Unregistered hand guns

S

stonedevel

Inactive
This has probably been talked about many times before, but I have 5 hand guns and none of them are registered. I've always thought this to be a good thing until recently when a off duty sheriff (friend of a friend) told me I would be in deep doodoo if I was to be caught in possession of these.

As I have no other hand guns should I get a registered gun that I can keep for protection and keep these ones hidden for armageddon ? Will I be able to safely sell them if I choose to? Or bite the bullet and register these. If I do decide to register these is there a method to do this after the amnesty ended?

Any advise very much appreciated, Thanks.
 
im no expert on this, i think it depends on which state you live in. Im pretty sure here in virgina there is no law about registering a handgun you buy from another individual.
 
Where are you located? That makes a HUGE difference.

Here in New Hampshire (and Vermont as well), no such thing as a "registered" handgun. I have had plenty of of "unregistered" guns and will never be in trouble with the law here about it. We also don't have any purchase permits, no "one handgun a month" restrictions and no restrictions on magazine capacity for semi-automatics.

In less-free places such as New York, New Jersey, Masschussetts and California, the laws are different.
 
I would be in deep doodoo if I was to be caught in possession of these.
Click to expand...

It absolutely depends on where you are. Here in Illinois, outside of maybe Chicago, handguns are not registered.

Don't count on your Sheriff buddy to know.

Gunlaws.com or the NRA -- check those websites first.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Welcome to TFL!

The answer here depends entirely on where you (and the guns) live. Some states have no regisration requirements. Others require the guns to be registgered. Some register both the guns, and YOU. Some just register you.

As I have no other hand guns should I get a registered gun that I can keep for protection and keep these ones hidden for armageddon ? Will I be able to safely sell them if I choose to? Or bite the bullet and register these. If I do decide to register these is there a method to do this after the amnesty ended?
Click to expand...

It depends entirely on the laws where you are. If the law says they must be registered, then not registering them is breaking the law. DON"T DO THAT! Felony conviction (and some misdemeanor convictions) removes your legal right to own ALL guns, for the rest of your life!!!!! (there is a legal process to eventually get your rights restored, BUT its not easy, or always successful).

Registration laws are generally state laws, although some cities, like NYC have their own laws. We could help you better if you told us (generally) where you are.

Also, be aware that your friend the sherriff may, or may not be right. On something like this, he probably is, but many law enforcement officers are not fully educated on all the details of firearms laws. You need to find out exactly what the law is where you live. And then comply with it. Seeking professional legal advice is a very good idea.

Welcome to the forum, we'll help any way we can, but please, find out for sure, where you stand legally. TFL does not approve, endorse, or advocate breaking ANY law, nor do responsible members. Remember this is a public access forum, and anyone can see what we say here.
 
I am will say this, if you are in Arizona you have nothing to worry about as long as the firearms were purchased legally and you are not a prohibited possessor. Without knowing what state you are in, we cannot answer.
Check with a local attorney's office.
 
Here's just one more post to reiterate that where you live makes all the difference. Most states do not require registration of firearms, even handguns. If your state requires registration, then you would need to review the laws of your state to see what the potential penalties are for failure to register.

Another issue is what needs to be registered and when. Again, this depends on your state and what the law says. If your handguns are old and have been in the family for generations, they may have come to you by inheritance. That **MIGHT** (or might not) be a different situation than guns you bought last week or last year.

It also might be different if you relocated into the state and brought the guns with you.
 
I would be very suspicious of the motives of the "friend of a friend" who gave such advice.

There is no, . . . NO, . . . national registration.

Some states have some restrictions. If you Google "State gun registration laws" you will get a choice of a Wikipedia listing of all the states.

You can look for your state, . . . remember that Wikipedia can be wrong, . . . but at least have some idea.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Folks, what say we don't post anything else until stonedevel comes back to say which state he is in. Saying it is location dependent 10 different ways by 10 or more different members solves nothing.

