Old pistols

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Deerhunter

New member
I have been doing some research and not coming up with much......

My grandfather had some old pistols. I am not even sure what all he had. Not like I went digging through his stuff. Well he was just recently sent to a VA hospitol. I had told my grandmother when he was getting bad that she should not get rid of them. I am the only one in the family that shoots, so basically they were all mine once my grandfather gave them all to me or something happened to him. He had given me a few over the years. Well my grandmother had an appraiser in for some stuff and he told her that the pistols were all broke and no good. I know that is BS cause I looked several of them over a few months ago. With everything going on (putting my grandfather in the VA and my grandmother's sister passing away), she believed him and let him take them when he told her that he would take care of them for her.

Now they were nothing that is worth a ton of money. More centimental to me more than anything. Not even sure what they all were, except they were small caliber stuff.

Sorry for the long background. I am also planning to get more info this weekend on exactly how this went down.

My question is.....can he even legally take them without having paperwork done?

I am trying to find out what I can do before I get this guys info and jump down his throat for taking advantage of a 85 year old lady who knows nothing about guns.
 
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Buzzcook

New member
Get the name and number of the appraiser and contact him asap.
Send him a registered letter demanding the return of the guns. Have your grandmother contact him as well.

If this man is a certified appraiser with a legitimate business, he will comply.
 
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shurshot

New member
I would contact your local Sheriff or Police Detective...ASAP. That is fraud and elder abuse. It sure sounds like the handguns were taken under false pretense, and that he manipulated her when she was emotionaly distraught. The SOB needs to be held accountable in a Court of Law if he will not return the guns. :mad:
 
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Deerhunter

New member
I agree. I think he pulled some shaddy stuff. I am headed up this weekend so I hope to find out more of the story. I had talked to my dad who just got up from FL and told him to talk with my grandmother and let her know I would pick the pistols up this weekend. When I called later to talk with my mom she passed the message. I let her know right away that it was BS and that I looked at the pistols and they were not "broke" as the guy claimed they were. Now some had been pretty beat with cracked grips and what not but still.

I am just trying to find out other than calling him or sending him a certified letter that I can do about it. I would guess that there needs to be some sort of transfer paperwork on those pistols.

I could be wrong but since my grandfather was giving them to me I would not have had to do the same things that someone else would to take possesion of them.

I think this guy is a crook and hope that I can get the story straight when I am up there so I can confront him (email or phone call) about it. Didn't want anyone thinking I was going to his place and getting up in his face or anything like that. I just want the pistols back.

Any other advice? I appreciate it.
 
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IowaYoungGun

New member
Well here in Iowa, one who takes possession of a handgun MUST have a permit to purchase or permit to carry. I would assume it is the same in VA. I would absolutely call the local P.D. and report this person. Tell them the entire story and they will be as appalled as we all are! Good luck, and please keep us filled in.
 
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Deerhunter

New member
This actually happened in PA where I grew up. I am in Virginia now. Here you can do a private sale of a pistol with no paper work.

I am trying to figure out what the legalities are in PA. I have to wait until I get up there and find out what the whole story is. I will post back after the weekend when I know more.

Just wondering if anyone has dealt with something like this or knows all the laws in PA better than I do. I just can't imagine that this person could do this and get away with it
 
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larryf1952

New member
As I understand your story, this gentleman was merely an "appraiser". His duties were, and should have been, limited to establishing a value for your grandparents' personal property, NOT to act as a custodian for its care. To remove property from your grandparents' home and take it into his own personal custody would seem to me to be patently incorrect and improper, and would also seem to place him in a position of liability and responsibility for its safekeeping. I could be wrong, but I can't imagine that any reputable appraiser would do that.

You need to secure the return of your grandfather's property ASAP...politely and courteously, if possible...but with 100% sincerity and firmness.
 
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speedyjerry

Moderator
It's a long shot, but did he ever record them on paper? Serial Numbers, Model Numbers, if not try to make a list best you can from memory, Gun Traders Guide may be helpful to you.
 
