Ex Spouse Registration Question

[Anon123]

Hello all,

New here and have a question. I own a few handguns. Among them is a 25 semi that I had since around 1987. I was married to my first wife then for a couple of years. I now want to give this to my second wife of 12 years as she has a LCF. The problem is I don't know if the gun is still registered in my name or my Ex-wifes, (she had a permit and I can't remember if we registered it in her name or mine at the time of purchase).
The problem is I didn't speak to my ex in almost 20 years, nor do I have any intention to.
The question is;
A: how do I find out if it is registered in my name?
B: if it is registered in her name should I just surrender it to the local police? I will not ask her to sign it over nor will I give it back to her.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Lougotzz]

PA doesn't really have registration. When you bought it did you buy it from a store? If so who filled out the paper work? If it is in your possession it would probably be considered yours because in PA you can give a handgun to immediate family members without transfer. The only problem I have is your divorce sounds like most. hostile. If she did the paper work I would consider not having that firearm. Turn into local police. It sounds like it is not an expensive firearm. The reason I say this is because of a shoot then the history of the firearm might come into play. This is just my opinion I would talk to a gun shop or lawyer before I did anything. good luck

[GunLawyer001]

Nope, as long as she never claimed it was stolen (and who's going to believe that he stole his wife's gun?), there's no reason to jettison the gun now.

I'm assuming that the husband is himself not a prohibited person.

The Pa State Police will likely have a record showing a transfer to the ex wife, but that really means very little, since a subsequent transfer between spouses requires no paper trail. The fact that the husband has it is prima facie evidence of a transfer.

Worst case scenario, the new wife shoots a perp, the police run the serial number from manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to ex-wife (or they just plug the number into the computer and it spits out the last reported transfer). They ask Wife #2, where did you get this? She answers, from hubby. They ask hubby, he says from ex-wife. The circle is closed, no questions remain, except whether the shooting was justified.

[Anon123]

Originally Posted by GunLawyer001

Nope, as long as she never claimed it was stolen (and who's going to believe that he stole his wife's gun?), there's no reason to jettison the gun now.

I'm assuming that the husband is himself not a prohibited person.

The Pa State Police will likely have a record showing a transfer to the ex wife, but that really means very little, since a subsequent transfer between spouses requires no paper trail. The fact that the husband has it is prima facie evidence of a transfer.

Worst case scenario, the new wife shoots a perp, the police run the serial number from manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to ex-wife (or they just plug the number into the computer and it spits out the last reported transfer). They ask Wife #2, where did you get this? She answers, from hubby. They ask hubby, he says from ex-wife. The circle is closed, no questions remain, except whether the shooting was justified.

Thanks GunLawyer001, This is what my way of thinking was on this situation. I also agree with the pp that it is a very cheap priced firearm and is easily replaceable if I have any doubts.

Thanks again.