What would you do with these old, unregistered Rugers?

J

J.T.King

New member
Hello!

I have a buddy who has a delima. He has a Ruger .357 Blackhawk (new model) and a .22 Single Six (with .22mag cylinder). He was asking me what to do with them lately and I didnt have a good answer, thought I'd toss it out there for you guys...

First off, he got the guns wet in the bottom of a locker near the river and they both have marred finishes including very unattractive pitting. He said he took them to a gunsmith who said they were fine to fire but would probably always look like hell.

Second, he bought these from a friend who was in the army with us in West Germany and never bothered to register them coming back to the States. Matter of fact, he never took possesion till he was back in the States.

Finally, after moving around for a good bit he ended up in So Cal some years ago. He says he will probably be here for several years to come, if not indefinately.

So the questions are:

Given that these are LONG unregistered pistols in the state os California, and given that thier value is pretty low, what should he do with them? He really doesnt want to keep them, but he is worried about trying to sel lthem now, and his wife is edgy about having unregistered guns in the house.

Are there any bad ramifications if he sells them and goes through FFL and the new owner registers them? Is there any kind of amnesty availible now or would CA just confiscate his guns? Should he just turn them into a "buy-back" program and get a couple bucks?

Let me know what you guys think!

J.T.

TIA
 
If he sells them out of state, he only has to ship them to a valid FFL's address (best he gets a copy of the FFL for his records).

That way he can avoid the hassle of California's registration, as other states are less intrusive.

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Make mine lean, mean, and 9x19!
 
Tell him to box them up and send them to me, I'll take care of them. :)

Seriously, if he just wants to get rid of them he could take a road trip to Nevada or Arizona and sell them. If that's not practical, maybe a SoCal TFLer can point him toward a local dealer who knows the score.


Giving them to a "buy-back" program is wrong on principle.
 
David's advice is good.

Also, he might consider selling them at a gunshow in a state (like Texas!) that doesn't require registration of purchases between private owners. Keep it in the family, out of ATF's books. Or move to a state that doesn't think you're a felon for failing to go running in and registering these two old revolvers. Oh, some think two pitted revolvers isn't a good enough reason to move?
Hunh. It wouldn't take more than a prevailing wind from the west to get my bags packed and my tumbleweed rolling...
 
Unless the laws have changed in Kalif., since I left in '97, the guns already owned by a serf DO NOT have to be registred with the state communistnazis.

If you now SELL them in Kalif., then you have to take them and the buyer to a dealer, fill out papers, pay the dealer to do the paperwork, leave the guns there for ten days, and then, if the Great Communistnazi at the KGBATF allows the transfer, the buyer can then go back to the gun store and pick them up.

Check new laws at www.crpa.org

Calif. Rifle & Pistol Assoc. (And, if you live in the communistnazi state of Kalif., you should belong to the CRPA.)

FWIW. J.B.
 
He should find a suitable box for a coffin, take them out and give them a decent burial possibly overlooking the water or with a beautiful mountain view somewhere where they won't be disturbed. He could then read a few lines of poetry or classical prose, maybe something from "The Diary of Ann Franke", say a brief prayer and leave them in peace. From time to time he can come back and look over the gravesite and meditate, maybe read some more poetry.
 
I DO live in Kali., but I would love to have them. Failing that, I would gladly ( and free of charge ), clean them up as well as possible, preserve them, and package them for burial or other LONG-term storage as you or your friend may wish. For GOD's sake don't turn them in or register them!!
crankshaft
paranoia is a dam good thing to have when they actually are out to get You!!!
 
Hehehe,

Ok... I take it most people didnt like my first reaction of ditching them to the gov't. No Problem, I wasnt much enamored of the concept myself! :P

Now for some details...

He brought them into the State of California in 1990. I personally have no idea if that means he has them illegaly here or not. His wife is mostly concerned with the house getting searched someday for some reason (dont ask me, she's a little paranoid) or if a law-enforcement type starts asking uncomfortable questions when he is out shooting them.

Secondly, they are pretty darn ugly. this ain't a cute aged patina, this is the deep scars of lobsided rust. It gives character like a burn victim has. (no offense intended)

I think he likes the pistols, sort of, but he really wants to sell or trade them. He was afraid to do so in CA because he thought maybe he would get in trouble for not having registered them in the first place.

If he did sell them, what are they worth?

Thanks for the input!

J.T.


PS, anyone in CA, if you are interested in buying these, send me your e-mail and I will put you in touch. We both live in So Cal (Orange County)
 
What are they worth? Well if they are still ok mechanically and their bores are not badly pitted, I'd say the pair are worth maybe $200 tops if they are as ugly as you depict them to be. There are lots of SA Rugers in GOOD CONDITION on the used gun market. Both used Single Sixes and 357 Blackhawks can be had in very good or better shape for under $300 each.

If it was me, I'd keep them. I would stash them away for a rainy day.

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Just one of the Good Guys
 
J.T.King, if the guy brought the handguns into Kalif., in 1990, he is still legal. Handguns did not have to be registered with the communistnazis at that time. (Although it is just a matter of time until they are.)

See my post above, if he wants to get rid of them in accordance with the communistnazi laws of Kalif.

Amazing just how frightened his wife is, already, of Big Brother and Big Nanny (not without justification). And if he's shooting them at a range and some "LEO TYPE" starts questioning him, tell him to politely tell the LEO type it's none of his business.

If they were mine, and were mechanically sound, I'd not be concerned about their cosmetics. I'd keep them for a rainy day.

JMHO. J.B.
 
What is this registration c*#p? I started to write a very unkind post, but thought better of it. If we continue to give in to these insane laws and allow ourselves to be bound them, then we deserve to bound into slavery by those who write them. Comrade Feinstein can have her guns and license to carry, but not you. Every act of civil disobediance is a small victory. If you must cave due to spousal or other pressure make sure they get a good home. You guys need to find out who in the legislature has guns and permits to carry or has body guards supplied by the state, county, or city and expose them for the hipocrites they are. Either everyone be allowed to carry, or no one in the state including the police. When the politicos think they are better then the commnon citizen, the republic is dead.
 
Obviously there is no moral issue involved here--just what the current government thinks you ought to do or not do.

These questions get easier to answer every day.

No wonder governments don't like too many guns floating around loose--people might think their own thoughts and then where would we be?

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ak9,

I hear you and I believe, brother! :]

But part of the harsh realities of the State of California is that you better be well armed in knowledge if you are planning civil disobedience. It is stupid to not take the legal ramifications into account when making decisions like this.

As far as my buddy's guns, I suspect that he is mroe worried about them now that he has other guns. He obviously wasnt all that worried for the previous 9 years. At least not worried enough to actually get rid of them.

I think his issue now is far more of "I want to sell, is there a problem?" than a caving to the political preasure concerning this.

At least for me, if those were MY only guns I could care less what their state of registraion is. I would keep them anyhow. But once I got better guns? Well, I suppose I would wnat to know what was what before I started unloading them.

J.T.

As usual, YMMV, FWIW, IMHO and all that
 
As other posters have said, he is in violation of no law, even here in Kalifornia. It is only when he sells them (or even gives them away!) that he has to be concerned about registration, and then only that he has to sell them through (or to) a dealer. The buyer will have to wait the ten days and the guns will be registered to him (the buyer.) It is not (yet) illegal in the Land of Fruitcakes and Nuts to possess unregistered handguns.
 
registration?
we dont need no stinking registration.

toss 'em in a tool box, head down to mexico and sell them.
 
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