Selling guns at shows

[popeye]

What's your thoughts on selling guns at gun shows, assuming your not an FFL holder. Here in Indiana you can sell a gun privately as long as the party you sell to has a carry permit. I prefer a transfer through an FFL but there's usually a charge, or if you put the gun on consignment in a shop it costs 15%. Do you get a little paranoid about it? Does anybody know how long you have to keep records on guns you buy, sell, or trade in Indiana?

 

[popeye]

What's your thoughts on selling guns at gun shows, assuming your not an FFL holder. Here in Indiana you can sell a gun privately as long as the party you sell to has a carry permit. I prefer a transfer through an FFL but there's usually a charge, or if you put the gun on consignment in a shop it costs 15%. Do you get a little paranoid about it? Does anybody know how long you have to keep records on guns you buy, sell, or trade in Indiana?

I detect paranoia (sp?) or lack of interest. Please flush this post.

 

[Jim K]

Maybe a little paranoia here. As long as you are selling within the state and both you and the buyer are residents of the state, state law applies. However, I would not sell a handgun to anyone (except a federal licensee) without going through a dealer (as I must in MD in any case), so it goes through the instant check system, which is not available to individuals or holders of collector licenses.

When I have (rarely) sold guns, I get the buyer to fill out a 4473 form (I have some). With an individual sale, it has no legal backing, but if a buyer won't fill it out or can't provide ID that shows he is a resident of the state we are in and the state of which I am a resident, I won't sell him a gun.

Maybe it is paranoia, but the problem is that at some point, you were down on paper as the owner of the gun. If it ends up in the wrong hands and something bad happens, a whole lot of people will be trying to trace it and figure out a way to hang some part of the responsibility on you, just to prove they are "doing something to stop gun violence."

Jim

 

[Coltdriver]

Being paranoid is a survival trait these days.

A little trouble on the front end saves a lot of grief down the road.

Paying $10 or $15 for a background check is pretty cheap insurance. I don't know the laws in your state but you can probably find them on one of the rkba sites.

In Colorado if the drivers license is marked voter you at least know your not selling to a felon. Colorado also requires a background check on a private sale at a gun show. This is a nice feature as far as I am concerned because that background check will give you cover.

 

[popeye]

I did not mean "paranoid" statement as an insult or otherwise to THR members. I totally understand concerns with selling a gun privately. If my statement was offensive I appologize. I've had the BATF do an inquiry on a gun I bought from a dealer and later traded back to him. They never tell why they're making inquiry. This dealer was part of a lawsuit by Mayor King of Gary (a mayor Daley wannabe) emulating Daley's lawsuit. I think the inquiry was harassment of the dealer, as he has to report all traded in guns to the BATF on a monthly basis. So in theory their highly sophisticated inter-connected intelligentsia should have picked up on my trade back to him.

Have to sign off now there's six black suited guys roping down from a black helicopter over my house. I think they have discovered my dog's license is out of date and sent a response team. They've put tiny Chihuahua handcuffs on Pedro now and are interviewing him. Anybody know a good Chihuahua "mouthpiece" in Indiana?

 

[md2lgyk]

Nothing wrong with a little healthy paranoia in this instance. Years ago, when it was still legal to do so in MD, my gun club used to rent a table at local gun shows so members could sell their own firearms paraphernalia and guns. I remember once getting into a spirited "discussion" with a supposed buyer who insisted it was perfectly legal for me to do a private sale of my personally owned handgun to him (without transferring through an FFL) even though he lived in a different state than I did. He wouldn't take no for an answer, even though I had a copy of the BATF regs with me. I finally told him if he had nothing to prove MD residence I wasn't going to sell to him under any circumstances, and he went away.

I later heard stories that some ATF agents were allegedly at that show, trying to trick private sellers into breaking the law so they could be arrested.

 

[popeye]

I've heard of agents cruzin shows in Illinois (I live close ). Even though transfers between Illinois FOID ( firearms owner ident. cards ) is legal, a 3 day? waiting ( cooling off ) period must be observed. I remember reading of busts at shows for immediate xfers when Daley was on his Law suit rant.