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First, let me state, I've been doing some research on this topic - here on NWFA and elsewhere online. And while there is an abundance of information out there, much of it is either incomplete, outdated or simply speculation by people that don't really know.

So, I'd like to ask the question again - and I'm really asking of those that have done this themselves or may actually be an attorney educated in such things.

I am looking at getting my first can sometime next year. My FFL suggested I set up my trust now, so that would be ready to go when the time comes. He recommended going through SilencerShop to do their $130 NFA Trust. Okay, that sounds good to me. So, I went to their site to check things out and found I had more questions than answers.

I asked my FFL if the NFA trust could also be used for the guns I already own, and could I add them at any time? He said yes. But when I looked on their site, it made no mention of using the trust for anything but NFA items. Some may argue that you can assume you can add the other items - well, sorry, I don't assume when it comes to legal matters - I want a straight, authoritative answer. So I emailed SilencerShop and asked them - their response?? "You should be able to" What?? It's your product, why the wishy-washy non-answer? That doesn't exactly instill me with confidence.

With that, I'm expanding my search a bit. Below are a list of questions I currently have regarding trusts - as applies to NFA firearms, non-NFA firearms and other non-firearm items. If you think you have a good answer to one or more of them, please feel free to comment.

Please note that I am an Oregon resident and am looking for Oregon specific answers. Though I have a family member in Washington state that I may add to the trust - so that can be taken into account in your responses. I want to set up a trust where I can add and remove trustees as I desire. I also would like a trust (if possible) that covers NFA items, non-NFA firearms and also, if possible, non-firearm related items like vehicles, etc.

1. Does anyone have actual experience using the SilencerShop NFA trust? Were you able to add regular, non-NFA firearms to the trust? How was the process? Would you recommend them?

2. Does a trust for NFA items specifically have to be an NFA trust? Or could a standard revocable living trust be used for NFA items. NOTE - I've found sources online that says you CANNOT use a standard revocable living trust for NFA items - if you know that to be wrong, please cite a source.

3. Does anyone have a good source for creating an NFA trust other than SilencerShop? I looked over some threads here on the site and half the info is outdated and/or the links to the sites or documents are broken - please keep that in mind before you point me back to those same threads.

I'd rather not spend hundreds of $$ on an attorney to set up the trust if I can avoid it. But if that's the safest route to go, I'll consider it.

Thanks in advance for the responses - I'm sure NWFA will help me sort this out.

Tagging @SKrueger since we were just discussing this topic.
 
First, let me state, I've been doing some research on this topic - here on NWFA and elsewhere online. And while there is an abundance of information out there, much of it is either incomplete, outdated or simply speculation by people that don't really know.

So, I'd like to ask the question again - and I'm really asking of those that have done this themselves or may actually be an attorney educated in such things.

I am looking at getting my first can sometime next year. My FFL suggested I set up my trust now, so that would be ready to go when the time comes. He recommended going through SilencerShop to do their $130 NFA Trust. Okay, that sounds good to me. So, I went to their site to check things out and found I had more questions than answers.

I asked my FFL if the NFA trust could also be used for the guns I already own, and could I add them at any time? He said yes. But when I looked on their site, it made no mention of using the trust for anything but NFA items. Some may argue that you can assume you can add the other items - well, sorry, I don't assume when it comes to legal matters - I want a straight, authoritative answer. So I emailed SilencerShop and asked them - their response?? "You should be able to" What?? It's your product, why the wishy-washy non-answer? That doesn't exactly instill me with confidence.

With that, I'm expanding my search a bit. Below are a list of questions I currently have regarding trusts - as applies to NFA firearms, non-NFA firearms and other non-firearm items. If you think you have a good answer to one or more of them, please feel free to comment.

Please note that I am an Oregon resident and am looking for Oregon specific answers. Though I have a family member in Washington state that I may add to the trust - so that can be taken into account in your responses. I want to set up a trust where I can add and remove trustees as I desire. I also would like a trust (if possible) that covers NFA items, non-NFA firearms and also, if possible, non-firearm related items like vehicles, etc.

