What To Do With Unclaimed Guns?

[Double J]

What happens to the unclaimed guns that a gunsmith has worked on? Is there a point where the smith should sell a customer's gun to cover the labor and parts? Should the gun be destroyed or what? What is the proper way to deal with these unclaimed guns?

 

[JuanCarlos]

Well, I'd say the proper way to deal with them is to sell them to cover labor and parts for the smith, just like anything else. As to when, hopefully it would be after a period of time agreed upon before the work was done (preferably in writing). The only special consideration is that obviously thorough documentation should be kept (and forwarded to the customer) in states where registration is required. And obviously I'd say it's common courtesy to make a good faith effort to contact the customer before you sell it.

But that's just me. Haven't had any worked on, so I have no idea how it actually works.

 

[357WheelGun]

I would imagine that it is something like my experiences with camera repair shops. If I drop off a camera or lens to be repaired, there is a notice on the receipt that says any item left unclaimed for more than 90 days after the completion of repair becomes the property of the repair shop.

That seems fair to me. After all a repair shop isn't a storage unit and they can't just have an item there for years on end. The abandoned items, if they were fixable, usually get sold in the shop's used section. If the item was beyond repair, they just throw it out.

 

[toybox99615]

State laws

many states have laws that determine how to deal with unpaid for services. Its best to find out what if any laws are applicable to your individual state. In some cases there are restrictions on how to sell the items: required to sell through a public auction.