When you go belly up

[PlayboyPenguin]

This might sound morbid but it is not meant that way...

I am curious if people in here have given thought to what will happen to their firearms when they pass and if you have legally set up who you want to get them. I ask because when my great uncle died he had quite a collection of firearms. My uncle was very close to him and would have loved to receive some of them. He even offered to buy them from my great uncles new wife. But, being the shrew she is, she decided she would rather see the firearms destroyed then passed down. She locked them in a storage unit for years until they were damaged beyond repair.

The sad part is my great uncle had told my uncle for years that when he died he wanted my uncle to have his collection. He just never put it on paper. So legally his widow took possession of them.

That is why I have made sure to write exactely what I want done with my firearms into my will. If I go before my nephew is 21 my step-father will take them and hold them for him...if after he will receive them outright.

Do you have a relative or friend you would prefer get your collection?

 

[Rabbi]

My wife and son (both moral people) will see to the disposition of my small but wonderful collection. Family gets them all except for a few to my best friend who is a member here.

Put it in your will.

 

[Ditchtiger]

Who gets what

I've already asked my 5 kids which handgun and rifle would be their first choice. Oldest first, on doubles I asked for a secound choice. I'll give them out before I'm gone but not til I'm to worn out to shoot any more. I hope to be kickin for at least 30 yrs. though I may keep the Kimber .45,( my oldest son's first pick), until the last moment.

 

[Tommygunn]

The sad part is my great uncle had told my uncle for years that when he died he wanted my uncle to have his collection. He just never put it on paper. So legally his widow took possession of them.

That is sad. He should have put that wish in his will and it would have had force of law.

 

[joab]

Having just gone through this three times in as many months and twice in one weekend (stepfather, best friend, and father)

I have decided that I willgive each son one or two guns, a goodfriend gets another one or two that he has coveted for awhile.

The rest have been appraised by me and those appraisals with instructions to my wife as to how to put them on Gunbroker have been put in a bound book of sorts.

I am much more worried about what happens to my dog when I go than any of my toys.

 

[The Guy]

Being faced with my own mortality for over a year now, waiting on a liver transplant, I took care of the situation a while back. I have all of my firearms and exceteras to be sold upon my death, and the money to be put twards my twin girl's education. They are too young to get much bennifit from them now.
If I get my transplant, then I will change my will accordingly later when they are a bit older, and I could see what their leanings are on the subject.

 

[Low-Sci]

My older brother gets my 91/30, younger brother gets my shotgun, little sister gets my .22 pistol. That's everything.

On the flip side, there is one gun that I never ever want. A Kimber Custom TLE II, I never want that gun to be mine.

My friend in the Marines has a will that says that gun becomes mine if he gets killed.

 

[det.pat]

i had this problem once, i went to collect the property that had been promised and the widow tried to withold them. I tried to be nice, and went away until a reasonable time had passed, then went back and politely asked again. she said no in rude terms. I then told her that she knew that the guns were promised to me and that if she didn't comply with the wishes then she would be spending alot more than the value of some guns on legal fees. when she realized i was serious she released the guns.
pat

 

[buck00]

There is nothing sadder than an old widow taking her dead husband's collection to an unscrupulous gun shop owner and naively asking "how much are these worth?"

There was a story in my home town where an old woman even took her deceased husband's guns to the police station, offering to "turn them in." She simply didn't understand the value of them. (the collection included a WWII German Luger bring back)

I think planning and creating a will is a wise idea. Although I do have a buddy who fully intends to be buried with his Kimber Eclipse loaded in his holster, in the coffin with him!

 

[joab]

Although I do have a buddy who fully intends to be buried with his Kimber Eclipse loaded in his holster, in the coffin with him!

My family has told me that they will insist on me being buried with a sidearm.

Personally I don't care if they throw me out with the Monday morning trash. From the moment I die there is nothing more that can be done to make me more comfortable

 

[M2 Carbine]

I have a few guns that will go to certain people but I told my friends to have a cook out and devide up my guns and ammo.

 

[BRASSM]

I'm gowing to have to redo my will. My former crew plans to make a wicker copy of one of my sportscars, lay an effigy of me on it in armor and place replica arms on it prior to burning it. I'm willing my hardware to friends.

 

[pete f]

Mine aer all in a will. But the guns are the least of my worries with a will.

A couple of houses, several cars, a couple of boats, a shop and a shop full of tools, the guns, while not a drop in the bucket, are very low on the list.

That said, My aunt who was in no condition to be handling such matters, called her NJ local PD and asked them how she was supposed to deal with her husbands guns, they came and took them all, despite them all being willed to his oldest son. They claimed he had not right to them and it took a couple of years of lawsuits to get any of them back, Of course, none of the WW2 nazi Lugers, mauser HsCs, or other higher end collectables showed up on the inventory list. We figured they stole 50K worth of collectables from her. He had a .45 owned by a famous general including the letter showing it had been given him for his work in documenting D Day. NJ police just laughed at us.

