Legal question - temporary sell of a gun

[Maverick44]

Here's a bit of an unusual question. What is the legality of temporarily selling a gun to someone with the intent of eventually getting it back?

Specifically, is it legal for someone from one free state to sell a gun to a resident of a different free state for $1 (it will go through an FFL) for the purpose of doing some custom work on the grips (it's a revolver, and the grips will be perfectly matched to the gun's frame). Once finished, the gun will then be sold back to the original owner for the same amount it was sold for ($1) and sent back via their FFL. No profit will be made from the buying and selling of the gun itself, only the work on the grips.

It's an odd arrangement, but is it legal?

 

[Dawico]

Why would you bother with selling it? Why not just send it (through FFL) and they send it back?

 

[Dawico]

It is legal but pointless.

 

[Maverick44]

If he can just send it to my FFL, and if I can just send it back when I'm done, that would be great. Just making sure I didn't cross any legal lines.

 

[TexasRedneck]

He's going to do a 4473, then return it on a 4473. Sounds to me like someone's trying to do a "work-around" for having an FFL while doing work on a firearm. Good way to end up in Club Fed if the ATF hears of it and decides to act.

 

[Dawico]

He's going to do a 4473, then return it on a 4473. Sounds to me like someone's trying to do a "work-around" for having an FFL while doing work on a firearm. Good way to end up in Club Fed if the ATF hears of it and decides to act.

So even somebody receiving a firearm to make grips for it has to have an FFL? I guess you nailed it then if that is true.

 

[TxStetson]

If you're sending through FFL's anyway, why even mess with selling it and buying it back?

 

[boomgoesthedynamite]

If it is a friend and you are not doing it as a business, it sounds like it is a loan of a firearm. That looks like an exception to all of the rules and regs (except for the transfer across state lines). Is there a way to make a mold of the frame that would work for making grips? I am thinking like the dentist uses to make a mold for braces...

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[TexasRedneck]

So even somebody receiving a firearm to make grips for it has to have an FFL? I guess you nailed it then if that is true.

Yes, sir - you can confirm via the ATF website. Even an engraver is required to have one - if you retain a registered firearm (meaning the part that contains the serial number) overnight, or without the owner being physically present - you best have an appropriate FFL. The ATF site can give you more specifics, but that's the gist of it.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Sorry....double-post.....

 

[oohrah]

Is it legal to disassemble, and just send the frame directly, w/o an FFL?

 

[Kar98]

The frame or grip piece or receiver, and recently the fire control unit, depending on the design of the gun, is the registered gun for all legal purposes. You can send the slide, barrel, grip plates through the mail as if it was cup cakes, but not "the gun".

 

[Army 1911]

If you have your FFL for grip making/gunsmithing, you could bypass other ffls and send it directly back to the customer. And he to you.

 

[Maverick44]

Whelp, I kind of figured this would be the case. I think we've figured out a way to get a good fit on the grips without having the gun sent to me, so that worked out. It's kind of retarded that I can't just have it sent to my local FFL and pick it up though. Maybe someday we can do away with some of these idiotic laws.