Keeping gun purchase/sale receipts

[little joe]

Greetings.

I am NOT now, nor ever been a dealer in firearms, yet I have 97-98% of ALL gun purchase/sale receipts I have ever completed.

My original thinking was " this way I am covered, if by some crazy chance one of my previous guns ends up in a crime "!

But, lately I've been on a less is best quest (except actual firearms).

So, my question is...

Is it a GOOD idea to keep these records ?

Thanks for you thoughts or suggestions.

Lj

 

[kanook]

copy them onto your computer with all your other info of your firearms and be done with them. Doesn't take up any extra real space.

 

[StrikeFire83]

Computers crash, I'd say keep em to CYA.

 

[kanook]

And paper burns,

That why you back it up onto a disc or a hard drive thingy and keep it in your safe

To each there own

 

[StrikeFire83]

Maybe I should have been more clear....why not keep BOTH?!?!

Double coverage is never a bad thing. A single CD-R with its 700 MB would prob hold all the gun receipt scans you'd need. And then keep the hard copies in a binder...easy.

 

[xsquidgator]

I recommend at least the computer option, or both, to ensure for your own sake you could produce them if you needed to. reasons why could involve theft or other loss (fire, flooding), or who knows what.

One thing I would really recommend though, for all of your personal info that goes onto a computer, is to encrypt it.

One solution is TrueCrypt, which is freeware that the IS guys at work tell me is pretty good stuff. It's easy to use, and directions for how to use it are included and on the TrueCrypt website. It's certainly secure enough to protect data from the likes of a common thief who might steal your computer or hack into it.
www.truecrypt.com

I use this to encrypt any personal info. This way I can carry around an encrypted scan of everything in my wallet and other personal data on a memory stick should I need it. It's easy to get into for me but if the memory stick gets stolen, no one else can get in without the password and security key if I'm using that feature. Good stuff.

for my home pc, anything gun related is kept encrypted (it's my business and no one else's), as well as personal financial info, insurance photos, scans of important documents.

Getting a little off-topic there, but here's a good preparedness read (link below) on what kinds of electronic info you should keep backed up and encrypted in case you had to say evacuate in the face of a flood or hurricane.
This blog is how I learned about True Crypt in the first place.
http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/
http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/p/0006.html

Food for thought.

 

[kingpin008]

IMHO, if you're going to save receipts, it should be for personal reference or reference in case of theft only.

The idea that a gun you sold awhile back being used in a crime then traced back to you and causing you to be arrested is ridiculous. Unless there are many, many other links between you and the crime, simply having owned the gun is not enough to hurt you.

Heck, even if you sold a gun to a felon unknowingly, you're still covered as long as you had no reasonable belief that the individus was a felon. You don't need a receipt to back that up.

Long story short - If you feel like keeping them/making a backup, go for it. Otherwise, chuck 'em out.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

My car is filled with them---maybe I should clean my trunk out sometime.

 

[ohgrady]

I've watched several "gun dockets" in my local circuit court. These were dockets were people were moving the court for return of their firearm - for numerous reasons, such as the case was dismissed/thrown out, charges weren't filed after the firearm seized, or the person who was arrested with the firearm wasn't the owner. The prosecutors at the docket took the position that the movants had to show proof of purchase/a sales receipt to show ownership.

People that didn't have a receipt were going home without their gun. It made me think of how my Dad gave me a rifle and a shotgun before I could drive and I'm sure he doesn't have a receipt 30 years later.

My two cents is to save everything and scan a copy too...........and then put a back up copy somewhere

 

[alex_h]

Well in IL where i live you are required to keep them for 10 years

 

[Fishbait]

We keep them in a safe and a copy off site. No one ever asked to see them though.

Anything we dont keep, something comes up and we cannot find it LOL.

Get a good fire/water safe vault and some material to reduce humidity in it and store your stuff in it. beats paying banker 200 dollars a year for a safe deposit.

 

[Blackbeard]

I only see two reasons to keep purchase receipts

1) In case of another AWB similar ban where already-owned firearms are grandfathered in. That way you have proof of purchase pre-ban.

2) Insurance, theft, etc. for proof of ownership.

 

[little joe]

Thanks Guys

OK, it sounds like a good idea to keep them for at least several reasons.

It is not a big deal for me, just get on a house cleaning kick every once in awhile.

Back in the safe they go, but not before scanning them onto a disc.

Regards Lj

 

[RoostRider]

Surprised no one brought up loosing their receipts in a tragic boating accident...... yet

 

[ol' scratch]

Wouldn't just writing the serial numbers down do the same thing? What about taking pictures of the guns and putting them in a safe place? I have been given guns and I have purchased guns at shows. I don't have receipts for that stuff.

 

[Bhamrichard]

Is it a GOOD idea to keep these records ?

I fired up Microsoft Word and put together a listing of my firearms, serial numbers, purchase price etc etc.. pulled out the digital camera and took pictures of all of them, put the receipts that I have on the flatbed scanner and rolled it all up into a nice PDF file. There's a copy of that file on my PC, another copy on a usb drive that's on my keychain, and a printed copy in my fire safe.

I think I'm covered..