When your shooting buddy dies...

[bearkitty]

...and his only living relative is under a federal firearms disability?!?! I'm not joking.

Kid was 30 and never wakes up one morning. We swap guns like candy because we're both legal in every sense imaginable and his property is prime target practice ground.

But one day he doesn't wake up. Two of my guns were in his house, which I am now not allowed to enter, because I am not the next of kin. Remember that the only next of kin is a felon under disability.

The sheriff is not asking for anything I can't provide. I should be able to reclaim my firearms this week

Luckily, my guns were not in a locked safe. Because now, they'd be county property and I'd never get them back. I have the combo, but unless I am invited in to take possession of the firearms, the ONLY living relative is under disability!!

This has been a mess. What plans to you have in place for such an event??? Have you even thought about it??

[Sevens]

He's your shooting buddy, 30 years old and he died?!
Horrendous loss for you! What on Earth happened?

[farblue]

Wow. I am sorry to hear about your shooting buddy.

Honestly, that's a situation I never imagined I'd be in. Although I've never left a firearm at someone's house, I can think of a few situations where that might happen...

I can't even imagine going through that - I have proof of ownership of all the firearms I've bought through FFL's (of course) but if I were to purchase a firearm from a private party, I don't know what I'd do.

[TSiWRX]

Wow. Sorry to hear of your loss.

[docachna]

Wow. I am sorry to hear about your shooting buddy.

Honestly, that's a situation I never imagined I'd be in. Although I've never left a firearm at someone's house, I can think of a few situations where that might happen...

I can't even imagine going through that - I have proof of ownership of all the firearms I've bought through FFL's (of course) but if I were to purchase a firearm from a private party, I don't know what I'd do.

One of the big reasons I take full-length photos, and close up photos, of all my weapons, including closeups that show the serial number. It may not be dispositive, but it's some really good evidence that I had some possessory interest in the gun. Nice in case of theft as well.

[gaptrick]

Devil's advocate says that if there were laws requiring a FFL transfer in ALL transfers, Bearkitty would have a paper trail to prove her ownership beyond a shadow of a doubt...

[walnut red]

Devil's advocate says that if there were laws requiring a FFL transfer in ALL transfers, Bearkitty would have a paper trail to prove her ownership beyond a shadow of a doubt...

Because more laws are always the best solution?

[Voice]

Devil's advocate says that if there were laws requiring a FFL transfer in ALL transfers, Bearkitty would have a paper trail to prove her ownership beyond a shadow of a doubt...

Devils advocate says that in that scenario Bearkitty would have been guilty of a felony by leaving his firearms in his shooting buddy's house. (Because even handing a gun to someone to try out at a range is considered a 'transfer' under most of those proposed laws. So, leaving them completely under someone else's control certainly would be considered such.)

[Sevens]

I don't believe that is correct, I believe there -is- allowance for use of guns, but I would be happy to see something tangible in either direction to further my knowledge base.

[Voice]

I don't believe that is correct, I believe there -is- allowance for use of guns, but I would be happy to see something tangible in either direction to further my knowledge base.

There were several versions of those bills proposed (nationally, and in various states) that had the term 'transfer' so broadly defined that, if you wanted a gunsmith to work on your firearm, you *might* have been able to argue it wasn't a transfer *if, and only if,* you were present for the entire time the work was being done, and said firearm never left your sight. They defined 'transfer' as a change in possession *or control*. Hand a friend your firearm on a rented lane at the range, and he/she now has 'control' of it. Transfer. Hand a rifle or shotgun to your daughter on a hunting trip? Transfer. She hands it back? Another transfer.

I don't have a link to example texts handy, unfortunately. Fortunately, none for those pieces if legislative absurdity became law.

[Sevens]

Oh heck, I thought you were saying that those *are* transfers. You were saying that in the quoted "devil's advocate" bit, we'd be buried under that nonsense... which we currently are not.

[Sky Pilot]

My condolences on the passing of your friend.
A shooting buddy is more than a friend, especially one with whom you freely traded as you did: that speaks of a level of trust that's not commonly found.

[bearkitty]

Just a little update and some more to the story:

We still don't know exactly what happened. The coroner ruled it Natural Causes. He was a big guy that snored like a hibernating bear. One of 2 things happened - he quit breathing, or his heart stopped. It doesn't really even matter which came first at this point.

One of the guns he had was a Winchester shotgun that my Mother got after my Grandfather passed 1978. It was at least WWII era from what we know. My friend restored it for me. We had planned to shoot it the following weekend. It finally saw range time this month, and it works as good as new.

The other gun was a PK90 I bought that had a hair trigger I did not like. He swapped out the trigger for me. I had planned to pick this one up along with the Winchester and do a little old-school-slingshot-trap shooting. That one still needs help, lol.

Meanwhile, I had projects the shop was doing for him. Those "returns" were able to stay off the books as the Band Of Brothers (and me) rallied to take care of each other. I am told that an Uncle, who is a Vet and a Mason, was allowed to take possession of the other guns. There are a few I'd gladly buy, but I am sure they will not be offered. They've probably all been sold by now anyway. I do hope they found good homes.

Thank you for all of the kind words! It is a loss we feel every day, but we are putting one foot in front of the other.