Legal FTF transfer in WA- help!

[shibby]

I will be selling a pistol this week to a person in the same state (Washington).

However, I want to make sure the ATF or anyone else is aware that I have sold this firearm, that its no longer in my possession, so if something happens with it (god forbid) then I dont have a connection to it.

What do I need to do to make sure I am no longer connected to the firearm when I complete the sale?

 

[deadin]

Get a signed statement from the buyer that he has taken possession of the gun. Be sure that the gun description and serial is on the paper and also the buyers name, address and DL Number.

Or you can require that you run it through a FFL's book. (That will probably cost you a dealer fee.)
Also, don't be too suprised if the buyer balks at this, as some folks don't want their name associated with a gun. (kind of like you)

If it were me and the buyer wasn't willing to give me his information, I wouldn't sell the gun to him.

 

[shibby]

hmm, okay thank you. So to make it obvious to the government, I would need to do the FFL thing. Ill have to take a look.

 

[Wa shooter]

Here you go.

http://www.dol.wa.gov/forms/652004.pdf

This is a voluntary report to the state of firearm transfer.

 

[shibby]

Alright, there we go, thanks a ton!

 

[nalioth]

You will never "get it out of your name", if you filled out a 4473 for it.

 

[Gungnir]

Yeah that DOL form does squat for the ATF, it's also out of date, aliens no longer need an AFL if they're permanent residents.

Effectively you can't get your name removed from the weapon. ATF tracing gets a serial # goes to manufacturer finds wholesaler, goes to wholesaler, finds dealer, goes to dealer finds purchaser. It's on the FFL's books period, you bought it, if you no longer have it you can point the ATF at the guy who obtained it from you. If he no longer has it he does the same. So the ATF don't even go to WA State DOL, so telling them is an exercise in futility, unless you just want to feel like you did something.

 

[NavyLCDR]

If it were me and the buyer wasn't willing to give me his information, I wouldn't sell the gun to him.

You can have my name and my signature on a bill of sale/receipt for your gun. You can LOOK at my Washington State ID. No way are you going to record my ID number. You can find my address and phone number in the phone book.

If I wanted someone to record my ID number or send in my information to the WA DOL, I would simply buy the gun from an FFL.

However, I want to make sure the ATF or anyone else is aware that I have sold this firearm, that its no longer in my possession, so if something happens with it (god forbid) then I dont have a connection to it.

What do I need to do to make sure I am no longer connected to the firearm when I complete the sale?

If you were so concerned about not being tied to this firearm, you should not have bought it from an FFL to begin with. But, to answer your question, a statement to the ATF that, "I sold the gun in a private sale" is sufficient. Private sales, without any recordkeeping whatsoever, are legal in Washington state.

 

[shibby]

I am aware of the age of this thread, as I was the OP, but I was interested as to whether there were any changes in policy, like a new form, etc.

Also, I would want to at least have some documentation showing the sale happened. Its better than nothing.

 

[Sam1911]

Also, I would want to at least have some documentation showing the sale happened. Its better than nothing.

Better for what? There's an extremely slim chance that a gun you once owned may come back to "find" you.

IF a crime is committed with the gun you once owned, AND the police recover that gun, AND they don't know who committed the crime associated with that gun, THEN they will contact the manufacturer and find out what shop they originally sent it to. They can contact that shop and ask to see the record of who first bought the gun. They can then go talk to that first owner.

If they can locate the first owner, they'll ask them if they know where the gun went after they had it. Dealer? Private sale? And so on. If they're very lucky, they might be able to trace it along the path to you. (Heck, maybe you bought it factory-new. That would make it easy.)

You say, "Why yes, I did have that gun from 2003-August of 2005 (or whenever) when I sold it in a private sale."

They say, "Do you know the person you sold it to?"

You say, yes, no, whatever the truth may be. So long as you had no knowledge or reason to believe that the buyer was a prohibited person, and you believed that he was a resident of your state, you're completely in the clear.

They say, "Thank you for your time." And go away.

You can't be convicted of a crime simply because you once owned a gun that was used in that crime. If you weren't present at the scene, and/or aren't somehow directly involved with that crime -- that past ownership cannot harm you.

We live in a record-keeping society where being able to "prove" things makes us feel a bit more warm and comfy. But in this case it is unnecessary.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Also, I would want to at least have some documentation showing the sale happened. Its better than nothing.

It's called a bill of sale. You keep it. If the government asks about the gun, you show them the bill of sale. That's it.

"I, Joe Citizen, did purchase one model/make/serial number handgun from Mr. Shibby, on 12 July 2011 for the purchase price of $471.57.

Signed: Joe Citizen"

That's all that is legally required for you to prove that you sold the gun to Joe Citizen - basically a signed receipt from Joe Citizen that they received the gun.

If you are that concerned about it, just eat the $100 or so loss and sell the thing to an FFL and let them resell it. Of course, all you are going to get from the FFL is a receipt....