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CajunBass

New member
Legally there is no paperwork required in Virginia to transfer a firearm in a private transaction. That does not mean you can just steal something, which is what it sounds like this fellow did.

The problem you have is going to be to establish what is missing, not to to even talk about proving someone took them. I suppose it's possible the appraiser was being upfront and thought he was doing an elderly woman a favor, but he should have left some kind of documentation.

I suppose the first step is a polite, but firm "request" for their return...see where that goes.
 
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ClayInTx

New member
Do not under estimate the power of a judge.

I personally know of:

A man willed all of his money to a university. A judge tore up the will and divided it among children with “some” going to the university.

A widow sold her husband’s year old truck to a “friend” for $800. A judge put a big hurt on the guy and got a very fair price for her with a bit of bonus, the alternative for the guy was prison for abuse and fraud.

A man didn’t like his son-in-law and cut off his daughter with a dollar in his will. A judge divided the money equally.

Talk to the local DA first.
This XXX took advantage of a distraught woman and judges don’t like that sort of thing.

Edit: Misread and said widow, not woman.
 
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Deerhunter

New member
Well I went up to PA this past weekend. I got the information of the appraiser. My grandmother told me that she didn't think I would want them. The appraiser told her that (best I got from my grandmother) at least one of them was broke. He told her we would take them and gave her $325 for the 4 pistols. My grandmother's sister also passed away around the same time. Turns out that (my dad's uncle, who passed away years ago) they had a pistol in a safe. The appraise told my grandmother that it was broke also, after he ejected several bullets out of it. Funny that it worked enough for him to unload it.

I was all set to call him and then my dad told me that I have to drop the issue. Said my grandmother had to deal with this guy again and that she needed the money. I don't see how she needs the money.

I guess all is lost at this point.

He wanted to take all the fishing poles also. I was basically told that I have to pick them all up within the next couple of weeks. There are some that are beat but I am taking them anyway, just cause this guy would give her like $5 a pole if that and then resell them. Really bothers me.
 
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Jimmy10mm

New member
What about approaching the appraiser and asking what guns he has and how much he wants for them ? It may be a bitter pill to pay for what your grandfather may have wanted you to have but the sentimental value added to the intrinsic value of the guns ought to enter into the equation. If one or more is something you'd really like to have it might be worth the $ ?
 
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RimfireChris

New member
This sucks man, I feel your pain. My best friend was supposed to inherit his Grandad's gun collection, and one of his aunts sold it out from under him. I just don't get some people. Even if you hadn't wanted the pistols, I think he screwed your Grandma. Very very effed up, I think there's a special place for these people in the afterlife. :mad:
 
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Deerhunter

New member
I may give the guy a call and see if I can buy them from him. I am just too mad about it right now. Like I mentioned before they were nothing special. I got the good stuff years ago. Springfield 1903, an old SxS 16 gauge, a 5 barrel revolver that is in a display case and a French pistol he brought back from WWII.

I had a good friend growing up, his dad took us fishing all the time (my dad wasn't into hunting or fishing). Anyway, when his dad passed away I asked him what he was doing with all his dad's guns. He said he was keeping them. I told him that if he ever wanted to sell any of them I wanted first dibs. Well a couple years later he tells me he sold something like 12 guns (shotguns, rifles, .22 pistols) for $1400. I was ****** about that one also. Then he was up at Cabelas in PA and saw 2 of the rifles in their gun library. I think he is still kicking himself about those. He got took cause he was STUPID and didn't listen to me. He just thought they were common guns that his dad had.
 
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Aguila Blanca

Staff
I would contact your local Sheriff or Police Detective...ASAP. That is fraud and elder abuse.
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Rifleman1776

New member
Call the Sheriff and get a lawyer. But, she is an adult and sold the guns to him, there may not be anything you can do. "elder abuse" is hard to define. Do we become senile and incompetent at age 50? Or 60? Or whatever.
We used to have a local deputy that used the "I'll take care of them for you so you don't get in trouble with the law." line on widows. He did that for many years and, I'm sure, made many thousands of dollars.
 
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