Ever let someone borrow a firearm?

[zero_chances]

I let my friends younger brother shoot my old bolt action .22 while i was with him. When i wasnt looking, he had leaned it against a table(after he had been told not to) and it fell to the ground and broke in half. It stripped out the threads where the screw that holds stock to the action. I have still yet to get it repaired. But im going to send him the bill. He is never shooting any of my guns again

 

[Bogart]

There are only 3 people in the world that would even have the nerve to ask first would be my Father but he would have no need as he has his own guns. The other two I would easily trust my life to as they are a close as brothers (1 will be my BIL) that I have known my whole life,and have there own guns but do occiasly borrow something I have that they don't have or to take hunting.

No One Else Will Be Considered

 

[nwilliams]

NO NEVER HAVE NEVER WILL. You can hold my guns, I'll let you shoot them, but no way on gods green earth can you take it with you! Call me selfish

 

[Legionnaire]

Sure. I have a few long guns I wouldn't loan out, and I'd be real careful about loaning a handgun (easier here in PA than in NY!). It really depends on who's asking, and for what purpose. I have a couple of shotguns and rifles I use for hunting that I wouldn't think twice about loaning to someone I trusted.

First time I ever hunted, it was with a borrowed Winchester 94. The owner was a friend of the family. He didn't go on the trip ... just loaned me his rifle. Pay it forward, I say.

 

[Rich K]

No, absolutely not, never.

 

[rangermonroe]

Some that have very high real or imagined value to me I would not, but I don't have a problem loaning most of my guns.

Assumed that it is for legal purposes.

Just as I wouldn't loan my car to a guy that wrecked his DUI last night, so goes the gun loaning program.

But loaning them is the reason I have so many.

 

[MJZZZ]

The two guys I go shooting with have and will always be able to borrow any of my guns. One's a Veterinerian and the other Federal LEO, I see how respectful they are around guns and have no problems with it. I trust them enough to go shooting with them, I can't say that about most of my relatives. Mike Z

 

[Templar223]

Yeah, a few times.

Once to a turns-out-to-be "less than mature" individual who I believe pawned said gun for a while.

He got it back about two weeks or so after I put my foot down and said bring me the gun or $1200 and a copy of your FOID card.

It was a Desert Eagle .44.

John

 

[Wesson Smith]

Is this thread ever going to walk into the sunset?

 

[Kankujoe]

Is this thread ever going to walk into the sunset?

Not 'til after my post...

BTW... Sure I've loaned out a few of my firearms to a select few trusted friends... However, I will not loan out my current primary CCW piece until I replace it with whatever's next...

 

[tubeshooter]

Sorry to gravedig, but this very situation seems to be presenting itself to me. I gave my answer awhile ago at post #32, but I wanted to see what THR thought. Long story short:

Good friend for about 20 years, but hasn't had much to say to me in about 4 months - besides "come fix my computer". He works a lot and all, but still....

Anyway, calls me today. Says he needs to borrow because he had to fire some girl and her boyfriend, fresh out of prison, has made threats.


That's all I know at this point. My question to THR... given this information, would you loan or decline? Feels like a "boogeyman" deal to me. I'm kind of leaning towards declining; if you say "decline", how do I do this in a way that doesn't say 'I hate you' but makes clear that you feel people are supposed to have their own in this regard?

 

[heypete]

tubeshooter: I'd say your friend would be best served by calling the local police and documenting the threats made. Even if it turns out to be nothing, having a report on file might look good if the boyfriend decides to do anything stupid.

I'd say once that happens, I'd ask you friend to go to the gun shop and purchase their own gun. Assuming you're willing to do so, offer to talk with them, understand their needs/abilities, and make a recommendation. Go with them to the shop. If they can't go to the shop immediately and they're a very good friend, I'd have no problem with loaning them a shotgun or something, showing them how to use it, and having them borrow it until they can get their own gun...but only until they go to the shop and get their own.

Just my $0.02.

 

[tubeshooter]

That's good advice on the local police part. The location has a police substation on-site, so unless the boyfriend is truly nutty I don't think anything would happen on the job. But you never know.

As far as your 2nd paragraph.... that's the thing. I've told this guy for years that he needed to get something of his own. So I've done what I could on that. He's always been kinda "meh..." about it. So for him to now make this request is frustrating to me personally.

