Lets get a straight transfer answer.....

[ErikTheRed]

Ok, on the topic of buying handguns private party, hypothetical situations---

1. Say you want to buy a pistol PPT from a fellow CalGunner. You live 250 miles away from the seller. What are the options? To my knowledge, they are these:

a. Drive the 250 miles, meet seller at FFL, do DROS, drive home, wait 10 days, drive the 250 miles again to retrieve gun. 1000 miles on the odometer when this is done.

b. Seller takes gun to FFL, pays FFL to ship to buyer's FFL, buyer's FFL charges fee to recieve gun from seller's FFL, then buyer does DROS and waits 10 days.

Is there another option? Is there any way to initiate the DROS/transfer by phone, fax, or e-mail, so that the buyer only has to drive the 250 miles once? How is the shipping between FFL's typically handled? Can a private party seller ship directly from his home to an FFL?

For the record, I think I already know the answers to most of this. But having spoken with several CalGuns members regarding PPT gun sales, the whole PPT/FFL transfer/sales/shipping mess gets rather perplexing. So please, if you're "in the know", share your knowledge.

Thanks!

[leelaw]

Option A and B are valid for handguns which are on the roster.

Another option for an on-roster handgun is that the seller ships it direct to your FFL.

f the handgun is not on the roster, you're stuck with option A, for now.

There is no legal way a regular person to show up at the FFL only once to do the transfer. The FFL must have the purchaser come in and fill out the 4473 in their shop, and have their identity verified then. You can't call it in.

[CALI-gula]

Yes. There is another way to save a trip.

c) Buyer PPTs with seller by utilizing a "gun show" going dealer, or buys a consigned gun from a "gun show" traveling dealer, at far distance from the buyer's locale (say the buyer lives in Redondo Beach). The dealer then takes the gun with him when he travels from Northern California (like Penryn, say Sportman's Access) and goes to the Costa Mesa, Del Mar, or Glendale gun shows, where he would normally be for his gun show rounds of business anyway - buyer picks up the gun at the gun show, pending it is after the 10 day wait but before 30 days of DROS is up.

One trip only for the buyer, and it still serves as buying and picking up the gun in person, and ALSO works for the PPT or consignment requirements as well.

.

[Miltiades]

One good thing

I have bought quite a few handguns through private party transfer and have complained to myself about the arduous CA process for doing this, involving lots of driving, waiting and fees in option A above. Option B eliminates some driving but involves even more fees and can't be used unless the gun is on the "list".

So in trying to be an optimist and think of something good about this from the buyer's standpoint, I came up with this - your competition from others to buy the gun tends to be limited to local people only. This helps the buyer by artificially limiting the seller's market radius to maybe 20 miles or so, if he wants a fast, face to face sale with the cash in his hand before he releases his gun.

Sometimes when you see a gun you want in your own locale, there will be few if any other bidders for that specific gun. I know it isn't much, but it is something.

[Californio]

Someone should sue the State on Environmental grounds. "A" is the only option I have found for PPT of non-rostered handguns and I don't know how many 1000's of miles I have driven to buy revolvers. For a State that beats the drum on Global Warming, I would think the case would have merit, we can't have laws that in themselves lead to global warming, can we.

[elrcastor]

D) agree on a place with the seller somehere inbetween your place and his

hopefully less than 250 mi

[Vin496]

D) agree on a place with the seller somehere inbetween your place and his

hopefully less than 250 mi

I've done this on a "long range" sales.

Remember that for option B(if gun ins on the roster), the FFL is is free to charge whatever he wants since this is no longer a PPT.

Why do you think the FS forum is filled with, "If you were only in SoCal/NorCal" comments. The process in California blows to the nth degree.

[happy_gunner]

How about offer the seller money for gas round trip(roughly $50-$70) so he/she w/ their family or frds can go to your city for a day trip if they want, save them the gas money and save you the drive???

[bill104]

How about offer the seller money for gas round trip(roughly $50-$70) so he/she w/ their family or frds can go to your city for a day trip if they want, save them the gas money and save you the drive???

My toughts aswell, I had a deal to buy a upper in san diego,(i'm in sac) understanding no dealer needed to be involed, but still used it as a way to get out of town a few days and see some things I never seen, (san Diego zoo)

[ErikTheRed]

How about offer the seller money for gas round trip(roughly $50-$70) so he/she w/ their family or frds can go to your city for a day trip if they want, save them the gas money and save you the drive???

Good idea, except that it adds even more expense to the transaction. It doesn't take very long for a "good deal" to become a total bust because of fees and transportation costs. Kalifornia politics sucks dirty butt.

[Rudolf the Red]

Good idea, except that it adds even more expense to the transaction. It doesn't take very long for a "good deal" to become a total bust because of fees and transportation costs. Kalifornia politics sucks dirty butt.

A "good deal" is subjective. If it works for you, do it.