Help with unregistered handgun...

I have a similar situation in michigan.My father in law said something about handing down all his guns to me when he dies.One of them is an old .22 revolver that he inherited from his uncle like 20 years ago.He never registered it,so what if he gives it to me before he dies?I don't even think registering them was inacted back when he got it.I don't know a way around it without him getting into trouble If the purchase permit lists him as seller
 
I have a similar situation in michigan.My father in law said something about handing down all his guns to me when he dies.One of them is an old .22 revolver that he inherited from his uncle like 20 years ago.He never registered it,so what if he gives it to me before he dies?I don't even think registering them was inacted back when he got it.I don't know a way around it without him getting into trouble If the purchase permit lists him as seller.
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In Michigan the police just run the serial number to see if it is stolen. If it isn't stolen, they just register it to you. They have never asked me for a registration card from the seller or checked to see if it was registered previously, for any old gun I've purchased. This has been the case everytime where the seller had never registered it.

ETA: Michigan's registration statutes were enacted in 1927.
 
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I am not particularly familiar with NJ law, so take this at face value. It would seem to me that perhaps there are two solutions to your problem. First, is there any reason that your cousin could not obtain the proper liscense prior to selling you the gun? If not, that may be the easiest solution to your problem. The other possible solution that I see is to take the gun to a local FFL and have him complete a transfer thusly making the gun legally purchased from a liscensed dealer. Most dealers in my area will complete such a transaction for a small fee.
 
Did the individual who currently owns the gun reside in another state when he acquired it?

The reason I'd ask is that if you live in another state and own firearms, and move to NJ, you do NOT need to do anything (you don't need to register or anything), provided that the firearms can be possessed in NJ (example, no assault rifles).

If your cousin acquired it as a resident of another state, he is still in lawful possession of it if he moved here.

If it was "handed down" without a purchase permit for each transfer (even if it was given and not sold), well your cousin could face a lot of trouble, unless he inherited it through a will. I would highly suggest tracking the gun's timeline of ownership as far as possible, for your cousin's sake.

Ignore Dave P and his "gun show loophole" idea. This will land you in a heap of trouble as well. NJ does not allow residents to purchase handguns out of state without a dealer transfer.

So far as I know, you would be in the clear if you completed the purchase with a purchase permit; you would not need to know where it came from. I don't know about your cousin, though. He would have to sign as the seller, and the duplicate copies get sent to the state police and local police. If they follow up on it, well they might question your cousin as to how he got it.
 
Lex, don't take the risk of committing a felony and losing all your guns. Just mail the thing to me and I'll make sure it never blows back on you. :D
 
It's not "legal" but have your cousin send it to a friend or family member in PA and have them send it to a NJ FFL. NJ won't pay attention to a out of state transfer as long as it was done properly at this end of it.
 
I want to legitimately register the gun with good intentions of legally following all the laws of the state so that I do not get caught with an unregistered weapon and face any jail time.

So... my question is... How do I register a weapon that is currently unregistered without getting myself and my cousin into any trouble?
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Too bad you don't live in a free country where guns are a right and no registration is required. We have openings here in Az if you decide you want to live like a free man and not a subject.:D
 
Here is the serious answer to your problem.

Mail the gun to an FFL here in Az. Pay his $25 fee. He then ships to an FFL in NJ. Pay the transfer fee and your gun is now legally transferred to you in NJ.

I know an FFL here that accepts transfers directly from non FFL sellers. Our state and ATF rules do allow it.

In all, you are looking at $100 cost, but it is legal and closes the trackback from NJ. Our FFL is not required to disclose to NJ from where he got the gun as long as it is not on a hot list somewhere.
 
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