 

[p35bhp09]

I know that this will never be allowed but I have asked repeatidly to be taken out to my favorite coyote hunting spot and propped up to the tree that I always lean against with my Rem 788 6mm. I figure as many coyote as I've killed it's only right to give something back! Besides I'll be dead so I won't feel nothing anyway.

 

[shooting time]

I have them listed on my will the kids get them

 

[dfaugh]

Well, right now, everything I own would go to my 2 sons. But, I really should have it made official in a will. Neither of them (especially the younger one), have alot of interest in them (besides the occasional plinking session), however, both understand the reasons I have them, and why they, in turn need/should have them. I don't have THAT many, and none with any great value, but I know they'd never sell them, if they come from me.

Now, some of that may change, as my best shootin' buddy has a extensive collection, that will be willed to me upon his death (Sadly, he's still relatively young, several years younger than I, but has so many health problems that he will probably won't live past 50. His family (really his brother is all that's left) has always treated him badly, so I guarantee they aren't getting anything. Most unfortunately, he's had to sell a couple of his lesser guns, to make ends meet (He's trying to live on SS disability, which amounts to almost nothing.) And he may have to sell more, which'll be a real shame. If, for some reason I pre-decease him, whatever he's got will go to my kids as well.

 

[Cliff47]

I have been giving this subject some serious thought, and here is what I've come up with: Being a member of the Washington Arms Collectors, I would ask that the collection be auctioned off at one of the WAC shows, with the proceeds of the auction going to fund the WAC building fund. The amount of the proceeds be reported to the executor of my estate for the proper accounting of the collection. That should make a number of people happy.

 

[Onmilo]

They're mine.
I'm keeping them.
I'm taking them with me.
It's in my will,,,,,,,,

 

[buzz_knox]

My nephew has already stated that he's getting them and hopes that I die heirless to facilitate the transfer.

 

[AirForceShooter]

my daughter screwed up. Once they were going to her. But silly as she is, she presented me with a brandnew Granddaughter so all my guns go to the new person. All off the books and no paper trail.

AFS

 

[steelhead]

My only concern is that my wife will sell them for what I said I paid.....

 

[El Barto]

Depends on when I go. If it is later in life, they may go to my grandkids if they have the interest. Middle of life, they may go to my kids.

Since my kids are real young now and have no connection with my guns, if I go soon, I'll will them to Biker!

 

[Cogster1]

Ha!

I'm still young enough to know that I'm invincible and don't need to worry about such things...

 

[History Prof]

Personally I don't care if they throw me out with the Monday morning trash. From the moment I die there is nothing more that can be done to make me more comfortable

That was my dad's attitude. "Just put me in a burlap bag and throw me in a ditch, for pete's sake!" He had his sense of humor until the end. The hospice where he died was about 100 yards from the funeral home where he and mom had arrangements. When they unloaded him from the ambulance at the hospice, he saw the funeral chapel and said to mom "Look hon, short trip when I go." About 12 hours before he died, he stopped breathing while holding my brother's hand. My brother kept inching closer and closer wondering if dad had died. When my brother was face to face with dad, dad opened his eyes and said "scared ya, didn't I boy."

Neither my dad nor my oldest brother put anything in writing. But both trusted their wives and family members to do the right thing. Dad dictated his wishes to me on his deathbed. I could have walked away with all of his collection, but I'm not that kinda guy. My brother was already terminally ill when dad died, so he began to divvy up his collection (verbally) at dad's funeral. His wife honored his wishes.

As for me, my daughter gets it all, and my wife knows (and approves) of that.

 

[Moondoggie]

I have to come to a decision about this.

My son from my 1st marriage is hopelessly pw'd by his disgustingly anti spouse (grew up in SF area), so there's no hope in that direction. I don't have any other family or friends that I would consider giving them to. My wife has more health issues than I do, so I expect I'll be alone towards the end.

I had a bad experience with inheriting a rifle several years ago. Grandpa had promised me his 1873 Trapdoor Springfield that was in marvelous condition. When he died suddenly a year later and I went to the funeral I was surprised by how stricken Grandma was....she was a really tough old bird. Anyway, I didn't think it was appropriate to say anything at the time. I lived 150 miles away, but still made it down there a couple of times a year to see them.

The next time I went to see Grandma I asked her about the rifle. Sorry, but one of the uncles came over and took it, I should talk to him and tell him that Grandpa had promised it to me. Went to visit the aunt & uncle, who I had always been close to, but "Sorry, I've got it and I'm keeping it."

Fast forward 15 years...I go to visit the aunt & uncle again (which I had done several times without mentioning the rifle..no hard feelings) and my aunt tells me "We're selling Grandpa's rifle. Some guy offered us $900 for it. If you want to buy it for that, you can have it." I could easily afford it, so I wrote them a check. My wife was FURIOUS, but hey, THEY WERE GONNA SELL IT!!!

It was important to me. I bought dies, brass, etc and loaded some powderpuff stuff for it. Everytime I squeeze off a round I think to myself "There 'ya go, Grandpa!"