Friend with a good sized collection passed.

[SnWnMe]

My close friend, CGNer ballistic, died yesterday.

My wife and his wife are lifelong friends and that how I met him over 20 years ago. We had a common interest and had many great times shooting matches together. My wife and I are also the godparents of their daughter.

I think I am the only friend close enough to them that his wife will trust to help her figure out what to do with his guns. She doesn't dislike guns but has no interest in them.

I will argue with her until I am blue in the face that Jim spent a lifetime putting his considerable collection together and that she should keep them until her daughter is a mature adult and then leave it to her to figure out what she wants to do (they're not hurting for money).

But in the meantime:

Are there any timelines for transferring the guns to her? (he died yesterday 12/9)

What do we do about CA legal ARs (he has a couple) or receivers?

If she decides to sell, I will definitely steer her away from carting the lot to a gun store. I will convince her to offer them here where she can get a fair price for each piece.

TIA.

[pancakes go]

i am sorry for your loss.

. let’s hope those rifles were in featureless configuration.

avoid shops that specialize in estate sales and sell them individually on here.

[hermosabeach]

Does the collection have any paperwork?

Does the collection have any RAWS? Are they single or joint registered?
1989 was the 1st RAW registration and there have been a few more along the way.

[Librarian]

Sorry to hear about his passing.

It's pretty early yet, but there are formalities: did he have a will, and if so, did it say specific things about any or all of the guns?

Since wills and probate commonly take longer than 30 days, that clock does not start until the probate or other process has moved on to the distribution of property; at that time, receivers of guns would either file OPLAW forms (immediate family) or meet with an administrator/executor to PPT if not immediate family.

[unusedusername]

Chuck Michaels' law office can help with the RAWs. There are procedures that must be followed exactly.

If you throw them a few bucks they can give you the right answers. CA is complex enough that I would go to an expert.

[edgerly779]

So far you are on right track. Help her sell privately. Maybe one of our closet lawyers will chime in on secession. They are hers as of now in any case. Any ffl will get a percentage of sale price. If you list we can send you info on pricing. Maybe she can file Ca small estate affidavit. Send a Pm to quiet or librarian.

[edgerly779]

Wow all of us responded in a few minute span of time. New record. The good guys have already posted.

[ar15barrels]

RAWs die with their owners, so they must be surrendered.

RAW's can be sold out of state or disassembled and only the receiver disposed of.
Before this is done, check to see if the RAW's were co-registered to the wife as well as that was possible.

[SnWnMe]

Does the collection have any paperwork?

Does the collection have any RAWS? Are they single or joint registered?
1989 was the 1st RAW registration and there have been a few more along the way.

He doesn't have a Roberti-Roos RAW (I often gloated to him about me having one!). Not sure what his other ARs are.

Sorry to hear about his passing.

It's pretty early yet, but there are formalities: did he have a will, and if so, did it say specific things about any or all of the guns?

Since wills and probate commonly take longer than 30 days, that clock does not start until the probate or other process has moved on to the distribution of property; at that time, receivers of guns would either file OPLAW forms (immediate family) or meet with an administrator/executor to PPT if not immediate family.

I visited him two weeks ago and there were some "paperwork" that his wife was talking about that he didn't want to sign just yet. I think he views signing documents as a sign of letting go or acceptance of the inevitable, heck he didn't even give up the combo of the safe to his wife then! I didn't pry about neither matter as I felt it wasn't polite to do so especially given the situation. Although I am sure she got a power of attorney but I don't know what that is worth if the person who granted it is dead.

Chuck Michaels' law office can help with the RAWs. There are procedures that must be followed exactly.

If you throw them a few bucks they can give you the right answers. CA is complex enough that I would go to an expert.

Thanks I was thinking that I will urge her to consult a lawyer so none of us go to jail.

[pancakes go]

RAW's can be sold out of state or disassembled and only the receiver disposed of.
Before this is done, check to see if the RAW's were co-registered to the wife as well as that was possible.

thanks for the clarification, i edited my post to reflect this.

[sass2924]

A person with no interest in guns probably does not want to take the time to conduct any PPT's, even if the friend is going to field the calls. She will need to decide whether she wants more money or less hassle or somewhere in between.

[cannon]

If she has no interest in firearms don't force/guilt her into keeping them. Money may be more important to the family than firearms. If she is looking to you for help. Then help her to do what she wants and not what you do.

Sadly if you do not want her to be taken advantage of. You may have to handle the sales on Calguns or wherever.

Been there and done that. It is extra work but what we do for our friends.

[sigstroker]

Is she allowed to inherit off-rosters? If she's going to sell those, CG is probably the best place. But to maximize prices on the rest, an auction site like gunbroker will get her better prices than just posting up a gun here.

[SnWnMe]

She will be inheriting a lot of off rosters.

I wish he sold more off last year when he was first diagnosed and given a year to live I tried my best to convince him, we even had a table at the OC County Fair gun show but it was one of those situations where he loved each and every one of them and didn't want to let too many of them go.

[norcalAF]

Sorry for your loss OP, as an alternative to convincing the wife to hang on to some for the daughter, you could be a wonderful godfather and buy the pieces you know he would have wanted passed on and give them to her down the road. Help the family and his memory in one move.