The Army has decided my next stop is New York. At the moment I don't want to mess with their ridiculous gun laws. I'd like to ship some of them back to my parents in Arlington. Also BTW I'm still considered a Washington State resident as far as the DOL is concerned. I contacted an FFL in Arlington and he tried to steer me away from shipping but his suggestion of driving them back just isn't feasible at this time.

My thought was to ship them via private carrier to an FFL and have my parents receive them. I'm out whatever the transfer fee is per firearm plus shipping but that's not really a big deal. Is that just about the least problematic way to get my guns home? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Will the VA dealer collect sales tax at the time of transfer?  If not then I would agree the best option is mail them to a FFL and transfer to your parents.

The answer that you seek

Have dad put the unopened packages in a safe or safe place, and when you come to visit them, open them up and check them out......

Just ship the guns to your self, C/O your parents at their address, no need for a FFL or transfer. Ship them just like you were moving to
their home. Your parents will hold the unopened packages until you return to claim them.

                       ..................................   Jack