Used Guns for Carry

I vaguely recall an incident within the last few months that made headlines concerning a person using a firearm in a competition they had purchased used. The gun had either been modified, or had parts worn that directly contributed to an unintentional discharge that resulted in injury. It's been a while and I can't recall all the facts. This type of incident is probably what the OP is talking about.

I don't have an issue with used guns. At least 2/3's of mine were purchased used. But I don't like to modify them. And even though most were purchased used they came though an FFL. Even if it comes up stolen It'd be easy to document that my purchase was legit.

On the handful of occasions where I've bought something in a FTF transaction I've had cop friends run the SN to verify that it hadn't been stolen before I'd use it.
 
Know the condition of the used gun first, and have it checked by a gun dealer...especially for the pricing value! If it is good for "go" from a professional, no problem. No need to purchase a higher priced firearm.
 
All my carry guns are used guns.

Some of them were used solely by me, some by me and another person before I owned them.

The point is that no matter whether I buy a gun new or used, I'm going to spend time at home and at the range checking it out and running rounds through it until I'm satisfied that it's reliable and in good condition. THEN, after it's no longer a new gun, it's ready to carry--assuming it passed all the tests/checkouts.
 
jmr40, you're likely thinking of this thread. It's where my mind went even before the OP clarified his question. Not the "all my guns are used after I shoot them" kind of throw-away joke line.
 
Didn't the OP at some point make it clear his question was NOT about condition, function, or reliability of the gun. But rather possible legal issues due to it's ownership history?
Think I read that somewhere.....several times!
 
Sure I'd carry a used (new to me) handgun...with a cpl caveats:

First, I have to be sure it's a "clean" gun...not stolen...and I always get a pic of the seller's Drivers License if buying from an individual. I have bought consignment guns but only from dealers that I personally know and trust.

After a thorough look over, including field stripping and I'm satisfied it's as advertised, we exchange the $. If the seller objects to field stripping, I pass on the transaction. When buying through GB, I use US Postal Money Orders and explain to the seller that it's in both our interest to do so since any fraud is federal offense.

Once home, I clean up my shiny blue darlin', and buy factory ammunition for the first 100 rounds to check for basic accuracy and reliability. After that, I use my own handloads for a longer reliability test.

With one exception, I've never bought a handgun that did not measure up...and that was a new in the box Smith in .45 LC back in the late 70's when they were cutting the cylinder throats to 0.458" and the groove dia's to 0.452". Smith refused to change the cylinder for me, so I took it back the LGS and they exchanged it for a .41 Magnum M57 that I still own. That .45, BTW, had trouble keeping a cylinder full inside 6" at 25 yds from a rest!

If all of the above work out, I have no problem carrying it. One of my Sig's passed the above and is one of my favorite carry weapons.

HTH's Rod
 
Absolutely. Bought the large majority of my guns be used. Strip them, clean them, check them over, run 200 to 250 rounds through them, move them into the EDC rotation.

There are some me that didn't pass the 200 round test period, so they either are are range guns or sold.
 
With the proviso that I have checked out the gun, I think I would rather carry a good used ("pre-owned" if you prefer) gun than a new one. As I have been reminded at times, the first owner is really the final inspector. And failure of that "inspection" can have very bad results.

Jim
 
As has been pointed out, the law varies from state to state. Here in Tennessee, if the shooting has been ruled justified, no crime has occurred.

If, for example, a shooter does not have a carry permit, he cannot be charged with illegal carrying a firearm if the shooting is justified. However, Federal law will over ride if the shooter has a felony record.

If the shooting is ruled justified at the scene, the police must return the firearm to the shooter. Since he has committed no crime, his firearm cannot be confiscated.

Bob Wright
 
A few years back I bought a Sig P228 to replace one that I had reluctantly sold off during a period of personal and financial distress. The price was right but the trigger had definitely been worked, the trigger was fantastic, better than my first P228. I took it to my local gunsmith who confirmed that the trigger had been worked but the work had been done properly. The gun was in overall excellent condition except for some holster patina that gave some character to this piece. And since I had him put all of this in writing I haven't had the least hesitation to want to carry this, albeit I haven't carried it that often.
 
You should check out any used gun before you buy it.
If you don't feel qualified then have a smith check it out.

My primary carry gun is a Taurus pt99 circa 1988 (bought used like 5yr ago), it's nearly as old as I am but I have no concerns of age the gun functions and has no structural problems that's all that matters.

I would not carry a gun without a sear, firing pin, or other wise drop safe though regardless of age.
 
Obviously there are benefits of buying used guns, mainly price, but what are the liability issue that come along with it?
Click to expand...

I'm still not sure what the OP was asking about, and I don't think he's been back.

Other than the "liability" buying ANY used item (that it may not be in 100% new condition), which is ALWAYS the BUYER'S responsibility to determine and accept, or not, what liability could he be talking about???

That you may be receiving stolen property?? again, this applies with everything. It just easier to prove with firearms.

Many, if not most states still allow private sales without having to supply records of such to the government. A gun will always trace back to the dealer who sold it originally, (assuming its new enough to have first been sold through a dealer) and the person the dealer sold it to. After that, in ALL those places that do not require a record submitted to the govt, the gun could have been sold and resold dozens of times, and the only thing a trace will show is the last time it was sold through an FFL dealer.

I have dozens of handguns, many were purchased "used" through dealers, many were purchased used from individuals. only 3 or 4 that I can think of were purchased new (through an FFL).
 
I think I would be hiring an attorney that would argue the necessity of using that level of force. If it's justified, you should be able to use a car, ashtray, baseball bat, pistol, shotgun, rifle, or a rock. I survived a federal lawsuit for an on-duty shooting many years ago using handloads. It was a moot point, we merely had to show that the level of force that was used was necessary at the time.
 
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