If you were buying your first gun, would you buy strictly private party?

[Joe Link]

A good friend of mine has finally decided to begin collecting firearms for target practice and SHTF purposes. He's asked me for advice on whether he should buy strictly private party, as there's no record of him purchasing a firearm at this time. He will be getting his CHL, so there will be that record. Ideally, it'd be nice to not have any records, but it's difficult to find everything he'd like from a private party.

What do you guys think?

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[notazombie]

As someone who doesn't own any firearms, I'd suggest private party. You follow me?

 

[jbett98]

I would post a wanted ad on here and other sites and see what might show up, before I pay retail prices.
Plus, most used guns come with extra's.

 

[ocarolan]

Originally I started with strict private party purchases only, but eventually gave up. It's very difficult to become proficient at firearms without generating a trail. Consider all the records you have in addition to the ATF 4473:

1. Internet ammo sales
2. Catalog customer lists (Brownell's, Midway, etc)
3. Gun range membership
4. Class lists (OFA, TR, etc)
5. Credit card sales
6. NRA/OFF membership
7. Local gunsmith customer list
8. CHL (this is the biggest one, and may become publicly available in Oregon eventually)

In particular, it seems silly to (say) only buy AR15 private party, when you're buying AR15 parts on Midway and 223 rounds with your credit card. At minimum you need a friend to order ammo/accessories for you.

Lately I've talked with friends overseas who own now-banned guns and now must keep them secret. It's a sad, furtive existence - I have no desire to copy it.

 

[hatchj]

At first that's the way I thought, but big brother can see just about whatever these days. Especially if you buy online. I figure that it doesn't really matter. Private sales are legal. So I could have "sold" the firearm anyways.

 

[Spray-n-pray]

If I ever buy my first firearm, I would like to buy from a private party.

 

[hsullyc]

It's crazy how every time I buy a gun it falls out of the boat or gets lost in the woods.I probably should only buy FTF or private party to keep this from happening.

 

[Mark W.]

It makes no difference since there are homes with firearms that were purchased prior to the gun control act of 1968. If they come for our guns they will have to search every house, commercial building, barn, shed, outhouse, Rv, car, pickup, trunk, backpack etc. in order to even come close to getting 1/2 of them.

 

[mjbskwim]

Originally I started with strict private party purchases only, but eventually gave up. It's very difficult to become proficient at firearms without generating a trail. Consider all the records you have in addition to the ATF 4473:

1. Internet ammo sales
2. Catalog customer lists (Brownell's, Midway, etc)
3. Gun range membership
4. Class lists (OFA, TR, etc)
5. Credit card sales
6. NRA/OFF membership
7. Local gunsmith customer list
8. CHL (this is the biggest one, and may become publicly available in Oregon eventually)

In particular, it seems silly to (say) only buy AR15 private party, when you're buying AR15 parts on Midway and 223 rounds with your credit card. At minimum you need a friend to order ammo/accessories for you.

Lately I've talked with friends overseas who own now-banned guns and now must keep them secret. It's a sad, furtive existence - I have no desire to copy it.

Since I'm the only person I know that deals strictly with cash,this really made me laugh. Well the part about the credit card for ammo purchases.
I'll have to ask my friend who only buys private party.

I don't much care and most I have,I mean had, were from a FFL

Oh Mark, don't forget the mass excavations needed in Utah to find all that the Mormons burried

 

[Boomerang]

Originally I started with strict private party purchases only, but eventually gave up. It's very difficult to become proficient at firearms without generating a trail. Consider all the records you have in addition to the ATF 4473:

1. Internet ammo sales
2. Catalog customer lists (Brownell's, Midway, etc)
3. Gun range membership
4. Class lists (OFA, TR, etc)
5. Credit card sales
6. NRA/OFF membership
7. Local gunsmith customer list
8. CHL (this is the biggest one, and may become publicly available in Oregon eventually)

In particular, it seems silly to (say) only buy AR15 private party, when you're buying AR15 parts on Midway and 223 rounds with your credit card. At minimum you need a friend to order ammo/accessories for you.

Lately I've talked with friends overseas who own now-banned guns and now must keep them secret. It's a sad, furtive existence - I have no desire to copy it.

Hypothetically speaking:

1. Buy locally with cash
2. Read catalogs online via TOR or proxies
3. Shoot on private property or BLM land
4. No classes, get the TR DVDs, (not optimal)
5. Cash
6. No membership? (not optimal)
7. Learn your own gunsmithing? (potentially dangerous)
8. No way around this one.

Bottom line, do what you can, but don't worry about it. If you can buy some FTF, do it, but I don't see a problem with paper trails either.

