So what you're telling us is we need to start attending storage auctions in the border counties? :cool:
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One thing they never mention on the storage unit reality shows... If you "won" a bid on a storage unit and it was discovered to contain hazardous material, a meth lab, explosives, etc... YOU would be responsible for any haz mat or other emergency response. Sure, you could probably keep the small stuff under wraps with a few quick trips to a dumpster (provided you aren't caught) but I would imagine a rental facility manager would be pretty quick to dial 911 if they had any suspicion of a leak or other dangerous material.
As a side note, all the storage facilities I've been to over the years keep their dumpsters locked. This is so they can charge a fee and so they can monitor what gets put in the refuse container. Once items like tires go in the dumpster they can get fined for improper disposal and thei happens frequently.
I would definitely leave the mattresses.
I know a Lady who buys lockers. She has won lockers with long guns. Pistols have never been mentioned to me. She sell the other items at a retail location. I asked her about guns and she said they keep them for hunting. I told her if you get anything that's not for hunting, give me a call. I am still waiting for that call.
I'm not going to address a hypothetical state, but in Pennsylvania, it's not illegal to RECEIVE a handgun without using an FFL, unless (a) you conspire with the buyer to do it that way, or (b) it's stolen or altered in violation of statute or is otherwise contraband, or (c) it came from out of state. The transferor commits a crime with an unlawful transfer, the recipient doesn't directly do so. In the case of a storage locker, the transferor is unwitting.
Rifles don't have to go through an FFL if the private source is in PA.
I wouldn't want to be found with a stolen gun that I couldn't properly trace back to someone else. On the other hand, the same could happen with a stolen TV that ended up in a storage locker, or anything with a serial number that was reported stolen.
I wouldn't want to be in possession of a gun that came from out of state, since it's illegal for me to privately import a gun.
Those "reality" shows about storage lockers are complete scams. It's literally insane to bet $3,000 on a bunch of boxes that likely contain anything except what's on the box labels; but on those shows (last time I watched one) they always found jars full of gold coins, or boxes of brand-new high-end electronics. Seriously, who stores a Mason jar full of gold in a storage locker? Just how cramped must your home be before you don't have room for a Mason jar? It didn't take too many shows for me to figure out that the shows are puff pieces designed to get idiots to show up at auctions and blow their life savings on old mattresses and cribs and copies of Reader's Digest. And they need a constant fresh supply of idiots, because even idiots won't do that twice.
You can survive spending $50 each on 10 lots, because the odds are that you'll find more than $500 worth of stuff to sell at flea markets or eBay. But unless you see a Cutts Compensator sticking up out of a box, I wouldn't gamble on any guns being in your typical storage bin. It's stuff that is halfway to being thrown away.
The only exception is people stationed overseas who put all their stuff into storage, then die. I wouldn't feel so great about profiting from that.