period on person-to-person transfers. What Louisiana does require is that you not hand a gun to someone you know, or should know, cannot legally have one.

Confirm the Buyer Can Legally Receive a Firearm

The single most important thing a seller or giver does in Louisiana is confirm the recipient is not a prohibited person. Federal law bars several categories from possessing or receiving a firearm: anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, anyone subject to a qualifying domestic violence restraining order, anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, fugitives, unlawful users of controlled substances, anyone dishonorably discharged from the military, anyone who has renounced U.S. citizenship, and anyone adjudicated as mentally defective or involuntarily committed to a mental institution at age 16 or older.¹ Voluntary mental health treatment, by itself, does not trigger the prohibition.

Louisiana adds its own layer. Under R.S. 14:95.1, anyone convicted of a violent felony, certain burglary offenses, felony drug violations, or any crime classified as a sex offense is prohibited from possessing a firearm, as is anyone found not guilty by reason of insanity for one of those offenses.²

How a Private Sale Works in Louisiana

Louisiana does not require private sellers to run a background check, obtain a permit, or file any paperwork with the state when transferring a firearm to another Louisiana resident. There is no state registration system. A private sale between two eligible adults can legally happen with a handshake.

That freedom cuts both ways. If the buyer turns out to be prohibited and you had reason to know, you are on the hook. Careful sellers take one of two protective steps.

The first is to ask the buyer to produce a valid Louisiana Concealed Handgun Permit. A current permit shows the holder has already passed a background check. Since Louisiana adopted permitless carry effective July 4, 2024, fewer people bother obtaining a permit, so this method has become less practical.³ Louisiana still issues permits, largely for reciprocity with other states, but you cannot expect every legitimate buyer to hold one.

The second, and more reliable, is to complete the transaction through a licensed dealer. The dealer runs the NICS background check on the buyer for a fee and logs the transfer. This gives you a paper trail showing you took reasonable steps to confirm eligibility.

Either way, write a bill of sale. Louisiana does not require one, but a document listing both parties’ names, the date, and a description of the firearm (make, model, caliber, serial number) matters if the gun later surfaces in an investigation. Keep your copy.

Age Rules for the Person Receiving the Gun

Federal age floors depend on the type of firearm and whether the transfer goes through a dealer:⁴

Dealer sale of a handgun: buyer must be at least 21.
Dealer sale of a rifle or shotgun: buyer must be at least 18.
Private sale of a handgun: seller cannot transfer to anyone the seller knows or has reason to believe is under 18.
Private sale of a rifle or shotgun: federal law sets no minimum age.

The handgun gap is real: an 18-year-old can lawfully receive a handgun through a private sale but cannot buy one from a dealer until turning 21.

Transferring to Someone Out of State

The rules change sharply once the recipient lives in another state. Federal law generally prohibits a private individual from transferring a firearm directly to a resident of another state.⁵ The standard route is to ship the firearm to a licensed dealer in the buyer’s home state, where the buyer completes Form 4473 and clears NICS before taking possession.

Shipping has its own rules. Private individuals can mail rifles and shotguns to licensed dealers through USPS, but handguns must move by common carrier such as UPS or FedEx, not through the mail. The outside of the package cannot indicate it contains a firearm, and the shipment must include tracking and signature confirmation at delivery.⁶

One narrow exception exists: a licensed dealer can sell a long gun face-to-face to an out-of-state buyer, provided the sale complies with the laws of both states.⁵ It does not apply to handguns, and it does not apply to private sellers.

Transferring an NFA Item

Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns, and destructive devices are regulated under the National Firearms Act and follow a separate process. The recipient must submit ATF Form 4 (Form 5320.4) to the ATF’s NFA Division and wait for approval before taking possession.⁷ Approvals often take several months. The application requires fingerprint cards, a passport-style photograph, and notification to the chief law enforcement officer in the recipient’s jurisdiction.

As of January 1, 2026, the federal transfer tax for suppressors and short-barreled rifles dropped from $200 to $0. Machine guns and destructive devices still carry the $200 tax. If the recipient is a trust or other legal entity, every responsible person listed on the trust must submit fingerprints and a separate questionnaire.⁷

Loans, Gifts, and Antique Firearms

A gift is a transfer. The same eligibility, age, and interstate rules apply whether money changes hands or not. Giving a rifle to your adult son in Louisiana is treated like a private sale to him; mailing that rifle to your son in Texas is not, and must route through a dealer in his state.

Federal law does carve out a sporting-use loan. A private individual can lend a firearm to someone, including an out-of-state resident, for temporary use in lawful sporting activity such as hunting or target shooting, without going through a dealer.⁸ The words that matter are “temporary” and “sporting.” Lending a gun indefinitely, or for self-defense, does not qualify.

Antique firearms sit outside the definition of “firearm” under federal law. Guns manufactured in or before 1898, replicas that do not use modern rimfire or centerfire ammunition, and muzzleloaders designed for black powder that cannot accept fixed ammunition are all exempt from the background check and Form 4473 requirements.⁹ A muzzleloader converted to accept modern cartridges loses its antique status.

Buying Through a Dealer

If the transfer runs through a federally licensed dealer, whether because it’s a straight retail sale or because a private seller is using the dealer to verify the buyer, the process is the same. The buyer fills out ATF Form 4473, certifying under penalty of perjury that they are not a prohibited person.¹⁰ The dealer runs NICS. A “proceed” clears the sale. A “delay” holds it, though federal law allows the transfer to proceed after three business days if no final denial has been issued.

The dealer logs the firearm and buyer information in an acquisition and disposition record and keeps it indefinitely.¹⁰ Under Louisiana R.S. 40:1796, dealers must report lost or stolen firearms to law enforcement within 48 hours.¹¹

What It Costs to Do It Right

When a private sale is routed through a dealer for a voluntary background check, transfer fees typically run from $20 to $75, with some shops charging more for high-value or specialty items. The fee covers the NICS check, the paperwork, and the acquisition and disposition entry.

Louisiana imposes no separate tax on firearm transfers. Standard state sales tax applies to purchases from licensed dealers. The state rate is 5% as of 2025, up from the previous 4.45%. Parishes and municipalities add their own sales tax, so check your local combined rate.

Penalties for Getting It Wrong

Under Louisiana law, intentionally transferring a firearm to someone you know is prohibited from having one is punishable by a fine of up to $2,500, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.¹² The prosecution must prove you knew or should have known the buyer was disqualified, which is exactly why a voluntary dealer-run background check is worth the fee.

Federal straw purchase penalties are far heavier. Buying a firearm on behalf of someone who cannot legally purchase one can result in up to 15 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 under 18 U.S.C. § 932.¹³ If the firearm is later used in a felony, an act of terrorism, or a drug trafficking crime, the maximum climbs to 25 years.¹⁴

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
2
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:95.1 – Possession of Firearm or Carrying Concealed Weapon by a Person Convicted of Certain Felonies
3
Louisiana State Police. Concealed Handgun Information
4
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Minimum Age for Gun Sales and Transfers
5
Congress.gov. Gun Control: Straw Purchase and Gun Trafficking Provisions in P.L. 117-159
6
Postal Explorer. Publication 52 – Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail
7
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Application to Transfer and Register NFA Firearm (Tax-Paid)
8
ATF eRegulations. 27 CFR Part 478 – Commerce in Firearms and Ammunition
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 921 – Definitions
10
eCFR. 27 CFR Part 478 Subpart H – Records
11
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 40:1796
12
Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:95.1.4 – Illegal Transfer of a Firearm to a Prohibited Possessor
13
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 932 – Straw Purchasing of Firearms
14
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Don’t Lie for the Other Guy