Legality of face to face firearms transfers w/ people from out of state

[LiveFree]

I recently found out that an acquaintance may be selling a rifle that I'd be interested in, at a price I'd be interested in.  The problem is he lives in Maine and I'm in NH.  Does anyone here know of any legal issues either federal, in NH on my end, or in Maine for his end of the deal, that could hamper a face to face transfer?

[KBCraig]

Federal law says that it is illegal for a resident of one state to sell a firearm to a resident of another state. Unless either of them holds a Federal Firearms License, that is.

As a practical matter, guns are sold face to face between acquaintances and family members all the time. Especially with long guns, few people get worked up about it. In states where there is no gun registration, it's almost impossible to make a case short of a confession. But it is illegal.

If you want to make it completely legal, you can visit a dealer in either state. He transfers to the rifle to the dealer, the dealer transfers it to you, and you do the 4473/NICS. (For handguns, this has to be done in the buyer's state of residence.) The seller collects his money, the dealer collects his fee of $10-25, and off you go with your new rifle.

Kevin