how to transfer title to a gun question.

[glenn57]

i recieved a gun from a friend who won it a couple years ago at a banquet. he gave it to me for my grandson some day and would like it in my name or not in his name anymore. can anyone tell me how to go about this????

[bowhunterbrian]

Have the person who gave you the gun mail himself a letter with a copy of your DL, Serial number and type of gun it is, you both should sign and date it. He should not open ever open the letter. The reason that he should mail it to himself is because when it goes through a federal building (post office) it is a legit document for dating purposes.

[reelguy]

There is no official "registration" of shotguns in MN. The only documentation is through dealers. The gun should be in his name, but there is nothing to get it out of his name unless it goes through another dealer. To be more legit, just make a "receipt of sale" or gift in this case. Just put something to the effect of...

"I Jon Doe hereby gift this 12ga Remington Shotgun, serial number 1234, to Jim Doe. I, Jim Doe will hold Jon Doe harmless for any future uses of this shotgun."

Have it notarized and both sign and date it. You both keep a copy and you should be good. I think it is better than mailing it. Anyone could mail anything to themselves and make anything up.

***I am not an attorney or should this be condsidered official legal advice. Just friendly advice.

[FishingWebGuy]

i recieved a gun from a friend who won it a couple years ago at a banquet. he gave it to me for my grandson some day and would like it in my name or not in his name anymore. can anyone tell me how to go about this????

You would do it the same way you would for a pencil or hammer or anything else that is never registered to an owner.

We don't have firearms registration in Minnesota. If a firearm is purchased through an FFL, there is a record of last sale but that is it. It in no way means that someone still owns that firearm.

If you are transferring a pistol or semi-automatic style "assault weapon", you need to verify that they have a permit to carry or permit to purchase and that is it.

Hope that helps, if you are ever board you can review Minnesota Statute 624.7132 for more info.

[96trigger]

I would go to an FFL, pay the guy to to the background check so he has a record of sale, maybe some peace of mind and call it good, otherwise, any purchase agreement signed by both of you should be good enough. As long as he has that, he should be clear. But they are all right, there is no title transfer for guns.

[glenn57]

thanks for all your input. ithink i will do what reelguy said and right something up. i will coninue to follow this in case new and improved ideas come along. again thanks. good ideas.

[KG243]

If you are transferring a pistol or semi-automatic style "assault weapon", you need to verify that they have a permit to carry or permit to purchase and that is it.

Hope that helps, if you are ever board you can review Minnesota Statute 624.7132 for more info.

[Tom7227]

As the buyer you have no responsiblity so long as you are fairly certain the gun is not stolen. See Minn. Stat. §609.52. The seller should attempt to know whether or not the buyer is prohibited from possessing a firearm and that you're not intending to commit a felony with the gun. Failure to do so when selling a pistol or a assault weapon can creat problems for the seller.

624.7132 only applies to pistols and assault weapons.

If I were selling to you I would ask for picture ID and record the data, list the make, model and serial number of the firearm, date it and require that you sign it. If you looked like a crook, a doper or a doofus I wouldn't sell it to you.

As stated there is no registration of firearms in Minn. The purchases made through a licensed firearms dealer are recorded and could be used by law enforcment when trying to trace a crime gun.

The statements above that you have limited problems when selling a pistol or assault weapon are incorrect. Review Minn. Stat. §609.66, all sections of §624.7132, §624.7141 and §609.52. There are concurring federal requirements for some of these statutes. If I were transfering a pistol or a assault weapon I would make the transaction through an FFL at the buyers expense.

The problem with relying solely on a permit to carry or purchase is first of all you cannot verify that it is valid as that data is not public. Secondly, since the permit was issued the holder could have become ineligible but not yet had the permit revoked or hasn't complied with a revocation order.

[FishingWebGuy]

You don't have to do any verification with pistols or assault rifles. You can sell them private party, not saying I would do that but it can be done.

[Tom7227]

FishingWebGuy That's not enough - see my post above yours. Tom

[FishingWebGuy]

FishingWebGuy That's not enough - see my post above yours. Tom

Ok, now we are off topic because the OP is the recipient and is not selling a pistol or semi-auto assault weapon.

I agree, running through an FFL would be the best way to cover your liability but I still don't read the law to say that it is required.