Gun Rescue

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ZeSpectre

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What a mess. A friend called me to ask for some advice on the following issue.

His great uncle (91 years old) lives in NYC but was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and it has been progressing rapidly to the point that the family in FL has laid down the law and the great-uncle has now moved to FL to live with the rest of the family.

So they have to come up to NYC and clean out the apartment.

The problem.

In one of his lucid times the great-uncle divulged to my friend that he has two "unregistered" (his words) pistols in the apartment in NYC and my friend is trying to figure out what to do about it so he called me asking for advice.

Here's the part that'll make you sick.

One is a -near pristine- US Issue Colt 1902 Alaskan in .45 LC (worth about $3,000 as far as I could determine).

The other (I just want to cry) is a Smith & Wesson Registered Magnum with box and papers, also in basically pristine condition but for a small chunk out of the bottom of one grip.

I couldn't, for the life of me, come up with a legal way for the family to get these guns out of NYC and down to Florida so I'm calling for a THR brainstorm on how to save these guns.

(We HAVE to keep it legal, my friend won't do it any other way.)
 
Florida does not have a registration law that I know of. There is no law keeping the uncle from bringing his guns to Florida and then giving them to a relative since they are now both in the same state.


Len
 
Great-Uncle, not grandfather. And the problem with that is the Great-Uncle won't be traveling again (probably ever) and is "non compos mentis" at this point so he can't (as I understand it) legally do ANYTHING anymore.
 
Rescue

I am sure if he has been found to not to be in control of either his mental or physcial faculties then the court has assigned a caretaker. If I were the caretaker I would take his personal property to his state of residence. If you are looking for a can they be transfered to a dealer in NYC I think the short answer is no and you may as well call NYPD and turn them over to them because they have no worth or value under those conditions.
 
If the Great Uncle gifted them to your friend they are his personal property mearly go get them and drive them home, easy enough.
 
Without researching for hours in the New York State Code and NYC ordinances, I would say you are going to have to contact a good, gun friendly lawyer. And that is coming from me, of all people!

If it were me, they would go in a very generic cardboard moving box that is the first box loaded way in the front and bottom of the uhaul van with all the other belongings. Once they are out of New York State, you have no legal problems at all, as long as either Great Uncle's residency has changed to Florida, or the property was assigned to a caretaker whose residency is in Florida.

DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT call the NY State police or NYC PD. Although I am sure a certain person on this board will advise you to call them and the ATF.
 
if he has been found to not to be in control of either his mental or physcial faculties then the court has assigned a caretaker
Click to expand...
This would be my friend's older brother.

DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT call the NY State police or NYC PD
Click to expand...

No worries there. As a former NY'er myself I strongly warned my friend to keep his mouth tightly shut until I'd done some research for him.

I already told him I'd wrap 'em up in socks at the bottom of a foot locker packed in the middle of the truck and in the worst case scenario you could say "oh hell, we just brought stuff out and put it in the van, we never even looked inside". My friend didn't think much of that idea though.
 
As I read it the only problem is that the guns are physically in NYC and have not been properly registered there.

If, theoretically of course, those guns were removed from the boundaries of NYC, there'd be no problem. There is no registration here in FL.

Having an unregistered firearm in NYC is a crime and it would be foolish to act without consulting a lawyer before doing anything and that includes calling the police.

Are you sure these guns aren't registered?
 
Unless somebody is an attorney who's familiar with New York gun laws, we're probably better off not speculating--and particularly better off not advocating what might be legal no-nos.
 
I've been researching the NYC statutes. Even if the guns were legally registered and Great Uncle had the proper permit for possession, nobody else without a permit issued by NYC could move those guns. And to move those guns through NYC requires a special movement permit as well. I think the only way to retrieve these guns legally would be to obtain a court order from a judge with jurisdiction in NYC and I can pretty much guess what the answer would be on that one. You might as well be asking for Great Uncles stash of coke to be turned over to the estate caretaker!

To sell a hangun in NYC, as a permit holder, you have to contact the NYPD before the sale as well. I think the only LEGAL thing for you to do is turn them over to NYPD, and by that I mean call them and have them come get them, I wouldn't touch them, if I were going to handle it strictly legally (and I am not saying that I would!)

Ignorance is bliss, too bad he knew about this ahead of time and didn't just move a box with the contents unknown....
 
Pack them with the rest of the belongings and take them to Florida. By the time you're out of the state it's no longer New York's concern and you're traveling peaceably in accordance with Federal law.

Involving the law here would likely get the weapons seized and some innocent person prosecuted.
 
From my limited understanding, there is no LEGAL way for anything to be done about these guns, other than call the cops to have them taken away and destroyed.

*sigh* there comes a time in a man's life where he has to choose between what is LEGAL and what is RIGHT. It sounds like you and your friend have arrived at that crossroads.

It is most likely not LEGAL to stuff them in socks in the bottom of a box or trunk and move that box or trunk along with 57 others exactly like it down to the U-haul pickup you have rented for the day, and drive it out of state. Nope, probably not legal at all. But would it be right? I don't think anyone can make that call for you - and good luck with the choices you make in life - sometimes courage is rewarded, sometimes it is punished, but sometimes we have to take some risks to follow our conscience. I trust you will make choices that you can live with.
 
Do you think that the NYPD is going to magically know that you have two unregistered ( maybe) guns in your U-Haul?

God I'm glad I live in Colorado
 
I'll merely observe that turning the guns over to the NYPD is exactly like taking five crisp new thousand-dollar bills and throwing them into a shredder.

Once the guns are out of NYC, they can be kept for heirs or sold to raise funds to cover medical expenses.
 
Ok I'm sorry but this thread.... it boggles my mind.

Go to New york. Get the Guns. go to Florida.
What's the problem?

If these guns are worth that much, I'LL GO GET THEM AND TAKE THEM HOME, because i sure as heck don't want to see them just left there to be taken by some schmoe that moves in after he leaves.
 
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