1. Does anyone have actual experience using the SilencerShop NFA trust? Were you able to add regular, non-NFA firearms to the trust? How was the process? Would you recommend them?

2. Does a trust for NFA items specifically have to be an NFA trust? Or could a standard revocable living trust be used for NFA items. NOTE - I've found sources online that says you CANNOT use a standard revocable living trust for NFA items - if you know that to be wrong, please cite a source.

3. Does anyone have a good source for creating an NFA trust other than SilencerShop? I looked over some threads here on the site and half the info is outdated and/or the links to the sites or documents are broken - please keep that in mind before you point me back to those same threads.

I'd rather not spend hundreds of $$ on an attorney to set up the trust if I can avoid it. But if that's the safest route to go, I'll consider it.

Thanks in advance for the responses - I'm sure NWFA will help me sort this out.

Tagging @SKrueger since we were just discussing this topic.

@Oregon Quartermaster might be able to help you out etrain. He mentioned to me that he used silencerco.
 
The SilencerCo Easy Trust is for title 2 firearms only, unfortunately. That's why it's so affordable. You can, however, set up a trust that includes title 1 firearms using the legal services of your preferences, but it gets spendy, and making changes evey time a new gun comes and goes can get annoying.

For regular guns I keep a log, and mention CLEARLY in my will who gets them.

For NFA, SilencerCo's Easy Trust lived up to its name.

Another route to consider is SilencerShop. They have kiosks in many states now for buying cans, adding people to the trust that live far away from you, etc. Not free, but convenient. MK Tactical has one.

What is S.I.D?
 
I appreciate the response @Oregon Quartermaster. I was looking specifically at SilencerShop's version, but I'll take a look at SilencerCo too.

It's a bit frustrating getting different responses from different people, including FFL's, on what trust to use, what you can and can't do with them, etc. I like the idea of a trust for my guns, but I'll be darned if I'm going to pay someone a fee to change it each time I add or remove and item or person from that trust. I'm still hoping there's an option out there that lets me do that.
 
It would be nice if you could add your guns to the trust as well. It would save a large hassel for those involved if something were to happen to the person who owns them.

My biggest thing is like etrain said. I don't want to spend a bunch of money and then have to pay someone to change things as I buy or sell items. :(
 
I would spend some time and effort and try to find a very competent NFA knowledgeable trust attorney. Pay the big bucks with a phone consult one on one. Follow it up with it in writing. Then pay the big bucks setting up a CORRECT LEGAL NFA trust. It is the many things we do not know that we do not know. How much does your estate have to lose? Maybe you can wrap the whole thing up in your general estate planning. Also choose your executor very carefully. At some financial point, a family trust is a very good idea. A family corporation.

Respectfully.
 
I would spend some time and effort and try to find a very competent NFA knowledgeable trust attorney. Pay the big bucks with a phone consult one on one. Follow it up with it in writing. Then pay the big bucks setting up a CORRECT LEGAL NFA trust. It is the many things we do not know that we do not know. How much does your estate have to lose? Maybe you can wrap the whole thing up in your general estate planning. Also choose your executor very carefully. At some financial point, a family trust is a very good idea. A family corporation.

Respectfully.

I acknowledge that may be the way I have to go - and yes, I do want to set up a family trust. But if at least some of this can be done, legally, without the "big bucks", I'd like to try that route first.
 
I would spend some time and effort and try to find a very competent NFA knowledgeable trust attorney. Pay the big bucks with a phone consult one on one. Follow it up with it in writing. Then pay the big bucks setting up a CORRECT LEGAL NFA trust. It is the many things we do not know that we do not know. How much does your estate have to lose? Maybe you can wrap the whole thing up in your general estate planning. Also choose your executor very carefully. At some financial point, a family trust is a very good idea. A family corporation.

Respectfully.

