an old gun

88-1175 · Jun 28, 2013

to start im 44,when I was a young man probably 11-13 yrs old a very good friend of my dads gave me a gun,a 16 guage single shot shotgun,he was in declining health and passed away a few yrs later.he had no sons,only 2 daughters.i lost contact with the family over the years.whenever I visit the town I stop by the cemetery,and say a few words,i also see his wife hasn"t died yet.a couple yrs ago I heard that the man has a grandson or grandsons,i kinda doubt they ever met their grandfather,but im not sure 100 percent.over the last few years as my health isn"t the best ive thought about trying to contact the family and give them the gun that their father gave me.ive mentioned this to a few friends,thier kinda split,some say the old guy wanted you to have it,so I should keep it.some say If I feel like giving it to a grandson that might know his grandfather it would be the best gift I could give him.so I feel I should give it back,but how do I do it,im sure the family has no idea who I am too.

Rick Kr · Jun 28, 2013

Good idea if you want to give the gun back to one of them.

First, make sure neither is a convicted felon or you will end up behind bars too.

Rick

ShadetreeRet · Jun 29, 2013

If I understand correctly, you indicate that the man's wife is still living. If so, she or her caretaker should be able to put you in touch with the children. Only problem would be, who to give it to? I guess the eldest,that's generally the way it's done. I think it would be great for the gun to be back in the family. I know how I would feel. There were only two girls in my wife's family, so I was the son my FIL never had, yet when he died, MIL gave his guns to his three nephews who lived nearby and I got nothing. (And yes, I'm still po'd).

Dick2 · Jun 29, 2013

When my Dad passed away, the only thing that I got was his Remington .22 semi-auto and his Winchester 16ga. pump. I kept them for several years and then gave them to a grand nephew so he would have his great-grandfather's guns.

He used both guns a lot, but his dad complained that 16ga. shells were hard to find sometimes.

Before to offer to give the guns away, discreetly inquire if the grandsons like or dislike guns. Don't give the gun to someone who doesn't want a gun for any reason. My son didn't want the guns so I passed them on to someone else in the family.

88-1175 · Jun 29, 2013

all good info,thanks guys.its amazing how with a little time you can find peoples names and close wearabouts and relatives too...

ericlb · Jun 29, 2013

if you contact them find out what their gun views are first, its a nice gesture ,but the man wanted you to have it, maybe he knew something you dont yet it would be a shame to see that shotgun turned over in a gun anmesty type thing because the grandson is anti gun, or trained to think "guns are bad" also you might mention to him that if he decides he doesnt want it after a time that you get it back

ss55 · Jun 29, 2013

If your intent is to thank your friend's family for their Grandfather's kindness and generosity that ment very much to you over 30 years ago, I would certainly give the gun back to the family. It may be appreciated or it may not be. Either way I wouldn't worry about it, you know if your deceased friend would be proud of you for remembering him for so long and for speaking kindly about him to his decendants.

I would not get caught up in the pro-gun, anti-gun debate, the gun will still be an unexpected windfall to the family and they can do with it as is best for them at the time. I would leave the gun with a responsible adult the same as if it were a car, a chain saw, fishing equipment, tools or a tractor.

49716 · Jun 29, 2013

don't give it to them, just let them know you have it. if there's interest, they'll come to you.

Hay hay hay · Jun 29, 2013

A 16 ga. single shot can not be worth all that much so it will not be a major financial loss to your family if you give it away to the heirs.

Question: is the $100 extra value in your estate worth more to you than the "posability" that it could become their treasured family heirloom?

Whether they like guns or not, I would pass it on to them.

3 possible outcomes.

A) You keep it and when you pass-on your estate sells it and gains $100 cash.

B) You give it to them...they don't like guns...they sell it and they gain $100.

C) You give them a family heirloom which they treasure.

At the minimal cost of $100.... I'd do C.

an old gun

88-1175

Member

Rick Kr

Well-known Member

ShadetreeRet

Well-known Member

Dick2

Well-known Member

88-1175

Member

ericlb

Well-known Member

ss55

Well-known Member

49716

Member

Hay hay hay

Well-known Member

Similar threads