I'm now reluctant to loan out guns... to say the least.

[TheOtherOne]

Just turned a friend down today. He wanted to borrow my shotgun to go shoot clays.

He's the type that would have thrown it in the back of a truck and hoped for the best. I'm the type who is extra careful not to breath on it wrong and it's not even a nice one! It's just a cheap mossberg maverick with lots of plastic, but I would still be pissed if it came back with scratches.

You get to be branded as being selfish, but I don't care. Some people say life isn't worth living if you can't share it... but I say it's not worth living if you share it and all people do is muck it up!

Like others have said, I've got no problem with people shooting my guns when I'm there but I couldn't stand loaning them out. I know all I would do the whole time it's gone is worry about what kind of condition it'll come back in.

 

[Blain]

You should have asked your nephew how he would like it if you borrowed his new car and dented/banged it up? What's the big deal then? Bet he'd understand your concerns at that point.

 

[Chris Rhines]

I very rarely lend anything, and guns are right out.
There are a few people, close friends and family, who I would give a gun as a gift. I'd prefer to do that.

- Chris

 

[gulogulo1970]

Well, I will loan out guns to family and I can think of 2 friends I would trust with some of my guns. I recently bought a gun to be used as a tackle box gun/loaner. Its a Colt Police Positive I had hard chromed. I won't worry about it and if I can do some good by helping a family member out I will.

Case in point, I have a friend who was wronged by a business he worked for. So, he turned them in to the IRS. These people were a little rough. He became afraid they might try to hurt him or his family. I don't know if this was a real or imagined fear. But he was afraid, and had no money to buy a gun. I loaned him one until he found work and moved. I felt good to help a freind protect himself. I will do this for any rational family member that feels the need to protect themselves but lacks the funds to do it themselves.

I always take them shooting before I loan them a gun. I've loaned my Mom one friend and my sister guns. My mom and friend bought their own after a while. My sister is still taking her chances in this world. Some people have different priorities, I guess. If something in my gut gave me any reservations I would not do it. I wouldn't want a murder or a suicide on my mind for the rest of my life.

It all comes down to who you really trust with your property and a tool that can kill. If you have doubts with either don't do it.

 

[cool45auto]

I've borrowed guns from my brother and father and that's probably the only two I'd lend some to.

 

[Standing Wolf]

I've gladly lent newbies assorted guns to try out, but only under my direct supervision. If I run into someone at a range who'd like to shoot one of my guns, and the person seems level-headed, I'm glad to give him or her an opportunity, but again, only under my direct supervision.

 

[Kamicosmos]

I'd loan to my dad, or either one of my grandfathers if they were still alive.

As far as friends go, I'd only loan to one, but he has his own extensive collection and we shoot together all the time, so loaning has never come up.

Most everyone I know knows that I have guns. *Neo Voice 'Lots of Guns.' end Neo Voice* But only a few have even been allowed to see them.

 

[JohnKSa]

I never lend anything I wouldn't give away.

So, when I lend, I consider it a gift.

Even if I had a gun I wouldn't mind giving away, it is VERY unlikely I would lend it to someone unless they agreed to take a Basic Firearm Safety course. (Which I would provide for free if they agreed.)

 

[Neal Bloom]

The only time a gun is out of my possesion is when I hand it to a friend at the range so they can shoot it. To loan a gun to someone without me being around goes against my grain. All of my firends know this and no one asks, nor do I ask them.

 

[Preacherman]

Tamara said it for me:

I solve the problem by not having friends I wouldn't trust with stuff.

If you can't trust them with your money, your car or your gun, how could you ever trust them with your life?

I'll lend my guns (and other things) freely to the good friends whom I trust. Admittedly, there aren't many of them (as opposed to a multitude of acquaintances), but friends are friends, and I trust them. If they're not trustworthy, they soon cease to be even acquaintances...

 

[Hot brass]

I do not loan or borrow anyones guns. If someone who does not own a gun wants go shooting I will take them out to shoot a gun or two. Yes guns are tools and tools can be replaced. Here in California it is illegal to lend or be in posession of anothers fire arm unless that individual is with you. This will cause you to loose your gun PRIVILLAGE in California. Guns, are not to be borrowed. I got a call one day from my sister to come over right now, and bring a gun, she and her husband were arguing, NOT!!!
Other sister called to borrow a gun, she was going to blow her husbands head off, :banghead: no I don`t loan guns. When I loan a tool I always make it clear " If you break it, bring me a NEW one". If I borrow someones tool I tell them if it breaks I will replace it with a NEW one. Only one neighbor borrows my tools , I like it this way.

 

[pingwax]

The handgun safety instructor that I had told an amusing story about sharing guns.

One day, at the range we were at, a guy came in. He was meeting some friends there in about an hour to do some shooting. He didn't have a lot of shooting experience and since he was able to get there so early, he had planned to warm up a bit. To that end, the friend that was meeting him loaned him his Glock.

He bought a few boxes of ammunition and after they showed him how to use the lane equipment he got started.

After about half an hour, he came back out to the counter to ask a question. The gun just would not load the bullets properly. He had to rack the slide for every shot.

The guy at the counter obviously thought that was odd and went back to help him take a look at the gun. Unfortunately; it only took about 3 seconds to identify the problem.

The guy had bought 9mm ammunition, but his friend had loaned him a .40 caliber pistol.

He had managed to shoot a box and half, one bullet at a time, down the barrel and each one of those bullets and sort of bounced and wobbled their way through it. Needless to say, it was ruined.

The instructor never mentioned how the guy's friend took it.

 

[cliffdropover1]

Here is one that you may not have thought of. I know a guy that has had an emergency protection order placed on him pending a domestic violence charge. He came to the local shoot asking if he could borrow a gun to shoot in the contest. If someone loans him a gun, they could be asking for trouble, especially if they KNOW he has had his guns taken away and isn't allowed to even touch a gun. He was putting the other guys in jeopardy and didn't even care, just as long as he got to shoot too. I don't want to argue the law here. I am just giving an example of how loaning out a gun is NOT a good idea.

 

[Hardtarget]

I do not like to loan out guns but I do have three that are relegated to that use only. I don't use them at all...they are loaners. That said, I do not borrow firearms anymore, either...for this reason- -I had never shot a quality O/U shotgun so my friend loaned me his for a weekend. I took it back in perfect order...no dings, no scratches, clean. Then I found out it was a $2,500 gun. Almost wet my pants. I had spent that Saturday afternoon standing in a pig lot shooting starlings. Slipping around in pig mud to my ankles. Nope...don't borrow guns anymore.
Mark.

 

[Don Galt]

I think I agree.

But, do all of you extend this same policy to your wife/partner/girlfriend?

Do you have his and her firearms, or do you have "ours" firearms?

I'm a newbie still learning about firearms, so I don't really have experience to report here, just curious.

 

[ddc]

My wife has owned guns in the past but does not currently own one.

However it won't be long before she does and at that point it will be hers and hers alone.

Just like I consider my guns to be mine alone.

There would be no "our" guns that belonged to both of us.

This is partly because as noted earlier I want my guns treated the way I want them to be treated and the only person who is going to do exactly that is me. If she owned a gun I would be more than happy to give her advice on it but it would be her responsibility.

She would be welcome to shoot mine as long as I was right there and I wouldn't be offended if she felt the same way about hers.

In addition to the above which is as much a personal quirk as anything the whole concept of responsibility and accountability figures into this also I think. A gun is just to dangerous a tool to be managed by a committee even if the committee only has two members. Some one individual needs to be in charge of it.