Used Guns for Carry

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B-Deck

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Curious if anyone would be comfortable carrying and possibly having to use a used gun in a self defense situation. I'm talking more along the lines of liability issues, not so much about trusting the function and reliability of a used gun. Obviously there are benefits of buying used guns, mainly price, but what are the liability issue that come along with it?

I'm about to get my LTC and I plan on purchasing a new gun to carry, but I'm curious as I have bought used guns in the past and most likely will continue to buy used guns down the road.
 
I guess my Glock 27 was new - all the rest were used purchases.

And there have been a large number of them... 1911s, revolvers, BHP (now maybe that one was new), Beretta, Colt, Springfield Armory, S&W autos...

I'm pretty sure my service auto was used - another officer carried it long before I got a hold of it.

Of course I'm so old that some of my used carry guns were "modified" which would be forbidden now days. And that was done by the department "armorer".

I don't see any liabilities other than safety modifications which you may or not be aware of.
 
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Forgive me maybe I’m slow, but not sure I understand what liability issues might exist. Could you expand on your question or offer some specific concerns?
 
Experienced??

Perhaps the word experienced is more appropriate than "used"

Removal of factory supplied safety devices, or trigger mods that result in a very light trigger....say sub 2.5 Lbs. those things would give me pause.
In fact I would not carry a pistol with a light trigger and no safety lever.

I occasionally carry my 03 Colt. Trigger is fairly light, but it has both a grip safety and a safety lever. AFAIK it is not "modified" but I can't know that for sure since it is approaching it's 100th birthday.
 
Removal of factory supplied safety devices, or trigger mods that result in a very light trigger
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Ok, well yes, I could see a problem with this, but this is not carrying a used gun this is carrying a modified gun.
 
Ok, well yes, I could see a problem with this, but this is not carrying a used gun this is carrying a modified gun.
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My current carry gun is a police trade-in. I don't expect liability issues.

The only modification from factory settings is that it's supposed to have a magazine disconnect. This was not present when I purchased it, so my assumption is that it was removed by the officer himself or a department armorer.

I figure if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. I had planned to remove the device anyways, so it mostly just saved me the trouble.

If mechanical function is not the concern, what is? I'm not sure what kind of liability there would be from defending yourself with a new gun as opposed to used.
 
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A newbie

A newbie may not know that his new to him pistol may also be a modified pistol.

My G 19 has a very sweet trigger, that thanks to many thousands of rounds downrange and "killing" doorknobs TV set, etc etc IE: dryfire practice.

It has had no mods, yet the trigger is lighter and smoother than a new gun. In fact have had several Glock owners rave about the trigger after a few rounds with it.
I seriously considered lightening the trigger as it's pretty easy to do so. I thought better of it and returned the part I bought. Instead I did loads of shooting, and even more dryfire.
I struggled with the "no safety" thing and was quite uncomfortable with it until I bought a good IWB holster that covers the triggerguard.

All good now. Hard to beat the G 19 for CC.
 
Emphatically yes.

Curious if anyone would be comfortable carrying and possibly having to use a used gun in a self defense situation.
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With any self-defense gun, make sure that you have put enough rounds through it to feel you can depend on it, and to know your abilities with it.

If you have any doubts about its function or safety, PLEASE take it to a gunsmith and have it checked out before thinking about betting your life on it. That goes for brand-new guns, too, by the way.

(I like to buy my guns used, through private sale when possible; good way to get a lot of gun for short money. Very easy way to pick up lightly used, popular SD pistols; I haven't bought, for example, a new-from-the-factory Glock from an FFL in probably 15 years.)
 
A newbie may not know that his new to him pistol may also be a modified pistol.
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At first I didn't think of it that way. More of thinking he meant not knowing where a used gun might have come from. From a reputable dealer, or a friend that had bought it new, I'd say no problem. From "some guy" I might be cautious if I didn't have a complete check done of the S/N.
 
A NIB gun you put 50-100 rounds through is "used". Instead of used I would say "'abused" or "wornout", perhaps improperly modified. Military issued firearms are pretty well used, but if they are properly maintained....and there seems to be widespread agreement that a semiauto purchased for SD should be broken in.
Also I wouldn't carry anything too exotic. Not a "carry" gun, but I have a 6" Virginian Dragoon. Great shooter, but replacement parts are EXTREMELY scarce.
 
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Should of been more clear. Not "used" as in shot but used as in preowned by someone you do not know. A private face to face purchase. So if you had to use the gun and was takin away by the police and they traced it back to the licensed dealer would there be any repercussions legally if it was not purchased by you?
 
IMHO 98% of all "used" guns were used by people we never met.
Any lawyers here can give better advice, I would be concerned if the gun shows
up as stolen on police reports.
 
Seems to me that if you shot the offender intentionally, the question of with what is immaterial.


The big question is whether a person was justified in shooting or not. If so, it matters not with what he was shot. If not a justified shooting, no firearm choice will be a good defense.

Bob Wright
 
All my guns are used guns, starting not later than the weekend after I buy them. Some a lot earlier, because I don't worry about second hand.
 
A private face to face purchase. So if you had to use the gun and was takin away by the police and they traced it back to the licensed dealer would there be any repercussions legally if it was not purchased by you?
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Provided that private sales are allowed in your state, I don't see why there would be.

If you are concerned about it possibly being a stolen gun, you can typically call your county sheriff's office and give them the serial number.

I do whatever due diligence I can on the rare times when I do a face to face transaction and we show each other our carry permits
 
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