Posted: 7/18/2005 4:14:41 AM EDT
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I am going to be trading firearms through a FTF for the first time and have some questions? This trade is a shotgun + cash for a rifle. 1. Should I ask for the ID of the guy I am trading with? – I am thinking no, neither of these guns would be likely to be used in a crime and Hillary might be president someday (to the JTBs at the door: I don’t have that gun anymore, I sold it to this guy named John). Is there any law you have to record ID info, this is in FL? 2. I was thinking about meeting at a public place (I have talked to the guy on the phone and email) but just want to be careful), however this makes it hard to look the guns over without attracting undo attention, what have people done about this? 3. Is there any other thing I should know about doing a FTF transfer? |
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No requirement to look at ID, or record anything in a FTF transaction in FL. You may want to jot down the SN/info on the weapon to keep at home if you like, but if you are going to ask for ID and ask for someone to sign a bill of sale etc, then there is no reason for a private sale(FTF). If you want to go through all that hassle, then it defeats the purpose of a private sale. If someone asked me for ID politely, I may show it to them, but if they wanted to jot down my personal info or sign something then I'd tell them to take a walk. I'd just as soon use my local FFL and pay the few extra bucks for a brand new weapon. If you don't trust doing a FTF with someone, then don't even try it. I've done a few FTF transactions on both ends(buyer/seller)and I never asked anyone for ID, and no one ever asked for mine. Then again, I won't sell my weapons to any guy on the street. I picked up a Preban Lower in NY before the Fed ban expired. The guy was a member here and drove out of his way to meet me at my shop. He was very polite, a real gentleman, and never asked for my ID, but he offered his. Of course I said no thanks. The ransaction went well and we both slept good that night. |
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The only time I have asked for a driver's license on a face to face is if I had a doubt as to wheteher the buyer was a resident of my state. I have never recorded any information. This saved me from selling a pistol to an out of state resident at a gun show once. |
| As oneshot1kill said. I would add only this - you technically have an obligation to sight the ID of the person to whom you are giving the weapon. You need to be sure Federally that the person is a resident of your state. There are no other requirements in FL. I would jot down the S/N of the gun, and without any drama get a look at any identifying info on the guy, such as tag number or anything of his ID you can remember and jot that down later. Just in case he sells it irrresponsibly and BATF is at your door on a legitimate trace. You can say a little more than "I sold it to some guy". |
Correct. That's the "Contiguous state" rule. Takes a licensed dealer (as in your case) as a seller. Private is illegal. As a technicality, the language in the GCA which controls the "interstate transfer" , says the law covers someone "engaged in the business of" selling firearms. So, it would seem that a private individual could do it. If caught, as we all know, the law is what the cop/agent says it is. In your case, the purchase of a long gun from a dealer in a contiguous state, with 4473 was the correct course. |
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I would make out a pair of receipts for each gun, one for him to take and one for you to take, with serial numbers and model information. Both of you would sign each receipt. In the event that a gun I purchased is found to be a stolen item, it can help link back to who stole it, eventually. In the event that a gun I sold got used in a crime, it could help track down the criminal. I don't think anyone I've bought from or sold to would be involved in criminal activity, but someone further up or down the chain might have been, or be some day. In one case, I was able to send a guy a box that went with a gun he bought, and in another I was able to contact the buyer about some high-capacity magazines that went with it (during the ban). I've never had anyone refuse, and I started doing this after several people wanted me to do it. Part of keeping our freedoms is engaging in responsible behavior, and I think this falls under that category. Remember, guns are eternal; we are merely their temporary custodians. 
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