Question about laws regarding transferring Firearms.

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Ddriscoll90

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I live in CT, so considering the relatively strict gun laws for the state, I wanted to question those of you more knowledgeable about Firearms and gun related laws in general.

Basically, my father has a small Sundance 25acp handgun that was purchased legally sometime in the 80s and an older Side-by-side Shotgun that was handed down from my grandfather. He doesn't really want them anymore, and I am wondering what exactly needs to be done legally in order for him to give them to me.

He seems to think he can just hand them over, but I doubt that is the case in the current gun climate. I have a license to carry in CT, but I don't think that alone makes a hand off legal. I assume the Shotgun may be a non-issue as I don't believe they need to be registered and as I said I have the CT carry permit. The handgun, on the other hand, I believe needs some kind of official paperwork to be transferred, no? Does it need to be done through an official dealer or is there some method of private sale? How do people go about this kind transfer without ending up on the wrong side of the law?
 
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How do people go about this kind transfer without ending up on the wrong side of the law?
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They do what you're doing, ask questions and do some research.

OK, I'm not a lawyer, so my advice is worth what you paid for it. ;)

Father has a pistol and a shotgun he wants to give you. Are you both in the same state??

If yes, then STATE laws apply. You need someone familiar with CT state laws. The old shotgun, probably no big deal, but the pistol could be. If the pistol is registered (to him) then he can still give it to you, but state regulations covering the change of ownership must be followed.

Go talk to an FFL dealer in your area. Their advice is generally pretty sound, since its their business to know such things. If you've got $ talk to a firearms lawyer, their professional (paid for) advice you can take to court, :D

If your father is in a different state, then FEDERAL laws must be complied with, THEN State laws. Usually what this means is that the out of state guns must be transferred to you through an FFL dealer in your state.

Do NOT attempt to skirt or bypass any laws, no matter how much of a PITA it seems. States can have long memories. I had a NY pistol permit, once...almost 30 years after I had permanently moved out of NY state, they contacted me, and besides informing me that my permit was no longer valid, THEY WANTED IT BACK!!! (a non laminated wallet size paper license from over 30 years ago, and they wanted it back...) ALSO, they wanted to know where the guns listed on that permit were...

SO, if CT has registered your Father's pistol, they're going to remember that, eventually, so him giving it to you has to be "by the book" or you might have hassles even years later.

Go to a reputable FFL dealer, tell him what you want, and he'll walk you through the process. Pay him for his time, and assistance. All should go smoothly if you do that.

Hope this helps
 
Thanks for the information! Yes, my father and I live in the same state. I'm going to do some more research on CT's laws before I do anything, obviously. I don't intend to skirt any laws regardless of what a pain they may or may not be. Your example of the State of New York coming after an expired license and asking about the listed firearms 30 years later is exactly the type of thing that spurred me to come here and ask first.

I've only ever purchased new firearms directly from licensed dealers prior to this, so I wasn't sure about the transfer laws. I'll most likely head down to the nearest dealer this weekend and get the answer straight from the horse's mouth as you suggested. Thanks for the advice.
 
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Ddriscoll90 said:
I live in CT, so considering the relatively strict gun laws for the state, I wanted to question those of you more knowledgeable about Firearms and gun related laws in general.

Basically, my father has a small Sundance 25acp handgun that was purchased legally sometime in the 80s and an older Side-by-side Shotgun that was handed down from my grandfather. He doesn't really want them anymore, and I am wondering what exactly needs to be done legally in order for him to give them to me.

He seems to think he can just hand them over, but I doubt that is the case in the current gun climate.
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Connecticut does not allow any "unpapered" transfers. He can transfer the guns to you, but to do so he will have to contact the State Police Firearms Unit to get an authorization number for each transfer. He will need to provide the type of each firearm (handgun or long gun), his name and date of birth, and your name, date of birth, and pistol permit number.

If the state police approve the transfers, they will assign a number to each transfer. He can then transfer the guns to you. He then has to fill out -- for each transfer -- a Form DPS-3, in quadruplicate. One copy is sent to the state police, one copy is sent to the police department in your town or city of residence, you get one copy (which you must keep), and he keeps one copy (and he must keep it).

http://www.ct.gov/despp/lib/despp/slfu/firearms/dps-3-c.pdf

It's a felony to transfer a firearm without a state police authorization. Don't do it.

Option 2 is to do the transfers through an FFL and let him do the paperwork.
 
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Aguila Blanca, Thanks for your reply. Does all that apply to the Shotgun as well, since those don't require registration, or just the handgun?
 
A shotgun is a long gun.

Prior to the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school massacre, long guns could be transferred face-to-face without paperwork. As part of the 169-page public act that was enacted in the dead of night following sandy Hook, now all transfers (both handguns and long guns) in Connecticut must have prior approval from the State Police.

Note on the DPS-3 form: Second row, 4th box from the left. Also note the title -- "Sale or Transfer of All Firearms."
 
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