Transfering A Handgun From Owner To Friend

[RAYFERGUSON]

i HAVE PURCHASED TWO HANDGUNS FROM A FRIEND/NEIGHBOR. MUST I SUBMIT ANY KIND OF RECORD OF OWNERSHIP TRANSFER WITH ANY GOVERNMENT ENITY?

[Moccasin]

Not in Virginia. Guns are not registered here.

[OakRidgeStars]

This is not a requirement, but some people will create a bill of sale document with buyer & seller's D/L information as well as the serial numbers of the firearms. You never know what might happen down the road, and it could be handy for both parties to have a CYA document

[cwats04]

yes a BoS is a very good idea

it give you a reciept in case something happens and the firend tries to renig

and at the same time in the future if the guns come up stolen or as a murder weapon you have proof that you bought them and are not the party responsible

[allingeneral]

and at the same time in the future if the guns come up stolen or as a murder weapon you have proof that you [SOLD] them and are not the party responsible

If a firearm comes up as a murder weapon, I'd rather have proof that I sold it than having proof that I bought it!

[cwats04]

very true

i guess i should have phrased it better. i ment to say that the weapon was used in a murder in say 1996 and you bought it in 2008 that way you didnt own it when said crime was commited.

i just think i will avoid weapons that end up being used in murders from either side

[allingeneral]

Ah, I see your point...we were looking at the same issue from opposite directions lol

[cwats04]

which is good because i didnt even think about your side tell you said something
this is why these boards are so important

[CajunBass]

This is not a requirement, but some people will create a bill of sale document with buyer & seller's D/L information as well as the serial numbers of the firearms. You never know what might happen down the road, and it could be handy for both parties to have a CYA document

This isn't a bad idea I suppose but if the police have enough evidence to come to you looking for a murder (or other crime) weapon, do you really think a handwritten "bill of sale" is going to make any difference? I can write one in thirty seconds.

Prove I own a gun I've got? I can't "prove" I own a single gun I've ever owned. It's their job to prove I don't. I also can't "prove" I own my toaster or coffee pot or TV set.

[Moccasin]

I don't think the BoS is so to prove you own it but rather to show when you bought it and who you bought it from. If the gun was used in a crime prior to your owning it, a BoS would give the LEO's somewhere else to look in tracing it.

[zephyp]

This is not a requirement, but some people will create a bill of sale document with buyer & seller's D/L information as well as the serial numbers of the firearms. You never know what might happen down the road, and it could be handy for both parties to have a CYA document

This is a good idea, especially if you ever use the weapon in self defense. The police may want documentation to see that it was legally acquired.

[bossgvr4]

Just a thought ..... for future FTF purchases pay in part by USPS money order. This will provide you with a couple of things to go along with your "handwritten Bill of Sale"

• Approximate Date of Purchase (I usually carry a $50 MO to gun shows if I KNOW I am buying a gun FTF or from a dealer)
• Record of the Seller (they must sign the MO to cash it and it is traceable by the Postal Service)

It's cheap insurance in case the gun has a history

DaveC