The government is not some faceless organism with a life and will of its own. It is government of the People and by the People. If you don't like what's happening, get politically active and spark some change.

 

[hermannr]

The vast majority of my collection came from sources other than FFL's, and all of my weapons have been purchased used, except for a couple purchased prior to the GCA68, so even the ones I did purchase new never had any record of sale.

But, after fighting the system and doing unlicensed OC for over 25 years, I finally broke down and got my CPL so I could go to an FFL, buy what I wanted, and walk out with it.. Still used (old) guns, but no wait.

Personally, look at what you want, and then if you are going to carry or not. If you live in the boonies (I do) a CPL/CHL is no real necessity..but if you live in Portland and want to carry for your own self defence, OC or CC...get a CHL and purchase your weapons where you get what you want, at a price you want to pay, FLL or private.

I think having your CHL/CPL is a good thing, even if you OC...Ok, they have a record, but I do not believe that any government is going to confiscate anyones arms. Why do I say that? The 5th amendment, they simply would not be able to afford it.

 

[locobob]

I prefer to stay off the radar when possible but I'm not obsessive about it. Since guns are not required to be registered in Oregon and private party transfers are legal its not like the government has some master list of homes to visit for confiscation purposes. If confiscation does show up some day I will take appropriate actions to make my guns "disappear", I will not consent to any search and will exercise my right to remain silent.

If you do private party remember to be careful that the gun isn't stolen, ask to see paper work, does it have the original box, manual? make conversation about it with the seller - are you the original owner, how long have you had it, where did you buy it from, etc. I believe there is a stolen gun hotline you can call as well, never used it so not sure how it works and whether or not doing so would compromise you anonymity.

 

[accessbob]

If you do private party remember to be careful that the gun isn't stolen, ask to see paper work, does it have the original box, manual? make conversation about it with the seller - are you the original owner, how long have you had it, where did you buy it from, etc. I believe there is a stolen gun hotline you can call as well, never used it so not sure how it works and whether or not doing so would compromise you anonymity.

If you call the number you need to make sure that you can tell them exactly where the gun is currently physically located at that exact moment in time. So, basically, you need to be in the presence of it when you call. The reason is that they will come immediately if it is stolen.

 

[22many]

If your friend is planning on carrying the gun every day then I would say buy new. It sure would be a pain in the a$$ to get pulled over or use his gun in a situation only to find out it was stolen. You could always check on a used gun to see if it's stolen but kinda defeats the benefits of buying used.

 

[Hrethgir]

Thought about buying my first handgun used from a private party to stay off The List (almost 39, and never been fingerprinted!), but changed my mind and bought new from an FFL dealer. Decided the hassle of dealing with a private party for a used gun wasn't worth the small benefits, and also wanted something brand-new to start with. But yeah, if they come a knockin' to confiscate, I'm pretty sure I'll have sold it FTF or lost it hiking by then!

 

[mjbskwim]

Really we all have done as much damage to ourselves by posting in this thread as buying from an FFL.
There is as much chance of them using the FFL records,or having the money and manpower to check them all,as it is that they will come visit each and every one of us gun forum members.

 

[DuneHopper]

Right now I would look at like any thing else.

Used lawn mower 100.00
User Tent 50.00
Used 30-06 275

Any of those above new try 50% increase on the used prices and like others said they usually have extras. My used Sig came with clips, holster ammo and a sweet case.
for far less then the gun is new by its self.

 

[scottnbarbi]

I can see the government maybe limiting magazine sizes, or even limiting sales of supposedly non-hunting type rifles, but would be willing to bet that at least during my lifetime (I'm 51), people on public forums that legally own hunting rifles and handguns have nothing to worry about.

 

[Unka-Boo]

A good friend of mine has finally decided to begin collecting firearms for target practice and SHTF purposes. He's asked me for advice on whether he should buy strictly private party, as there's no record of him purchasing a firearm at this time. He will be getting his CHL, so there will be that record. Ideally, it'd be nice to not have any records, but it's difficult to find everything he'd like from a private party.

What do you guys think?

He's alive in 2012.....he is a "record". Tell him to get over it and buy what he wants.

Start with a good .22 pistol to practice with.

 

[Unka-Boo]

I can see the government maybe limiting magazine sizes, or even limiting sales of supposedly non-hunting type rifles, but would be willing to bet that at least during my lifetime (I'm 51), people on public forums that legally own hunting rifles and handguns have nothing to worry about.

Exactly the ambivalent "I don't own those" attitude that will cause your "hunting rifle" to be on the second list.

Divide and conquer....they play it well.