question about selling a pistol

D

Deerhunter

New member
A friend of mine left his pistol at my house when he went to Iraq. He has since been back and couldn't take it with him at the time. I have tried to contact him with no answer. It has been 7 months now. Is there anyway I can get rid of this pistol? I have no need for it as I have my own. I live in Virginia.

Thanks for any help you can provide.
 
If he's still in, pm me his name and I'll look him up through AKO and send him a email.

I wouldn't sell it without his approval and an address to send the money to. He may have forgot what happenned to it and reported it stolen. You'd then have some explaining to do.
 
Nope this guy was a contractor. He isn't real responsible. He is just that kind of guy. I have emailed him several times. He just never gets back to me. He is living in FL last I knew. When he got back from being over there he stopped in my place for a day then went on vacation out of the country. That is why he didn't take it with him. It has now been 7 months. He had given it to me to keep almost a year ago.

VA does have private sales laws. That may be a way around it. He left it and there for it would become mine allowing me to sell it. Not sure though.


Thanks though
 
You only have room for one pistol i have 9 that belong to my navy pals that away for now .
HTCS (SW) R ZACH RETIRED:D
 
Nope don't want it laying around. I would like to sell it so I can put the money toward a Sig 1911. Honestly I don't even remember what kind of pistol it is other than it is a 40 cal. I locked it in a case with one of mine and it has been there since.

Wouldn't mind if he would contact me and tell me he was coming back for it. I just haven't heard from him in 7 months.
 
Nope don't want it laying around. I would like to sell it so I can put the money toward a Sig 1911. Honestly I don't even remember what kind of pistol it is other than it is a 40 cal. I locked it in a case with one of mine and it has been there since.

Wouldn't mind if he would contact me and tell me he was coming back for it. I just haven't heard from him in 7 months.
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Is the gun yours or not? I''m still not clear.

Selling property that you are not certain is yours, is wrong.
 
Shorts

The gun is owned by a friend of mine. He bought it at some point in VA. Not sure where (possibly the National Gun Show), not sure when. He left it with me about a year ago, when he left for Iraq as a contractor. I saw him 7 months ago on his way through on vacation to Jamaica and then onto FL where he is from. I still have his pistol at my house. I want to get rid of it.
 
Gotcha.

I'm asking you. Are you certain the property is yours to sell? If it is, by all means, do with your property what you will.

It seems to be you are uncertain if you're still trying to get in contact with your friend.

As a military spouse who's left guns behind while we went out of the country, I am very familiar with leaving guns behind for extended periods of time. I am familiar with not being able to ship firearms with me in my every move because of laws and living situations.

Are you certain this property is now yours? If so, sell it. You don't need to contact your friend.

edit:
It comes to mind you may be asking about the legality of selling a pistol he owned. I can't speak for VA law but in TX, guns can be passed around (gifted or sold to same state residents), no paperwork necessary.

I was answering thinking that you were uncertain if your buddy would be mad if he found out later you sold his gun that he now wants to take back.
 
I know the gun isn't legally mine. I am just trying to figure out what I can do with it. I would like to get rid of it. I know in VA I can sell (private sale) a gun to another resident with no paperwork needing to be done. I just have to make sure that the person can legaly own a gun. The gun was left with me for almost a year, he hasn't called or emailed in over 7 months. I have tried to contact him several times. I have even sent an email telling him that I was looking into how to get rid of the pistol. No answer.

Shorts....he has been back through the area (I have been told). Like I said he lives in FL somewhere. I haven't heard anything for over 7 months so it isn't like he was storing it with me and I knew he would be back for it.
 
I may be mistaken but I believe Virginia has "abandoned property" laws such that if you have attempted to contact the owner, and it's been more than a certain amount of time, the property is considered abandoned.

If I'm remembering correctly then it's possible that pistol IS yours now.

I'd try to check the relevant laws though.
 
Deerhunter, if I'm reading VA law correctly, tangible property held in trust is considered abandoned after five years.

However, if you can send your friend a registered letter to his last known address, stating that you want him to get his property, and don't receive a reply within a year, you can send the VA Sec. for the Treasury a notice of the abandoned property.

Since you have incurred no debt by keeping this property, you cannot dispose of property (tangible or intangible) which is not yours.

However, you can claim the abandoned property, with that letter to the Sec.Treas. After proper notification from the Sec.Treas., you may then do what you want with it.

All this, assuming what I read was the correct interpretation. It may not be correct.
 
