Question - Registration

[Lunchbox79]

I'm hoping someone on here can help me with a question about gun registration and transfer.

Recently my dad brought up the topic of passing down his gun collection to my brothers and I.

He has a .38 revolver that he bought from a co-worker 25+ years ago that I'd really love to make my own. The problem is that the revolver has never been registered. As I understand the story there was nothing shady about the guy he bought it from he just needed some cash to pay bills.

What is the process for getting this registered and transferred? To complicate matters my family lives in Eastern West Virginia and I live in the Pittsburgh area.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Wiley-X]

25 years ago? What were West Virginia's laws 25 years ago. Legally, while your father is alive, you have to transfer it through an FFL. The process is that your father delivers the guns to a local FFL, you pay the FFL to do the paperwork and the PSP now has your guns in their non-existant registry.

Are you sure that your father didn't give you the gun before you moved to Pennsylvania and you brought it with you when you moved here?

[gnbrotz]

There is no "registration" in PA (and other states too), however, because this "transfer" will cross state lines, it will have to go through an FFL in the recipient's home state. He can bring the guns up here and accompany you to an FFL to complete the required paperwork, and when the background check is complete, you can legally take possession of the firearm.

If he is unwilling or unable to get to your area, he can either have an FFL in his area ship them to an FFL of your choosing, or he may ship them directly to your FFL himself via common carrier (UPS, FedEx).

[KrptcMschfMkr128]

I thought inheritance didn't need any sort of transfers? Or does it being interstate change that?

[Xringshooter]

I thought inheritance didn't need any sort of transfers? Or does it being interstate change that?

Dad has to be dead for that to happen, OP didn't say he was, in fact he said the dad was discussing the matter. Sooo, unless he was talking "from the other side", the laws pertaining to interstate transfer of guns kick in.

[tl_3237]

I thought inheritance didn't need any sort of transfers? Or does it being interstate change that?

Inhertiance doesn't need an FFL and can be interstate.

However, OP father is still alive and out of state so the transfer has to go through donee's state FFL per 18 USC 922(a)(5) as others have already stated.

[KrptcMschfMkr128]

Dad has to be dead for that to happen, OP didn't say he was, in fact he said the dad was discussing the matter. Sooo, unless he was talking "from the other side", the laws pertaining to interstate transfer of guns kick in.

Gotcha! They coulda been discussing it for after he's gone too though :P But if his dad lived in PA, they wouldn't have to transfer it?

[donm]

Gotcha! They coulda been discussing it for after he's gone too though :P But if his dad lived in PA, they wouldn't have to transfer it?

True. Within the state, you can hand the gun to a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, or grandparent and that's that. The only exception would be for NFA items; in that case I'm sure you'd need to go thru the BATFE "tax stamp" process.

[spoonltz28]

let me get this straight.
My wifes' dad passed several years ago and has a gun collection still in the house (now the wifes mother's)

Can my wife get these guns with-out any FFL involvement?
Therefore, I can CC these guns being that they belong to my wife??

And what is NFA ????

[Wiley-X]

True. Within the state, you can hand the gun to a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, or grandparent and that's that. The only exception would be for NFA items; in that case I'm sure you'd need to go thru the BATFE "tax stamp" process.

There's a process but your heirs don't need to pay the transfer tax.