People borrowing firearms?

It has nothing to do with trust. It has nothing to do with the person you loaned it to even using the gun. It has to do with liability.
 
A friend of mine loaned a gun to his brother because the brother said he wanted to learn to shoot. The brother went home, laid down on his bed and shot himself in the head. None of it was my friend's fault, brother wanted to die and would've done it without the gun. But my friend still lives with "what if I hadn't loaned him the gun?". The point is, you never know what the person you loan a gun to has in mind. But I would loan a gun to my father and my wife. No one else.
 
I am just about the oldest student at the college I go to. We have a great shooting sports club but do not always have enough personal or club guns to go around so I always bring an extra shotgun to trap shoots for others to use. If someone wanted to borrow one to take home I would be very selective about who I would let do that. When I was overseas my guns were stored at my dad's house and he would ask me before borrowing guns, even ones that he gave me, so I think most people are fairly respectful about even asking.
 
A friend of mine loaned a gun to his brother because the brother said he wanted to learn to shoot. The brother went home, laid down on his bed and shot himself in the head. None of it was my friend's fault, brother wanted to die and would've done it without the gun. But my friend still lives with "what if I hadn't loaned him the gun?". The point is, you never know what the person you loan a gun to has in mind. But I would loan a gun to my father and my wife. No one else.
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Sad as your story is, your friend's mistake was not loaning his brother a gun, but loaning it to a person with the premise of "learning to shoot" and letting them take it home unsupervised. The brother, unfamiliar with guns, could have just as easily shot himself in the head by accident. Your friend would still have the same guilt, even tho the brother did not have the same intent. I doubt if many of us would lend our car/truck to someone under the premise of "learning to drive" and let them drive off by themselves.
 
Joyrock,

IMO it's an Entirely different world than say the day's when one would receive a Sear's Catalog advertising guns to be bought via the Snail Mail just in time for Christmas. Likewise, shooting with friends and family as well as "sharing" of guns with both kin and friends alike was commonplace "back-in-the-day." But like everything else in the chaotic world we live in today, it is no more. As others have stated, unless one is ready to "lawyer-up" for any possible incident from the very slightest (say person borrowing gun is stopped with a burnt-out tail-light and the police run a weapon's check etc...) Though gun-people like us here in the forum look at guns like just another tool and not this potential WMD the media portrays it as, it's not a good idea in The "United States of Litigated-America." Better safe than sorry....
 
As a general contractor, one of the most litigious industries there is, I learned that a fear of legal action almost always indicated a recognized lack of knowledge.

When one is afraid of litigation, one is not only in unknown waters, but one knows it.
 
I have one on loan out to a neighbor right now (and for quite some time), and another that just got returned after a 3-week outting.


Both close, upstanding execs and no criminal records that I am aware of.

I do wonder, if any, legal rams there'd be for their use of it?
 
I wouldn't touch a man's bike or gun without his permission, but as much as I hate to be the one to tell you this, whether or not I touch your wife isn't up to you.
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So you'll respect a mans bike and guns, but fool with his Wife, knowing she's married. Poor show. Are you as unethical in your contracting too? Totally un-trustworthy, this man.

You probably blame your sleaziness on the husband, don't you? If the husband satisfied her, you couldn't fool with her, so it's ok. Uhhh-huh. We know who you are. ;)

I do agree with statement that people who fear litigation, is people with a recognized lack of knowledge. That's spot on.
 
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I'd loan a lawn mower before a gun. My mower didn't cost me the thousands some of my guns did. My mower is not as irreplaceable as a Garand.

I will loan a gun but only to a number of people I can count on one hand. Even then it's only certain guns. There are guns I flat wont loan to anyone.
 
It has nothing to do with trust. It has nothing to do with the person you loaned it to even using the gun. It has to do with liability
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That's where I'm coming from, too. I work hard for the money to buy my guns, and my friends can do that too if they want guns. They can shoot mine at the range, anytime they want to go with me.

Besides, I don't have many close friends, and some of those don't live nearby. I have hundreds, maybe thousands, of acquaintances that I am friendly with but not close enough to trust to that degree.
 
NEVER LET ANYONE BORROW YOUR GUN. I loaned one and the SOB sold it. Talk about a mess, you don't know what crazy crap people will do. I have known this guy his whole life, he is my son!
 
There are about ten people I would loan my guns to. I know how they handle guns and they are safe. If I had a son, I would know ahead that he might sell the gun, I hope.
 
Only person I would loan a gun to is my father. In fact I loaned my PPK to him because he needed a carry gun and he ended up having it so long that I just transferred it to his name and gave it to him. Gives me an excuse to get the Sig 232 I always wanted.
 
some advice my uncle gave me when i was a kid, "if you borrow something, return it better than you got it. If you lend something never expect it back"

if you cant swallow that, dont do it. i cant swallow not getting my guns back so, nope. gun range try outs are one thing but flat loaning out? not a chance

"i will never let you ride my wife or my harley"
 
For those of you that have answered "never", how many have let their kids or other loved one ride in a vehicle with someone else driving? Most, if not all I bet. You trust the lives of your loved ones in other's hands, but a material object like a firearm is off limits?:rolleyes:

Worried about liability? Not unless you loan the firearm knowingly to a felon or have a reasonable suspicion that they are going to commit a crime with it. Otherwise it's no different than loaning them your lawnmower. Like the lawnmower tho, if you loan it knowing there is a safety issue with it, you can be sued for neglect. It's pretty much just common sense. You don't lend a gun to someone with mental disease or limited mental capacity. You don't lend your gun to a crackhead or a wife beater. You don't lend a firearm to someone with no knowledge of firearms. You don't lend great Grandpa's pristine 1895 or any other collector grade firearm to someone who just needs a hog gun for the weekend. If your friendship or family member is not worth the value of a readily replaceable firearm, one needs to re-evaluate their priorities in life. If you can't trust your friends or family members enough to lend them a readily replaceable firearm, I feel sorry for you.
 
Loaned a pistol to a friend once who had never owned a firearm.

Two weeks later it was stolen from his home.

I'm sure he was showing it off to anyone who would stand still long enough.

I never got the pistol back or was reimbursed.

Got knows what the criminal who stole it used it for.

Lost a gun and a friend (who refused to pay for the piece).
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Then I would tend to blame YOU for your choice of 'friend", and loaning it to somebody in the first place who never even owned one in his life. You are right about one thing, him being a "friend" no longer!
 
If your friendship or family member is not worth the value of a readily replaceable firearm, one needs to re-evaluate their priorities in life
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You are entitled to that opinion. I happen to believe that I have MY priorities sorted out just fine, and I still don't believe in loaning my guns out.

You may do as you wish with yours.
 
Without going into a lot of boring details, I have learned the hard way, so I never loan vehicles or firearms...with the exception of my brother. Not everyone treats other peoples property the way they treat their own stuff.

My friends are welcome to shoot any of my guns in my presence...but that's as far as I go.
 
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