I was asked about this topic the other day, buying/selling guns in person, and thought it would make a great topic. I’ve done a few of these transactions, which are perfectly legal in my state, and have always had good experiences. there are several benefits to doing business in person with people and a few cautions to watch out for. I’ll cover the good and the bad in today’s post.
Legality
Doing a quick search turned up a result from the ATF. They have the following to say:
Q: To whom may an unlicensed person transfer firearms under the GCA?
A person may sell a firearm to an unlicensed resident of his State, if he does not know or have reasonable cause to believe the person is prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms under Federal law. A person may loan or rent a firearm to a resident of any State for temporary use for lawful sporting purposes, if he does not know or have reasonable cause to believe the person is prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms under Federal law. A person may sell or transfer a firearm to a licensee in any State. However, a firearm other than a curio or relic may not be transferred interstate to a licensed collector.
[18 U.S.C. 922(a)(3) and (5), 922(d), 27 CFR 478.29 and 478.30]
You can go read more about it at the ATF site and of course find out your state specific laws. I’m sure states like Illinois and California have some stupid ones if you are unfortunate enough to live there. In the more intelligent states buying and selling from state residents shouldn’t be an issue.
Why Buy/ Sell This Way
One of the best reasons to buy or sell this is cost. By buying from a person you usually can get a good deal. There is no sales tax or background check. I highly advocate avoiding paying tax whenever you can. The government steals enough of your hard earned money as it is. It is also supporting your local economy. You are either giving or getting money from a real person. I also support local gun shops. Another side benefit is that this method is record-less. There is no long paper trail to follow back to you. Although the gov may want to take your guns I do not think it will ever come to that. However in a recent book I read on a collapse some bad guys used gun sales paperwork, that is filled in the selling store, to find what houses to target for theft. Personally I just happen to like the simplicity or trading cash for merchandise from a person.
Cautions
There are certain cautions to be employed when doing these kinds of transactions. You should always take precautions when buying selling from people you don’t know. With weapons it calls for another level of caution. I’ve only ever bought or sold to people I know. This removes some of the issues about meeting strangers and knowing your not selling to a meth head going to shoot someone or buying a murder weapon. You have to make a judgement call when doing a deal like this that the other person is trustworthy. You will want to met in a public place to avoid chances of being robbed. Let someone know where you are going and who you are meeting in case there is trouble. I’ve met in gas stations and even once at a police precinct to buy my carry Glock. Even thought you want to met in public you don’t want too many people watching you. I don’t want anyone getting in my business or calling the police to hassle me. So a side of a gas station is ok whereas a mall food court would be a terrible idea.
So as long as this method of sale is legal I encourage you to use it. I’ve made some incredible deals using this. TO find deals you can use sites like Arms List Facebook groups in your area or other local sites. Craigslist unfortunately bans firearms.
Have you ever bought or sold like this? Whats the best deal you’ve got? Let me know in the comments!
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Private gun sales are a regular occurrence with me. I treat firearms like I used to treat baseball cards – fun to collects, sell, trade, and make a small profit…..and private sales allow me to do this without paying for a business’s overhead by avoiding markup and transfer fees.
I have done a few through Gun Owners and Armslist. Always verify state residency and meet in a well populated place. I get full name, email, cell number and make of vehicle to leave with my wife. Also call her prior to sale and immediately after. Never had a problem but you have to be cautious.
Nice nice, just learned about Arms list.
I looked at Armslist and was shocked by the prices people were asking (in Florida). People are asking more for a used gun than a brand new one in a store. I also have no fear of being robbed by the store clerk. I will wait until people realize that the gun scare is over (for now) and the prices come back down from the stratosphere. Just because you paid $1200 for a $600 AK-47 at the height of the scare, I am not going to pay you $900 for it now.