I'm fairly certain I know where he lives (or is posting from), but the method is not foolproof. If I'm right, he does need to have his handguns registered post haste.


To stonedevel - please don't use TFL to even suggest breaking the law, no matter how much we may hate those laws, it is against our board rules to do so.
 
If you don't know your local/state laws, please do your research accordingly as this is very important esp when it comes to firearms.

A good website is handgunlaw.us.
 
Me thinks the reason Mal H asked not to respond to stonedevels question is there's no way to try and answer him or even give him responsible advice(other then see a local attorney) unless it's known what state he's in.

To make suggestions one way or the other at this point would be irresponsible.
 
My legal residence is in Michigan but I winter in AZ. In Michigan, we need to register handguns. In fact, if you don't have a CCW permit, you need to get a purchase permit before buying - this permit is in four parts (copies) - one goes to the FFL, one to you, the buyer and the two go back to the sheriff's office (or PD) in the jurisdiction you live.

That being said - I also had some unregistered handguns. One was a WW II "bring back" and several that had been accumulated privately through estates, etc. I had them in the safe for years. I began to worry what would happen if I should pass and my wife be stuck with these. I called and explained the situation, how I got them, etc. and the woman at our local sheriffs office told me to bring them in and she would take care of it.

She filled out a purchase permit for each one, ran the serial numbers to make sure none were stolen and then processed them with no problem. She said that the situation was not "uncommon" and their primary concern was that they be registered in case they were ever stolen. Yea, yea . . . I know about "Big Brother" but don't go there. She ran them through as "estate guns". One was a 22 HS Sport King that my Dad had purchased back in 1957 and I had the remnants of his purchase permit. She really wasn't even interested in that - she made out a new permit, ran the serial # and then all was kosher.

At one time, I had a police chief friend who advised me not to register them due to possible gun control, etc. However, as I am much older now and one never knows what will happen, I wanted to make it as simple as possible for my wife to be able to dispose of my handguns if something should happen to me.

That was my experience and my 2 cents worth! As stated, not knowing what state you live in, I'd advise calling your local sheriff or PD office and inquire as to what you should or need to do. A charge of "illegal possession of an unregistered handgun" would most likely be a felony (I'm no lawyer) that could screw up your ownership of any gun.
 
Here in Maryland Sherriffs Deputies are Officers of the Court under an elected Sherriff. While they are fully sworn law enforcement officers their knowledge of the law is usually more academic as they are not out enforcing the law on a daily basis but rather transporting prisoners and serving warrants. In only two counties do they provide general law enforcement activities. This may not be the case where you live.

I'm sure your friend means well, but I would personally call the State Police or whoever the regulatory and licensing authority is and get a definitive answer.
 
What else is new Mal...

...and since stonedevel has been given a chance to and hasn't responded as to his/her whereabouts, why go any further. Stonedevels question can not be responsibly answered at this point.

Stonedevel,

This is your first post and forgot to Welcome you to TFL.

Your question in regards to you registering your guns cannot be answered due to the fact we don't know what state you reside. There is NO federal mandated registry but some states have state mandated registry.
Till you provide your residency, the info you receive here on this topic should be considered 'bogus' at best.
 
Last edited:
Free internet advice is as good as good as what you paid for it. That said, it has already been stated that location is everything. PA has no registration. My final comment is that here is PA sheriffs are elected and need not have ANY legal training. For something this important you need to ask competent and legal authorities.
 
Here in Indiana private sales between legal individuals is legal. I don’t worry about it if I know the person. If I don’t know the person and I sell them a firearm I will offer to pay half the transfer fee to run it through a gun store. There's one in town that will do it for 25$.
If the person give me a hard time about it, then he’s probably not the person I want to do business with.
To me, to be able to buy a gun that isn’t registered makes the gun worth more. I know it’s the end of the world/second amendment craze, but with this administration,,,,,,,
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top