Handgun sale legalities

As many of you know I'm moving from TX back to PA (road trip starts tomorrow).

Years ago I had purchased a handgun in PA and it has travelled with me for many years. I now traded it for a bunch of booty. Trading and selling handguns is super simple in TX and I have the proper bill of sale, but of course the gun was registered to me in PA from 10 years ago.

Anyone know how I "unregister" it? I plan on calling the 1-800-PA-SHERIFF number (or whatever it is) but they aren't open on the weekend. I want to make sure I have my i's dotted and t's crossed while I still have access to the guy and his signature.

Just report it stolen

registered hand guns? pft....

sorry no help I inherited every one of mine... need to hit the range now that I think about it :)

LOL. You guys are great help

Good news is that I traded it for a Delta band saw, a Milwaukee orbital sawzall, a truck toolbox, a new Dewalt biscuit joiner, and an almost-new Mossberg 12 ga with composite forearm and stock.

I found this on http://www.pafoa.org/law

Do I have to register my firearms in Pennsylvania?

It should be noted however that all transfers of handguns in Pennsylvania are required to go through the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS) and as such the Pennsylvania State Police keep a "Sales Database" of all handguns purchased within the Commonwealth. While almost any casual observer can see that this database clearly violates the spirit of 18 Pa.C.S. § 6111.4 (Registration of firearms), in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed with the Pennsylvania State Police that because the database is not a complete record of all handgun ownership (as people bringing handguns into the state do not have to register them), it does not.

It looks like, in the second paragraph, since you sold the pistol in the great state of Texas you do not have to "transfer" ownership. IIRC in Texas an individual can sell/trade a firearm to another individual and no checks/transfers are required.

That being said, I don't know if "they" keep any record of it, but a few years back I sold a rifle (Romanian AK) at a gun show in Texas, and I forked over the $25 for a FFL transfer at one of the booths. Really I was just interested in the "background check" portion of the routine... Any gun shop in the phone book (remember those?) should be able to do the same thing if you were interested.

PS What pistol was it?

PPSS I hate you for bringing up firearms, do you know how long I'm going to have to wait till my next gun show?

Hungary Bill wrote: I found this on http://www.pafoa.org/law PS What pistol was it?

Beretta Cougar .45. I bought it for home protection but my little wife isn't comfortable with using it, so it wouldn't help her much if she was alone. I'm going to get her a .38 revolver so she can point and shoot.

Well... truth be told, I bought that particular handgun because it was a damn fine piece of machinery. Why buy any old plinker for home protection when you have a Cougar with woodgrain grips that just needs a good home?

Thanks for the reference. I remember having to take the gun to the sheriff's office in PA and record the serial number before I could get my concealed carry permit, so I know there is some form of record that its mine.

Having read that reference... I was thinking about buying a handgun here in TX before I leave since its cheap and easy, but isn't there something about not doing that? I thought there was a provision for preventing that so people didn't just cross state lines to buy guns where its easier and thereby circumvent their home-state's waiting laws.

What Hungary Bill said. You sold it when you lived in a different state, no harm no foul. I hope you got a bill of sale though. If not I would say get one if possible.

There's no law that says you can't buy a gun before you move home. If you're a legal resident in TX and it's not illegal to own that pistol is PA (or is it NY that has the approved gun list?). There are laws about crossing state lines to buy guns easier, but that doesn't apply to you since you already live in TX.

In reply to Drewsifer:

PA has no "approved" gun list like MA, CA, or NY. Interstate transport rules are set by the federal government, even traveling though DC all you have to do is lock it and put it in the trunk of the car.

http://www.nraila.org/GunLaws/

Go there, it's run by the NRA's legal department, click on your preferred state. There's briefs in pdfs regarding every state in the country and their laws regarding gun ownership and sales.

If ya'll want some really entertaining reading, pick up the 1/20/2012 issue of SGN. There's an article (p36) on CA gun laws. You don't know whether to LOL or ZOMG. Like, take an AK47, add a gizmo so that you have to use a bullet tip to change mags, instantly becomes a legal gun. Take an "approved" handgun, make it a different color, instantly becomes illegal/unapproved (if your the manufacturer.) Sell a handgun with a block of wood stuck in the mag well, held in with a screw, approved (single shot, right?) Buyer walks out the door, removes block of wood, puts magazine in, no problem, even legal. Crazy, and a prime example of WHY I DON'T LIVE IN THE PRC.

Yeah... gun laws always baffled me. I'm an avid gun guy (my dad and I own 74 firearms total) but first of all, 95% of them are rifles and shotguns, and second, with the exception of when I lived in CA I have lived in places that are pretty lenient about gun sales.

