WTK what are your rules/fees regarding storage

[Gowking]

I'm wondering what kind of fee schedule and rules other FFL's have regarding firearms that are stored for a period of time. For example if a customer brings in a firearm they want to transfer but can't find a buyer for months what would your solution to that be? Do you charge a consignment fee and charge the buyer a transfer fee?

Being home based I don't offer consignment services per se because I don't have a constant flow of customers who would be looking for something like that. I have this one guy that has had several rifles in my safe while he tries to sell them through the local classifieds.

Last year before moving I had a couple of his rifles for months on end. Basically when I closed down prior to the move I had to drop them off at another FFL and didn't get anything out of it. Now that I'm up and running at the new location I want to formalize some rules and fees to cover this type of situation.

-MRA

[ugimports]

I'm wondering what kind of fee schedule and rules other FFL's have regarding firearms that are stored for a period of time. For example if a customer brings in a firearm they want to transfer but can't find a buyer for months what would your solution to that be? Do you charge a consignment fee and charge the buyer a transfer fee?

I have space in my safe so don't charge. I don't have any flow of customers to my shop (not home based), but I make the effort to advertise the firearms to earn my consignment fee. I wouldn't store any firearms if they were not on consignment with me. Likewise, if they purchased firearms from me and haven't come to pick them up I don't charge storage fees either.

If this ever became a space problem my rules may change, but it hasn't been an issue to date.

I wouldn't store the firearms if all I was going to earn was $10 from the PPT when that guy finds the sellers.

Hell if they in your safe you should be advertising them here on calguns to try and unload them.

I also post used stuff on gunbroker and gunaction.com

[sfhondapilot]

My FFL will charge me $5 / month if I have a inventory of guns awaiting DROS. I think that is reasonable.

edit: oh, and that is $5 per month per gun. They don't charge for any gun currently under the 10-day DROS hold.

[kemasa]

You need to decide that it is worth it to you in order to store the firearms. You can make it high enough to convince the person to not store the firearm or make it low enough that they don't care and leave them forever.

Another option is to not charge for storage unless it is left over a certain period of time, which is what I do. Anything over 30 days I can charge storage for, going back to day one, unless it is arranged in advance.

The bottom line question is whether you want to be a storage facility or not. Personally, I do not want to be a storage facility and will only hold firearms for a reason, such as the one gun per month.

[GunsAndAmmoGirl]

You need to decide that it is worth it to you in order to store the firearms. You can make it high enough to convince the person to not store the firearm or make it low enough that they don't care and leave them forever.

Another option is to not charge for storage unless it is left over a certain period of time, which is what I do. Anything over 30 days I can charge storage for, going back to day one, unless it is arranged in advance.

The bottom line question is whether you want to be a storage facility or not. Personally, I do not want to be a storage facility and will only hold firearms for a reason, such as the one gun per month.

Kemasa, How much do you charge, what is reasonable? I have a handgun here since March. It was a denied PPT from a gunshow and I cannot locate the seller via telephone and he doesn't respond to mailed letters. Thanks!

[kemasa]

It does not really have to be reasonable since the point is to convince the person to avoid the charges. I charge $10/day for any firearms left over 30 days without prior approval, starting from day 1, but there is no charge at all if it is picked up within 30 days. More reasonable rates are available when it is planned in advance.

The other policy you need is an abandon firearm policy. I consider any firearm left over 45 days without prior approval to be abandon.

Both of these are on a policy form which the customer initials each item and signs at the bottom, so that can't say that they were not aware of the policy. The point is not to get the money or the firearm, but instead convince the person to do the right thing.

With respect to the PPT, you need to consider the law involved when the buyer is denied. It needs to be returned to the seller and if that is not possible, it has to be turned over to LE. I would have to look at the CA PC, but I suspect by now you need to turn it over to the local LE.

The old CA PC was 12082:

12082. (a) A person shall complete any sale, loan, or transfer of a
firearm through a person licensed pursuant to Section 12071 in
accordance with this section in order to comply with subdivision (d)
of Section 12072. The seller or transferor or the person loaning the
firearm shall deliver the firearm to the dealer who shall retain
possession of that firearm. The dealer shall then deliver the
firearm to the purchaser or transferee or the person being loaned the
firearm, if it is not prohibited, in accordance with subdivision (c)
of Section 12072. If the dealer cannot legally deliver the firearm
to the purchaser or transferee or the person being loaned the
firearm, the dealer shall forthwith, without waiting for the
conclusion of the waiting period described in Sections 12071 and
12072, return the firearm to the transferor or seller or the person
loaning the firearm. The dealer shall not return the firearm to the
seller or transferor or the person loaning the firearm when to do so
would constitute a violation of subdivision (a) of Section 12072. If
the dealer cannot legally return the firearm to the transferor or
seller or the person loaning the firearm, then the dealer shall
forthwith deliver the firearm to the sheriff of the county or the
chief of police or other head of a municipal police department of any
city or city and county who shall then dispose of the firearm in the
manner provided by Sections 12028 and 12032.
...
(d) A violation of this section by a dealer is a misdemeanor

[mrdd]

The new code is:

28050. (a) A person shall complete any sale, loan, or transfer of a firearm through a person licensed pursuant to Sections 26700 to 26915, inclusive, in accordance with this chapter in order to comply with Section 27545.

(b) The seller or transferor or the person loaning the firearm shall deliver the firearm to the dealer who shall retain possession of that firearm.

(c) The dealer shall then deliver the firearm to the purchaser or transferee or the person being loaned the firearm, if it is not prohibited, in accordance with Section 27540.

(d) If the dealer cannot legally deliver the firearm to the purchaser or transferee or the person being loaned the firearm, the dealer shall forthwith, without waiting for the conclusion of the waiting period described in Sections 26815 and 27540, return the firearm to the transferor or seller or the person loaning the firearm. The dealer shall not return the firearm to the seller or transferor or the person loaning the firearm when to do so would constitute a violation of Section 27500, 27505, 27515, 27520, 27525, 27530, or 27535. If the dealer cannot legally return the firearm to the transferor or seller or the person loaning the firearm, then the dealer shall forthwith deliver the firearm to the sheriff of the county or the chief of police or other head of a municipal police department of any city or city and county, who shall then dispose of the firearm in the manner provided by Sections 18000, 18005, and 34000.

I think the operative term is "legally". If the FFL cannot locate the transferor, that would not seem to be a legal impediment.