Here in Wash. state, all private transfers must go through an FFL dealer. If you're doing that, you're well within the law. If an investigator comes to my door about a certain weapon I've sold, I would just tell him I sold it through such and such dealer, they have all the records. Since the deal is going through a dealer, I don't usually even keep a record of the name of the buyer, that's for the dealer to do. I do keep a date of transfer, that much I might also reveal since if they go to the FFL dealer to look into it further, it will make it easier on the dealer. So I don't personally feel the need for a lawyer. Plus I'm old, don't fit many profiles that make them suspicious.
A few years ago, I got called by a PD in California about a gun I'd bought in the 1980's. I'd sold it here in Wash. in the early 1990's, hadn't seen it for decades. That was when private sales didn't have to go through an FFL. I had written down the buyer's name and PO box address out on the coast somewhere, that's all I had beyond the date. Basically, they just wanted to know if the gun had been stolen so they could add more charges to the perp they took it away from.
The sales to worry about result from a person having been tempted to disregard the requirement for private selling through an FFL. If you have any gun you've purchased through a dealer since the law went into effect, and you later let it go "without paper," that's potentially very risky. If the po-po comes around asking about such a transfer, dummy up completely. That's when you seek legal counsel. You've already broken the law, now it's time for damage control.
A few years ago, I got called by a PD in California about a gun I'd bought in the 1980's. I'd sold it here in Wash. in the early 1990's, hadn't seen it for decades. That was when private sales didn't have to go through an FFL. I had written down the buyer's name and PO box address out on the coast somewhere, that's all I had beyond the date. Basically, they just wanted to know if the gun had been stolen so they could add more charges to the perp they took it away from.
The sales to worry about result from a person having been tempted to disregard the requirement for private selling through an FFL. If you have any gun you've purchased through a dealer since the law went into effect, and you later let it go "without paper," that's potentially very risky. If the po-po comes around asking about such a transfer, dummy up completely. That's when you seek legal counsel. You've already broken the law, now it's time for damage control.
