What's the deal with "buyer pays transfer fees"?

[wired]

I know its been pointed out but we do not have gun registration in either Washington or Oregon. Nothing is "registered" in your name. You have to do a background check when you buy a gun but despite the tin foil hat claims that does not put you into any registry. You do no pay to get the gun out of your name because it never was in your name. If I ship a gun out of state to a dealer in Idaho or whatever the state knows nothing about it. I do not have to account for guns I have purchased since the BG check thing came into effect. If someone else in WA gets popped with a gun that traces back to me that I bought after the BG thing started and there is no paper trail I will have some splainin' to do though.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

its the sellers discretion. i wont/havent had to comply so i dont know much about all that nonsense anyway

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

What color was the car?

#blackcarsmatter

 

[cdmontgo]

There is no (official) registry, so it isn't about getting it out of the seller's name. It is about running a background check on the buyer.

 

[samckernan]

I would also recommend remembering that this isn't registration (although some would technically call it it a form of that) but a back ground check.

It doesn't do anything to transfer, or change the weapons status with any 'owner' - As someone already pointed out, it's a check on the buyer (and fees can vary) if the check fails, they can't sell the gun to them and now they're down whatever the fee was.

I would suggest it's probably never a good idea for the seller to cover the BGC, too much risk of losing money.

In WA a complete record of the transaction goes to the WA DOL. Defacto registration. In time the State Government will know where every firearm is at, and they'll be able to gather them up... Anyone that says otherwise is delusional.

 

[wired]

I am delusional. That is not defacto registration. Registration is when you must register your firearms. Anything you bought private party before the BG debacle, anything you brought in from out of state, anything you inherited, etc. None of that is "registered". Probably the majority of the guns in the state are not in whatever database ( file cabinets, document boxes ) the state keeps those transfer records in. Doesnt make for a very efficient registration plan does it?

 

[samckernan]

I am delusional. That is not defacto registration. Registration is when you must register your firearms. Anything you bought private party before the BG debacle, anything you brought in from out of state, anything you inherited, etc. None of that is "registered". Probably the majority of the guns in the state are not in whatever database ( file cabinets, document boxes ) the state keeps those transfer records in. Doesnt make for a very efficient registration plan does it?

Every sale going forward in WA will be recorded by the State. Purchasers Name, Address, Firearm Model, and Serial Number etc... That's why I said "In Time" they will know where they are. During Katrina the feds knew right where to go to collect the firearms.

I understand no records pre I-594, don't buy anything after that, if (when) the government come for that one, you can be sure they'll be looking for any and all the others...

 

[Cardoff]

I am delusional. That is not defacto registration. Registration is when you must register your firearms. Anything you bought private party before the BG debacle, anything you brought in from out of state, anything you inherited, etc. None of that is "registered". Probably the majority of the guns in the state are not in whatever database ( file cabinets, document boxes ) the state keeps those transfer records in. Doesnt make for a very efficient registration plan does it?

At what point did we start thinking that what the government does makes sense or is efficient? The government fried single mothers over their kids downloading from Napster back in the late 90s. None of that was on an official registry.

 

[Cardoff]

Every sale going forward in WA will be recorded by the State. Purchasers Name, Address, Firearm Model, and Serial Number etc... That's why I said "In Time" they will know where they are. During Katrina the feds knew right where to go to collect the firearms.

I understand no records pre I-594, don't buy anything after that, if (when) the government come for that one, you can be sure they'll be looking for any and all the others...

Separate safes?

Every sale going forward in WA will be recorded by the State. Purchasers Name, Address, Firearm Model, and Serial Number etc... That's why I said "In Time" they will know where they are. During Katrina the feds knew right where to go to collect the firearms.

I understand no records pre I-594, don't buy anything after that, if (when) the government come for that one, you can be sure they'll be looking for any and all the others...

 

[Koda]

if the background check is not a registration...
Then what is the make, model, and serial number part of the "background" check for?

 

[wired]

That information goes on the 4473 and filed in the dealers files/books. Later on they either send them into the ATF if they go out of business where they go into the Indiana Jones warehouse or they destroy them after a number of years. When the dealer calls in for a background check to NICS he doesnt give them the make, model or serial number. He just gives them they type of firearm. i.e. rifle, pistol etc.

 

[Koda]

in my book the buyer pays the background check.

but in reality it complicates the sale and can possibly mean I wont get the true used value out of the sale. Say if I bought a gun for $500 new and barely shot it, never carried it. If I asked $400 that would be a great deal since its in mint condition, but if the background check cost $50 they why would anyone take the risk on a used gun when they can buy it new for $50 more?

 

[Cardoff]

G

That information goes on the 4473 and filed in the dealers files/books. Later on they either send them into the ATF if they go out of business where they go into the Indiana Jones warehouse or they destroy them after a number of years. When the dealer calls in for a background check to NICS he doesnt give them the make, model or serial number. He just gives them they type of firearm. i.e. rifle, pistol etc.

Guess I'm just a skeptic. Kinda still feel like the owner would want it "out of their name". If not, what's all the concern about the new background check on private sales law? If it's just a formality, why don't we all just see it as a tax? Cause it's not?

 

[Koda]

That information goes on the 4473 and filed in the dealers files/books.

in Oregon it also goes to the Oregon State Police.

 

[cdmontgo]

in Oregon it also goes to the Oregon State Police.

I'm in Oregon, and where I am, it goes to the county sheriff's dept.

 

[Koda]

G

Guess I'm just a skeptic. Kinda still feel like the owner would want it "out of their name". If not, what's all the concern about the new background check on private sales law? If it's just a formality, why don't we all just see it as a tax? Cause it's not?

Its not a tax because the fee stays with the dealer for his profit. The owner definitely wants it out of their name because the only way a "background check" works is if it can be proven it was done and the only way to prove the background check was done is with a registration.

 

[Cardoff]

Its not a tax because the fee stays with the dealer for his profit. The owner definitely wants it out of their name because the only way a "background check" works is if it can be proven it was done and the only way to prove the background check was done is with a registration.

Kinda what I was thinking.

 

[Koda]

I'm in Oregon, and where I am, it goes to the county sheriff's dept.

In Oregon the dealer calls the OSP not the county sheriff.... for the FICS background check, which includes the make, model, and serial number. If I recall correctly this satisfies the NICS (federal) requirement for the background check but the ATF still gets sent a hard copy of the 4473

 

[cdmontgo]

In Oregon the dealer calls the OSP not the county sheriff.... for the FICS background check, which includes the make, model, and serial number. If I recall correctly this satisfies the NICS (federal) requirement for the background check but the ATF still gets sent a hard copy of the 4473

I could have swore it was handled by the county here, but I just checked the paperwork from my most recent purchase, and you are correct. It went through the OSP. My mistake.

 

[Koda]

Well the gun laws are so convoluted I often lost track or get confused keeping up. Whats interesting is the NICS (federal) check doesn't require the make, model, and serial number while the state does.... but if you got a wrong denial you'd be better off dealing with the state to get that fixed.

The OSP keeps the records up to 5 years by law, but there is no law that says they must destroy those records afterwards. The dealer has to keep a copy of your 4473 for at least 20 years.

So there is a registration and you don't want to sell one that's in your name without a background check on the buyer.