Buying handgun out of state??

C

Chris734419

Inactive
I'm looking to buy a handgun from a friend of mine who lives in Michigan. I Am a Ohio resident. I have never went thu this process before can anyone let me know what I have to do ?? The gun is legal and registered with the state of Michigan.
 
He has to ship it (overnight or from an FFL) to a FFL in Ohio, and then you have to go there and pick it up.
 
It is my understanding you must go through a FFL dealer in your state to do the transfer. If your friend brought the pistol to Ohio and you both went to a FFL you could do the transfer there. Then no shipping charges are involved. Regardless of how you do it, you must do the proper paperwork through a FFL in the state the purchaser lives in. I do believe that is a federal law.

I'm sure there is some extra paperwork your friend from Michigan will have to do to show the pistol is no longer his. It shouldn't be much but Michigan laws concerning pistols are a bit odd to me.
 
Dave is correct, per federal law, the transfer must be done by a FFL in the purchaser's state of legal residence. This applies whether the transfer is a purchase or a gift.

There are normally only 3 exceptions:

1) The gun is obtained by bequest, i.e. the owner died and legally willed it directly to the recipient.

2) The gun qualifies as a "Curio & Relic" under federal law and the transferee holds an 03 C&R FFL. (However, I have a feeling that if this were the case, the OP would not have to ask the question.)

3) The gun qualifies as a legal antique, i.e. it was made before 1899, it is a blackpowder muzzleloader, or it's a replica of a pre-1899 firearm that cannot use metallic cartridge ammunition.

Here's some more information about legally shipping handguns:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4303306&postcount=3

FWIW the rules are a bit more relaxed for rifles and shotguns, but that's somewhat besides the point.
 
As was mentioned, your best bet to save some money is for your buddy to bring the gun with him to Ohio and visit an FFL who will agree to do the transfer to you. It will cost you fees from the Ohio FFL, but you will save a lot of cash on shipping.

USPS prevents the handgun from being shipped postal. Private carrier (FedEx, UPS) will ship it, but they require expensive service levels (next day air shipment) to minimize their handling time... and also because they have gun shippers by the short & curlies and wish to profit on that situation.

Contact FFLs in Ohio before you plan the transfer. Your LARGE local gun store is often NOT a great place as they (often) turn up their nose at transfers when they'd rather sell guns. Large outdoorsy stores also don't want to use their FFL's for that purpose.

Small shops can go either way. Some are happy to get the small income from the service, others also feel like you should buy from them rather than from a private sale. Kitchen table type FFL's (and gun show only FFLs) are usually a good bet. You should be able to find a guy who will do the work for anywhere from $15 to $25. You might want to keep shopping if their price exceeds about $25, but use your own judgement. A nice guy that is accomodating, friendly and knowledgeable is worth $35 while an old curmudgeon who acts likes he doing you a favor and has a crappy attitude and mouth about the whole thing is not a good deal at $25.

While shopping for the FFL, mention that your friend will be bringing the handgun in with him, not shipping it.

You will be subject to a NICS check and a Federal 4473 form in order to legally obtain the handgun.

As far as Michigan is concerned, they do indeed register handguns. (it sucks) I'm not sure what needs to be done to "satisfy" Michigan requirements that the handgun is no longer "registered" to him once he's transferred it to the Ohio FFL, but if I were him, I would keep some kind of dated receipt with the FFL's contact information in the even that Michigan ever wants to bring it up.

I grew up in Michigan and the registration of handguns is a draconian bit of legislation that doesn't seem to fit the nature of the state. Most folks don't think of Michigan along the same lines as CA, MA, MD, NJ and IL, but the registration of handguns is a reminder of horsecrap legislation that should be repealed. I haven't lived there in more than 20 years, but I still have two handguns very near & dear to me that are "registered" to me in the state of Michigan. :rolleyes:
 
Cool thanks for your help guys. Shipping is not going to be an issue he lives 20 miles away it's just the state line that separates us and what confused me on the whole deal
 
I'm sure there is some extra paperwork your friend from Michigan will have to do to show the pistol is no longer his. It shouldn't be much but Michigan laws concerning pistols are a bit odd to me
Click to expand...
There is no process to "unregister" a gun in MI. His best bet would be to get a receipt from you and maybe a copy of the transfer from the FFL.
 
I know there is some sort of "I transfered this pistol" form that Michigan has for residents who sell to each other -- I'm entirely unfamiliar with it, but I know it exists. That's the form I am referring to.
 
I know there is some sort of "I transfered this pistol" form that Michigan has for residents who sell to each other -- I'm entirely unfamiliar with it, but I know it exists. That's the form I am referring to.
Click to expand...

When ownership of a handgun is changed between MI residents the buyer must have either a Permit to Purchase or if they have a CPL (Concealed Pistol License) a RI60 form, the seller fills out the form. the buyer signs and then returns a copy of the form to the Police for registration purposes.(the so called safety inspection is no longer done) The seller also keeps a copy of the transfer form.this is his "Proof" he no longer owns the gun.
I know of no way to unregister a gun, and if sold out of state MI has no record of the sale (thus my suggestion of getting a copy of the transfer from the FFL)
I have heard of family members transferring guns so the gun is registered in multiple names so either party can possess the pistol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top