I'd feel 20x better about a shotgun for the home than one of my handguns, I know that much. But then again, the guy could pass the background check no problem... so why not take $200 or so, go to a pawn shop or sporting goods store and invest in your own protection if you truly feel unsafe? He could do that tomorrow if he wanted, but it would take about 7 weeks for a handgun permit. And that's if he's actually serious about his own and puts things in motion, instead of "well I got something to tide me over right now so...".

 

[Winter Borne]

It really depends on the friend. For the most part, no I would not, but I have a couple of friends with whom I trust my life to so why not a gun?

mk

 

[tubeshooter]

I empathize with that; I guess that's the only reason I'm even debating this with myself. And there's probably a 99% chance nothing will come of it.

That being said, I've gone through the trouble to do things the right way and I think others should too. Money or ability to procure is not an issue for him, so no considerations there. The flip side to your statement is "If you're not serious about your own safety..."

 

[Furncliff]

I have been loaned guns by friends. They were later given to me (S&W 10). & 7mm mauser in a sporter stock. I have loaned out guns, same mauser and 50 cal. muzzle loader carbine. I didn't take them back . Pass it forward.

 

[BBQJOE]

I don't loan money. I don't loan my car, and I certainly would never, ever, loan a gun.

 

[tubeshooter]

You are a generous man, Furncliff. Your friends, too!

I plan to hear the man out, at least. As a very good friend I feel I owe him that. Right now I don't know any more about his situation than I've told the board.

[EDIT: I will re-post this. It is my response from another thread on a similar subject back in November, and should help show where I'm coming from.]

I guess I will go ahead and share a story on this. I have a twin brother... it doesn't get any closer than that. He's not really into guns at all. I tried to "loan" him something once, per his request. Came to his apartment for a visit one day, and there was my mousegun with too many rounds stuffed into the mag and hidden in plain sight by shadows in the den. I suppose this was his idea of securing the weapon at home; any random unscrupulous maintenance man, chick from the bar or what have you could have made my piece grow legs *easily*.


That broke me on the whole "loaner" thing pretty quick. Especially if they don't even halfway know (and respect, and understand the responsibility of) guns to begin with.

 

[skinnyguy]

on the yes list- Mom, step-dad, one brother(out of 2), both daughters, ONE co-worker, and Thefumagator.

On the no list- everybody else.

The only reason I have a "yes" list at all is because the co-worker and Thefumagator are the 2 responsible for rekindling my interest in guns, and the family members are the only ones I will trust with my firearms because they would trust me with theirs.

 

[Wordsmith]

I have a pistol out on permanent loan to my brother-in-law, who has been on the receiving end of several death threats lately. But for me this is the exception, not the norm.

 

[PistolNewbie]

No way in hell! I have let friends shoot that have accompanied me but that's it!

 

[[email protected]]

heck no never !!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr White]

I've lent guns. I've borrowed guns. Never had a problem. There are friends to whom I'd lend any gun I own and there are those to whom I wouldn't lend my ratty old .22. You gotta know your friends and which ones you can trust.

Whenever I borrow a gun, I always make sure I return it...eventually... in at least as good of condition as when I received it.

 

[toivo]

To most people, no. But I know a few people who will borrow a beater gun and return it in better shape than they got it: cleaned, sighted in, etc. They can borrow any gun, any time.

Just as I wouldn't loan my car to a guy that wrecked his DUI last night, so goes the gun loaning program.

Two friends of mine, call them Friend A and Friend B. Friend A has a bad history of DUI and no car. Friend B has a brand-new Jeep he bought with inheritance money after his father passed away. Friend A begs Friend B to lend him the Jeep so he can take a newspaper delivery job, just this one time, he'll have his own car soon, really needs the job, etc. Friend B says "OK, just this one time, but DO NOT DRINK while you have my vehicle." Guess how that one turned out...

 

[skeeter1]

No one borrows my tools. No one borrows my car. And most importantly no one borrows my guns.

I'll lend my tools to someone I trust to return them, and even my car, but not firearms. As long as I'm along, they're willing to shoot anything I have, but to just flat-out loan them? Nope. That's never going to happen.