I have thought about that. Here in lies the problem. I talked to two different attornies and that sh!t is expensive as all get out. I don't have the funds to do that at the moment. ;) And if I did I wouldn't buy a gun or anything for the next year or two :rolleyes:
 
3. Does anyone have a good source for creating an NFA trust other than SilencerShop? I looked over some threads here on the site and half the info is outdated and/or the links to the sites or documents are broken - please keep that in mind before you point me back to those same threads.

We used Northwest Law Group. They have three levels of NFA trust (Bronze, Silver, and Gold), with various degrees of complexity and cost. Their lowest is less than Silencer Shops. We personally went with the middle one (Silver). I found their rates reasonable. The attorney we worked with competent and responsive, both during the drafting of the document and with questions afterward. Hope that helps.
 
We used Northwest Law Group. They have three levels of NFA trust (Bronze, Silver, and Gold), with various degrees of complexity and cost. Their lowest is less than Silencer Shops. We personally went with the middle one (Silver). I found their rates reasonable. The attorney we worked with competent and responsive, both during the drafting of the document and with questions afterward. Hope that helps.

In a nutshell, what did the silver level get you above the bronze?
 
In a nutshell, what did the silver level get you above the bronze?

The "biggie" for us going with Silver was being able to list my wife as a Trustee. The Bronze was only for a single trustee. The Silver also allowed for the both Title I and II firearms, while, to my recollection, the Bronze only allowed NFA items. And there were some other smaller perks (e.g., telephone time/support with the attorney, how materials were sent, etc.).
 
The "biggie" for us going with Silver was being able to list my wife as a Trustee. The Bronze was only for a single trustee. The Silver also allowed for the both Title I and II firearms, while, to my recollection, the Bronze only allowed NFA items. And there were some other smaller perks (e.g., telephone time/support with the attorney, how materials were sent, etc.).

So to confirm you can put fire arms in your trust? Because that is something that would be very important to me. Especially for my great grandfathers that was passed down.
 
I'll give a big positive plus for Dennis Brislawn and his Northwest Law Group Trusts.
He was the one that was responsible in allowing me to inherit a FA Thompson & Mac 11 with a Bowers suppressor, instead of them all being destroyed by the ATF.
It wasn't cheap, but if my late friends widow would have listened to reason and acted within a year of his passing it only would have cost $15.00 to transfer them, instead of $15,000

Edit, she paid the $15,000 not me. I'm the only one to inherit the machine guns so the other three inheritors picked up 3/4's of that tab.
 
Last Edited:
The "biggie" for us going with Silver was being able to list my wife as a Trustee. The Bronze was only for a single trustee. The Silver also allowed for the both Title I and II firearms, while, to my recollection, the Bronze only allowed NFA items. And there were some other smaller perks (e.g., telephone time/support with the attorney, how materials were sent, etc.).

One more question, if you don't mind - are you able to add and remove firearms yourself, without having to go through them for a fee each time? How adding other trustees? More fees?
 
I took a look at the Silencerco Easy Trust - I think that may be the way to go. They did a much better job answering questions than Silencershop does on their website. They address adding trustees (yes), adding out of state trustees (yes) adding other items to the trust (yes, but not fully clear on adding non-NFA items) and they addressed what states require registration of the trust at a courthouse - Oregon does not - only needs to be notarized.

I'll probably send them a question to clarify on adding non-NFA firearms to the trust - if that's a yes, I think I'll go with them unless a better option presents itself.
 
I took a look at the Silencerco Easy Trust - I think that may be the way to go. They did a much better job answering questions than Silencershop does on their website. They address adding trustees (yes), adding out of state trustees (yes) adding other items to the trust (yes, but not fully clear on adding non-NFA items) and they addressed what states require registration of the trust at a courthouse - Oregon does not - only needs to be notarized.

I'll probably send them a question to clarify on adding non-NFA firearms to the trust - if that's a yes, I think I'll go with them unless a better option presents itself.

Look back at Oregon quartermaster's post I don't think you can add non NFA items etrain.
 

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