what to do with my guns when I'm gone

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willymc

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I’m in my 60’s. I’m still active shooting and hunting. Not ready for the big range in the sky, but my wife and I were talking the other day about getting our ducks in a row for the future. The topic of firearms came up. What to do with my “collection” when I’m gone or too sick/feeble to shoot. The only member of my family that shoots/hunts is my brother and he is older than I am. And, may I add, has all he wants. The couple of guys that I go to the range with are just casual shooters, a gun or 2 and that’s all they want. Living in the Socialist State of California, I can’t just have my wife put them up for sale in the paper. I was wondering if there is an organization that will take the firearms as a donation and use the proceeds to defend the Second Amendment. Any thoughts will be appreciated. Please, no “send them to me” :D posts.
 
If you have high dollar stuff the NRA museum might take them. If you have military items there are a lot of military museums that might be interested.
 
if you are in the state of mind for it at the time that you become ill or can no longer shoot you could always sell them on gun broker

or donate some of them to a group like the boy scouts to teach young kids to shoot

you may get better info on like cal guns for a semi local group that teaches kids to shoot
 
Give Them To The NRA

Quote from NRA


A gift of personal firearms to The NRA Foundation will also help to support vital programs while providing you a tax-deduction for the value of the property. There are a number of ways in which your firearms will serve to help the foundation -- either by preserving them in the National Firearms Museum, or by generating income for the foundation by their sale.
Click to expand...
 
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Your wife or designee can take all of them to a local gunstore to be sold on consignment. You are right that in CA she can't just sell them in the newspaper without walking them to a dealer for DROS/transfer.

My dad (76 y/o) is/was a gun nut. He still shoots and keeps SD weapons, but for the most part, he's started paring down his number of guns.

I'm thinking that someday I'll whittle down my collection. I have far too many firearms to shoot anyway. Fortunately, I have a son and a son n' law who hunt and shoot.
 
You can donate them to the Friends of the NRA, they in turn will auction them off at their banquet and give you a tax deductible receipt for what they bring.....proceeds then go to to local NRA committee to distribute.

As result....
1 - You get a tax deduction
2 - You help support second amendment efforts through the NRA.
3 - Firearms end up going to people who really want them
 
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I have thought about the same thing. I'm a bit younger, on the verge of turning 50, but since my wife is not into guns, it is a concern should anything unexpected happen to me. To make matters worse, I live in NY and as you may know, you cannot touch or posses a handgun in NY without a NY State Pistol Permit (which is a full carry permit by the way). But you cannot have a handgun in NY without the permit.

If I should meet an unfortunate early demise, my wife by law would have just 15 days to take my handguns to a local FFL for disposition. If she waits longer than 15 days, she is technically breaking the law.

So it could be worse - you could be in NY! This actually keeps me from wanting to amass too large a collection of handguns. I currently have around 5 and don't want that number to increase by much. I have a few rifles / shotguns, but am less concerned about them since my wife can posses them without a permit. In fact my first firearm was a 1960's Marlin 30-30 that my wife had in the family and passed on to me.
 
Wife and I did our wills and should we die before selling them off to help fund retirement, half are going to the NRA the other half to the TSRA.

--wally.
 
Donating at least some of them to a group that will teach kids to shoot is a great idea. How about donating them all to a local organization, with the stipulation that they keep the .22's etc for training, and sell the others to set up a foundation that will teach shooting sports to kids?
 
One possibility would be to transfer the guns to a revocable or living trust. You would be the trustee, and upon your death the successor trustee would have control of all trust assets. You could specify that the guns could be sold and proceeds would benefit your spouse if she survives. To NRA thereafter.

Tax benefits are not as good as if you were giving them away to NRA or another gun-related 501(c)(3) immediately, but you could use them until you were incapacitated, and ownership would not change upon your death.

I don't know if CA laws would affect the trustee the same way they would affect your estate. CA gun owner groups may be able to help you with that, or you can ask your lawyer
 
I'm a younger guy, but I'll be sure to have all of my guns go to someone who I KNOW will keep them* - I couldn't stand the thought of my babies being taken to a sawblade by an anti

*given that I don't lose them all in a boating accident!
 
my uncle had a few guns when he passed last year, local gun dealer tried to steel them from my aunt until i gave her the price she could get for them,

i bought some and sold some for her, i still have 2 to pay for.

one family member stole one ,,gave her $700 and there was a gun like it in GB up to $1300.
 
one family member stole one ,,gave her $700 and there was a gun like it in GB up to $1300.
Click to expand...

The worst thieves are always family. They may never pick up a penny from the sidewalk because it doesn't belong to them, but, "Because __________ was blood it's ok."

Makes you sick, but I've seen it time and again.
 
Honestly, I think in your position I might liquidate a bunch of them now and use the money to buy some decent used handguns. Then donate said handguns to law abiding citizens who are in need of protection. Obviously, you could just donate anything that fits that criteria outright.

Or just sell them on here to guys who want them. Some would say "never sell a guy!", but I'm more pragmatic. Might as well sell them to people who would appreciate and take care of them.
 
Make sure you take care of this situation before you pass on.If you don't, it may become a burden trying to honor your wishes. I have a nephew and a cousin I would like to pass a gun to. My will states that after my death, they each will get to choose one gun from my collection and the the rest will be sold at auction and the proceeds will go to my surviving next of kin.
 
Really, we all should think about this. My wife is clueless about my guns and their dollar value. I should do an inventory to make a value list...just so she would have a ball park figure to work with.

I'm thinking of doing a lottery...of sorts. I'll write each gun mod/serial# on a piece of paper. Then let my sons "draw" to see what they get. Let the trading begin! :D

I just don't know what is best. Maybe start with the inventory. My youngest son and his wife have mentioned child #2. Might be another grandson so I don't want to split the group until we see how the kids line up. Who knows...may be the girls turn into shooters,too!

Mark
 
Take them out of state

As your in the age and mind set to sell them. Take them out of state and find a legal means to sell then to private parties without federal or state paper work. Possibly AZ. or NV.?
Do what you can to end the paper trail on your firearms.
In time the legacy of free citizens with free firearms will be more important then any other consideration.
 
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