Internet Gun Sales can make you PARANOID!

I sold a gun on the Internet.  It wasn't a Big Mistake, but in case you didn't know ... those second thoughts can drive you crazy.

A couple of years ago I decided that my Ruger Convertible Six was subject to rust in my gun safe.  I hadn't shot it in years; I just kept it around because it was such a sweet revolver.  But I had no use for it.

So on one of my blog posts I mentioned that I would let it go to a good home, and for a decent price.   I don't remember exactly what the asking price, but I think it was around $85.

Months later I got an email from a guy in Florida who was interested.  That's about as far away from Oregon as you can get, and still be within the contiguous United States.

As I recall, the buyer was in what is now called "Miami-Dade" County.  We exchanged a few emails, and I learned that he was a deputy sheriff.

So he sent me his check, and the address of the gun shop which would receive the pistol.  I checked it out; it was a legitimate gun shop in the area.  I emailed the shop, and they said they had already been notified by the purchaser to provide the necessary transfer process .. including the NICS check.

I cashed the check, boxed up the revolver, and sent it to the gun shop.

Then I got nervous.   Because of exactly the question asked here:




The Clue Meter: Magical Thinking:

 I wanna know where you can buy a gun on the internet that all existing laws are null and void.

So, just to calm my jitters, I emailed the applicable Sheriff office and asked for verification of employment.  I know, the gun shop verification should have been enough, but I just wanted to know if the purchaser was who he represented himself to be.  And yes, I know that  if I was all that uncomfortable with the internet sale, I should have done all of this BEFORE I shipped the gun.

I talked to a lady who was apparently a clerk, and that wasn't quite enough.  It was a shock when I ALSO received a reply from the county sheriff.

And it was embarrassing when he said that, in response to my email, he actually called his deputy (the purchaser) in to discuss the transaction.  The sheriff confirmed that the purchaser was a deputy, and a trusted employee of the office.  Seems that the deputy wanted the convertible-6 revolver to teach his nephews to shoot pistols.

The sheriff didn't seem to mind that my paranoid concerns had caused him to take time out of his busy work day to allay my concerns.  I was grateful for his patience, and that he didn't object to my amateurish 'follow-up' procedure.

A few weeks later, I got another email from the deputy.  He said that his nephews were enjoying their range-time with the new pistol,  and that pretty soon they would be ready to start shooting it with the .22 Magnum ammunition after becoming comfortable using the default .22 LR ammunition.  In fact, he was looking forward to watching them learn the difference between 'soft' and 'hard' loads (my words, not his).

By now, I've decided that I've pursued all the "Due Diligence" obligations which internet gun sales implies, but I'm still uncomfortable that there are no readily available, clear-cut guidelines which delineate the seller obligations.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have sent those emails out BEFORE I shipped the revolver.

But that won't ever happen again.  I was obviously relying too much on the gun-store doing the NICS check; I should have investigated the purchaser more thoroughly than I did:

When you rely on someone else to "do the right thing", you end up doing more worrying about the legality of the transaction, than being glad that the gun is in the hands of someone who will appreciate it.

There are a couple of lessons here, not the least of which is to be sure (if you are the seller) that you have vetted the purchaser to your satisfaction BEFORE you ship the gun.

For me, the lesson is ... don't sell guns online.  It worked out well for me, eventually.  Still, I had a few 'bad days' when I wasn't sure that I had done everything that I needed to do.

If you are thinking about selling a gun online, I hope you can be more responsible about checking the purchaser than I was.  Don't be satisfied with first-level checks (ie: confirming the receiver ... the licensed dealer to whom you are shipping the gun).  Check employment by looking up the employer on the Internet, as a minimum, and contact them personally (by phone) to confirm the identity of the purchaser.

It'll make you less paranoid.

Well, okay, I'm still paranoid; but at least I'm no longer worrying about the transfer.