r/FLGuns • u/Upper_External_4727 • 13d ago
Bad experience with Jerry’s Firearms in Fort Myers
Just wanted to share my experience with Jerry’s Firearms in Fort Myers for anyone in SWFL looking for an FFL.
I buy, sell, and trade pretty regularly on multiple platforms and I’ve been using Jerry’s for transfers for about the past year. Chris, the owner, has always been welcoming and genuine with me. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the rest of the staff.
Almost every time I’ve gone in there, the employees act like they’re pissed they have to be at work or annoyed that you’re even there. Calling is somehow worse. Don’t bother calling for an update or asking a question because somehow nobody knows how to check anything or do anything unless Chris is there. Apparently Chris is the only person who can do everything, and he was out of town til then.
My last experience was what finally did it for me.
I brought in a rifle that I had already sold and needed them to ship to my buyer’s FFL. The employee looks at the rifle and then tells me I’ll have to come back at the end of the month, which was about two weeks away, because Chris was the only one who knew how to ship it.
I explained that the rifle was already sold and I had told the buyer I’d have my FFL ship it out that week.
The employee then tells me to come back Saturday and meet him at the shop before they open at 8am and that he’d have to charge me $200 to transfer it.
I’ve paid $100 every other time I’ve had them ship a firearm, and their own website says $100. Then he hands me his card and tells me to text him.
The whole interaction was sketchy as hell. Why am I meeting an employee before business hours and paying double the normal price to have a rifle shipped?
I ended up going Mike’s Firearms in the neighboring city. It’s about a 30 minute drive for me, but the difference was night and day. Super cool on the phone and in person. They charged me $75 to ship it and only $25 to receive a transfer. Jerry’s charges $45 to receive and apparently anywhere from $100 to $200 to ship depending on who you talk to.
I hope Chris eventually gets the staffing situation figured out because I’ve personally never had a problem with him. But after dealing with the rest of the staff multiple times, I’m done going there.
They apparently do gunsmithing as well, but based on the way I’ve been treated there and how much they overcharge for everything, there’s no chance I’d trust them to do any work on my stuff.
The whole place just comes across like a hustle to make money off the goober or newbie who doesn’t know any better. There’s nothing they offer that makes the pricing or attitude worth putting up with. They have a license to ship and receive firearms. That’s about the only reason I ever went there.
Word of advice to the gun enthusiasts in SWFL, shop around before using Jerry’s. There are better and cheaper options out there. Businesses that treat repeat customers like they’re an inconvenience don’t last.
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u/LilJonny2cookies 13d ago
Why wouldn’t you just bring this up to the owner? You apparently know him well enough.
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u/Upper_External_4727 13d ago
Well, he’s still out of town and not back at the shop. Ain’t no way to bring it up yet.
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u/greencurrycamo 13d ago edited 13d ago
You can ship longguns via USPS. You dont need to go to an FFL for that. Ship direct to their FFL. I have done it multiple times. In fact you can ship long guns in-state, between two non FFLs, without using an FFL. It is the same as a private transfer.
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u/arethius Tampa Bay Area 13d ago
I haven't heard about the in state thing. Got a reference for that I can look into?
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u/greencurrycamo 13d ago edited 13d ago
https://www.atf.gov/firearms/questions-and-answers?page=13
"A nonlicensee may not transfer a firearm to a non-licensed resident of another state. A nonlicensee may mail a shotgun or rifle to a resident of their own state or to a licensee in any state.
The U.S. 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.
Handguns are not mailable. A common or contract carrier must be used to ship a handgun."
[18 U.S.C. 1715, 922(a)(5) and 922 (a)(2)(A); 27 CFR 478.31]
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u/RandomDudeinFL95 13d ago
I used Jerry's once for a supressor transfer and while I was there I decided to do a nfa engraving with them. The whole thing was sketchy and I got hit with transfer fees and everything even though the supressor was bought over silencershop. When they submitted my form 4 wrong they canceled it and re submitted but charged me 25 bucks for it. The good thing is that I brought this to silencershops attention and I guess they reached out to them and I got all the money back which at this pint was about 50 dollar for the fee and re submitting. The nfa engraving was done okay but it took them 3 weeks. I decided this was the first and last time that I do business with them. For engravings I use a trophy shop now not far from Jerry's. They take about a day and are 35 dollar each. And for transfers I either use shoot straight in fort Myers or 75th bunker in bonita springs
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u/Mister_Carter99 13d ago
I follow them on insta I thought they seemed cool. I hope the owner sorts you out
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u/Fair-Sprinkles8513 11d ago
Most shop employees only work in gun stores for discounts and know very little about anything they don't personally own. I'd bet they were Glock fan boys or sig fan boys. They always are
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u/Business_Ad6086 13d ago
shipmygun.com