# selling a shot gun



## brian3127 (Nov 13, 2004)

whats the law on selling a shot gun i bought it at walmart about 4 years ago and i had to fill out paper work to get it does the person that buys it from me have to do the same thing.

thanks


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## Outdoorzman (Jun 5, 2001)

Private rifle sales in Michigan require no paperwork. You may however want to write up a receipt for your records.


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

Outdoorzman said:


> Private rifle sales in Michigan require no paperwork. You may however want to write up a receipt for your records.


Good advice. Let me add why. If the gun you sold where ever to show up at a crime scene the police would show up at your house asking questions. That's because the serial number would lead them to you as the original purchaser of the gun. At least with a receipt you could show them that you sold it to 'Joe Smith on March 3 2006'.


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## bigsablemike (Apr 26, 2005)

the records for the nics sytem are supposed to be destroyed after 36hrs. there should be no record for long guns handguns are different.


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## schaaed1 (Jan 20, 2003)

bigsablemike said:


> the records for the nics sytem are supposed to be destroyed after 36hrs. there should be no record for long guns handguns are different.


NICS has nothing to do with it. If law enforcement wants to track a firearm by serial # they can. They can contact the manufacturer of the firearm in question and that manufacturer can tell them what distributor the firearm was shipped to. Like wise when they contact the distributor they will have record of what store (etc) the gun went to. The gun dealer will also have a record of recieving said gun and a record of the sale (including name and address) of the gun.

ALL FFL holders are required to keep a 'bound book'. This 'book' is a log of all firearms past and present, that they have had an involvement with. As stated above, this includes both where the gun was acquired from, the disposition of the firearm (including name and address or FFL number if FFL holder). The record also incudes (obviously) the make and serial number of the gun.

I am a collector and have a collectors FFL (type 3). Although the liscense does not allow me to be in the *business* of buying and selling firearms, I can still buy and sell to better my collection etc. Even I am required to keep a bound book. I can tell you where every rifle I have ever had in my position (for the last 15 years) came from or who I sold it to. 

As mentioned earlier, no paper work is required for a private sale AND do keep a reciept. Buyers drivers liscense# would be good to have on the reciept as well.

Hope this helps clear things up,
Ed


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

bigsablemike said:


> the records for the nics sytem are supposed to be destroyed after 36hrs. there should be no record for long guns handguns are different.


Schaaed1 covered this pretty well, but I am willing to agree with your signature line.


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## michaelt (Jan 7, 2006)

No paper work needed, sometimes trying to get information could lead to more trouble than its worth, after sell your word is all that is needed to prove sell. Dont make a mountain out of a mole hill, take hus money, give him the gun and go your seperate ways


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## bigsablemike (Apr 26, 2005)

is even though theres supposed to be no firearms registry by the govt they make the dealers do it for them. thats ---- up.


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## schaaed1 (Jan 20, 2003)

bigsablemike said:


> is even though theres supposed to be no firearms registry by the govt they make the dealers do it for them. thats ---- up.


The keeping of a 'bound book' by FFL holders is nothing new. I could be mistaken, but I think it came about as part of the Gun Control Act of 1968. You are not registering your firearm with anyone. Dealers are keeping records of where firearms they sold went. There is more registration on a boat, snowmobile, ATV, etc, than there is for long guns. (not saying there should be more or less)

Selling a rifle or shotgun, as stated earlier 'don't make a mountina out of the mole hill'. Personally, I would however have a simple reciept for both parties, signed by both parties, with both parties drivers liscense numbers on them and of course the serial #. In the very unlikely event that circumstanses would bring about an investigation on this firearm, I'm not going to trust the legal system to believe my word ... I will have the reciept to help back my word up.

My final $.02

Ed


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## alex-v (Mar 24, 2005)

bigsablemike said:


> the records for the nics sytem are supposed to be destroyed after 36hrs. there should be no record for long guns handguns are different.


Unless they have changed things in the last couple of years the NICS system did not record whether or not any particular person actually bought a gun. It was a system to tell a licensed dealer whether it was OK to sell a gun to a customer.

There was no way that anyone connected or with access to the NICS system could know if someone ACTUALLY ended buying a gun unless they went back to the FFL that made the inquiry. Then, they would have to look though the bound book to find out if a sale was actually made.


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