Inherited firearms are an interesting topic of law in Missouri. Inherited firearms do not have to be registered. In Missouri, private firearm transfers do not require registration, and if the transfer is taking place because someone has died and they’ve left their guns to you, there’s no reason you have to go and register those guns.
Now, another question is whether you have to register a gun that comes from out-of-state. Let’s say you have a family member who dies in another state and they wish to transfer those guns to you or they left those guns to you in their will. Can they do that? Absolutely. Now, normally, if you were purchasing a firearm from another state, that gun would have to go through an FFL dealer. Is that the case when someone dies and they leave their guns to you? Actually, it’s not. The personal representative who is carrying out the wishes of the deceased can transfer that gun to you without doing so through an FFL.
What if you’re ineligible to possess a firearm? If you’re ineligible to possess a firearm, don’t take any chances. If you inherit a gun, but you’re ineligible, due to a prior felony, for instance, and you can’t possess a firearm, don’t take possession of the gun. You can give that gun to someone else before it comes to you. I suggest contacting the personal representative of the will or the trustee of the trust, letting them know that you do not want that property, and you want it to be given to someone else. Then you can make arrangements for the transfer of that firearm to someone else and not to you.
An interesting topic in the field of inheriting firearms is antique guns. What if you inherit an antique firearm? Well, if the firearm is truly an antique, then the rules we’ve talked about don’t apply. In fact, it’s not considered a gun for legal purposes; if the ammunition for that gun is not currently manufactured or in the regular channels of commerce, it’s not available, then you don’t have to worry about that. An antique gun is not considered a gun for legal purposes.
If you have any questions, please call U.S. LawShield today and ask to speak to an Independent Program Attorney.
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