Ok... off to buy a .38 snub

Just don't take your hand gun into NYC. Registered or not. Just ask Plaxico.

And some people would be happy with even more gun laws/regulations.

In reply to M2Pilot:

i'd bet the vast majority of those who hold that opinion dont know just how many/how convoluted gun laws currently are on the books and more likely have it as an emotional reactionary sentiment to 'gun violence' news.

If you want to make more laws to save lives, guns aren't the place to do it. How about actually requiring someone to know how to drive before we give them a license?

curtis73 wrote: If you want to make more laws to save lives, guns aren't the place to do it. How about actually requiring someone to *know* how to drive before we give them a license?

[Sarcasm]
But we don't need that. Computers have made that knowledge unnecessary. That's why we have Stability Control, Traction Control, TPMS.....Heck, only a luddite even bothers with shifting anymore.
[/Sarcasm]

WilberM3 wrote: In reply to M2Pilot: i'd bet the vast majority of those who hold that opinion dont know just how many/how convoluted gun laws currently are on the books and more likely have it as an emotional reactionary sentiment to 'gun violence' news.

I think you nailed it there.

curtis73 wrote: Ok... off to buy a .38 snub

Envy! As much as I love larger calibers, the lightweight DAO Smith .38s have been calling me lately... still need a 3" .44mag first, though.

curtis73 wrote: If you want to make more laws to save lives, guns aren't the place to do it. How about actually requiring someone to *know* how to drive before we give them a license?

You have no idea how many times I say this per day now that I'm in Boston.

My wife was very anti-gun when we met (for all the usual reasons). So instead of arguing with her I just bought her a Ruger 10/22 and took her to a local range where we could rent a private bay. She had a blast (no pun intended).

She still cant draw back the slide on my 1911 though...

M2Pilot wrote:

WilberM3 wrote: In reply to M2Pilot: i'd bet the vast majority of those who hold that opinion dont know just how many/how convoluted gun laws currently are on the books and more likely have it as an emotional reactionary sentiment to 'gun violence' news.

I think you nailed it there.

all it takes is one grieving mother to get her cause taken up by some clueless group that is willing to make a bunch of noise for some politician that is looking to be elected/reelected to promise to "do something" to protect the kids.. THINK OF THE KIDS, DAMMIT!!

curtis73 wrote: Years ago I had purchased a handgun in PA and it has travelled with me for many years. I now traded it for a bunch of booty.

Clearly, Curtis73 is a pimp.

I have nothing further to add.

The problem you may not have considered is that if this gun turns up next to a dead body in Texas or any other part of the country its still going to be registered to you. That is the reason it might be worth whatever you have to do to formally divest yourself of ownership. Obviously unlikely to happen, but that's why I always sell my pistols back to FFL's, even though I could usually get more $ on the open market. It creates a nice paper trail.

novaderrik wrote: all it takes is one grieving mother to get her cause taken up by some clueless group that is willing to make a bunch of noise for some politician that is looking to be elected/reelected to promise to "do something" to protect the kids.. THINK OF THE KIDS, DAMMIT!!

That's not how it works. That's how they tell you it works. This is how it works: Something bad happens. Accident, nutcase, false flag, whatever. A grieving mother appears and tries to do something about it, clueless or not. The cause is taken up by a group, sometimes clueless, sometimes not. The group starts receiving donations from other groups controlled by rich people, like George Soros because their goals (oppression) are in line. Now well funded, the group (and other groups also receiving funding from these same people but through other channels) then starts purchasing politicians, most of whom only want two things out of life: More money for themselves and more restrictions for the rest of us. The politicians are given pre-made laws to introduce (you don't think THEY write 1K page laws, do you?). More money is spread to the other politicians. It's voted on in CONgress, passes and we lose another right. For the children.

That's how it works.

Realizing that I'm joining the party a little late, but if you're buying the gun for the missus, TAKE HER WITH YOU when you buy it. That way you/she will get a gun that feels good in her hands and she's comfortable with. Also, buy several different loads for her to try out and see which one is easiest for her to shoot. Buy as much as you can afford and take her to the range. If she's scared of the gun, she won't use it. Now, just because I can do it, I would really love to get my hands on a cougar.

lewbud wrote: Realizing that I'm joining the party a little late, but if you're buying the gun for the missus, TAKE HER WITH YOU when you buy it. That way you/she will get a gun that feels good in her hands and she's comfortable with. Also, buy several different loads for her to try out and see which one is easiest for her to shoot. Buy as much as you can afford and take her to the range. If she's scared of the gun, she won't use it. Now, just because I can do it, I would really love to get my hands on a cougar.

You mean the gun, right?