OK, your friend is a .......bit irresponsible

When he left the gun with you, was there a conversation something like "can I leave this with you till I get back?" IF there was, and you agreed, you have a verbal contract. Selling his property (the pistol) without going through all the legal processes (abandoned property, etc.) would be stealing his property, and a crime. Don't do it, no matter how tempting it is.

As mentioned, there are legal ways in most states to resolve the matter, but as each state can be a little different, the best thing you can do is to contact a local lawyer for advice.

The money you may get from the gun ( a few hundred, from the sound of things) certainly wouldn't be worth the hassle you might have to deal with if you didn't do everything in a completely legal manner.

Fate is just kind enough that the day after you sold his gun, he would show up at your door demanding his gun back, (or cash,) and maybe threating legal action if you don't come up with it!

Best advice I can give is, for now, forget about it altogether. Find a out of the way place to store it, and forget it. Don't waste your time trying to get the guy to come for it. If, after a few years, you can have it declared abandoned property, and legally yours, then do so.

Sure, it is frustrating, but you did agree to keep it for him, and no specific time table was mentioned (was it?)

You could...(evil grin) shoot the crap out of it, if you could afford it. Consider it "storage fees". How many rounds does it take to wear out a .40 cal anyway?:D
 
When he left he put all his stuff in a POD storage container. He didn't want to put the pistol in there and asked me to take it home with me. I did. He came back a few months later and visited for a day. He never mentioned it. Left a bunch of other stuff at my place also. I am not worried about getting rid of that though. The pistol is the big problem. I have sent him several emails about it. They never come back so I know they are being delivered to him. This guy is no where near a great friend. He tends not to be very responisble, most of the time. I went out of town for a week when he lived here in VA. He dropped me off at the airport and took my truck home. Turns out that he took it out to a club and ended up getting it towed when he was stopped for a DUI. Now I am sure a lot of you are like me, Don't mess with my truck or guns. I knew I never should have agreed to hold onto it for him.

I will be talking to a lawyer I know tonight. I mean technically my friend did say.....Here is my pistol take it home with you. So it could be a gift, morally I am ok with that, he owes me.

I appreciate all the advice. I am going to keep trying to get intouch with him and go from there.
 
Deerhunter, I sent you a PM with my offer to help you with this...
I would do my utmost to get the guy his pistol back or at minimum a... "I don't want it, go ahead and sell it" Heck he may have written it off already...
Brent
 
I talked with a lawyer here in VA. What I got was since he gave me the pistol and told me to take it with me when he left I just have to give him a chance to contact me to get it back. I was told to send him one last email and give him a month to claim it. Due to him giving it to me, telling me to take it with me and keep it, and the VA laws on private transfer/sale of fireamrs it is technically mine at this point. I am giving him all the chance to get it back. Thanks for all the info that you have passed.

If you want to save a species, simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed -
like chickens, like turkeys, like deer, like Canadian geese.
-Ted Nugent

My idea of fast food is a mallard.
-Ted Nugent
 
Good idea talking to a lawyer. I say that if the gun isn't explicitly yours, you can't sell it. Perhaps I am missing something, but why are you so anxious to get rid of it? Unless the gun is tied to a crime in some way I can't imagine why I wouldn't just keep it around, take it to the range a bit (hey, he took your truck), etc. I think it would be very hard to have too many guns. :D
 
what to do with his gun?

Hi Deerhunter,
You say that he is your friend. So why do you feel that you have to sell it or give it away? What are you going to tell him when he comes by and finally asks for his gun? Most people on this site, like multiple guns and are always looking to add more from time to time. Just keep in safe place and go shoot it from time to time. Nothing too wrong with an extra gun in the house.
If you sell his gun, someday you will probably have to explain why you did that.

Final soulution: If you feel you have to get rid of it, send it to me and I'll be happy to put it in my safe for "safe" keeping....
 
The reason I want to sell it is so that I can use the money to buy another pistol for myself that I want. I have been wanting a Sig 1911 for awhile now. Waiting for the next National Gun Show in VA so I can go get it. I am sure someone will have a comment about the Sig 1911. So the deal is that I don't like the pistol he has and I am not going to take it out and shoot it. The bottom line is from the lawyer is that he handed it to me and told me to take it with me. I have tried to contact him about it since Labor Day weekend last year when I last saw him. I have sent several messages to him about getting it back. I have just recently been sending several and telling him that he (as per the lawyer) has 30 days to cobtact me about it.
 
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