Bought a house, came with a handgun: how to sell it?

[Stick Pin]

Actually a friend of mine bought a house and all the contents therein (previous owner passed-away; family sold it with furniture, etc.). Anyhow, upon taking an inventory of its contents, he found a semi-auto handgun. No firing pin; no clip. Otherwise its in decent shape. Has the word Paramount on it and looks to be approximately a 9mm.

The question is this: if my friend wanted to sell the handgun as is, what would he need to do? Would he have to have the gun regis... uh, safty inspected first? What paperwork is involved in private handgun sales in such a situation?

Thanks for your help,

Stick

[goldwing2000]

Technically, you don't need a Green Card to sell a pistol. Also technically, he has either 30 or 90 days (I don't remember which) to either register it or get rid of it and still be within the law. If he can't find an individual to buy it, he may be able to get $10 from a gun shop or pawn shop (unless it's some sort of crazy-rare ultra-valuable piece).

The only risk is the chance that it's stolen. If it is, the cops will confiscate it whenever someone brings it in for registration.

In that event, chances are he won't get into any trouble if he explains the situation.

[karcent]

Attempting to sell an unregistered gun could get you in trouble.
Remember that posession of an unregistered handgun in Michigan is a State felony.
The proper way to handle this would be to take the gun to the local PD and register it in his name.
They will run the number at that point to determine wether it has been stolen. If so, he loses the gun.
After it has been register, he can legally sell it.

[Rupestris]

http://www.empirearms.com/41838.jpg
Does it look like that?
"SPANISH Model 1915 "Ruby" semiautomatic pistol (.32 ACP), mfg. by Retolaza Hermanos under the trade-name Paramount.These "Ruby" pistols were the standard sidearm of French officers during WWI, when over 700,000 were made for them by over 40 manufacturers under various trade-names. Tiny "Made in Spain" stamped on right side of frame, otherwise not import-marked."

due to age it can be sold as a C&R.
The one in the pic sold for $225

HTH
Rupe

[bluethunder]

Attempting to sell an unregistered gun could get you in trouble.
Remember that posession of an unregistered handgun in Michigan is a State felony.
The proper way to handle this would be to take the gun to the local PD and register it in his name.
They will run the number at that point to determine wether it has been stolen. If so, he loses the gun.
After it has been register, he can legally sell it.

Or,just wait for a "gun buy back" program :roll: and turn it in for some groceries or gas. No questions asked. :?

[Stick Pin]

I really appreciate the input from all of you. But, as you can see, there is conflicting information posted here. Can anyone post the actual written law or a link to it that pertains to this type of situation?

karcent wrote:
Remember that posession of an unregistered handgun in Michigan is a State felony.
The proper way to handle this would be to take the gun to the local PD and register it in his name.

Wouldn't this mean that the police could arrest you when you presented the handgun to them for registration?

Rupestris wrote:
Does it look like that?

Yes. If my memory serves me correctly, it looks exactly like that.

[karcent]

Call the MSP in Lansing. Ask for the firearms records unit.
It will be the best way for you to find the correct answer.
Do not call a local MSP Post.

This is what you get when you seek legal advice on a message board

[Jim Simmons]

Call me Monday (morning; I'm in court in the afternoon)

(586) 566-1900

[Stick Pin]

I recommended to my friend that he should just take it down to his local PD and tell them the situation; that he wants to make it legal and that he shouldn't have any problem. Then he could sell it as provided by law.

I don't think it is stolen because the old man who owned the house was a WWII Vet and I could see how he may have had an opportunity to acquire such a handgun in the course of his travels.

Thanks for the offer Jim, but I'm going to leave it at that. If he goes to his local PD as I suggested and he informs me of what happened, I'll post it here.

I had an opportunity to inspect the handgun in question relative to the pictures that Rupestris posted and it is similar but not exactly the same. My friend's is a 1914 model. It has "plastic" brownish, marble-looking grips. The slide grips are straight. The stamp on the side says "Spain" (not "Made in Spain") and it's on the opposite side than the one in the photo. Other than all the differences, it's exactly the same! :P