Giving a gun as a gift -- legal issues?

[jkp1187]

Hello, all.

I am thinking of getting a handgun as a birthday or Xmas gift for a relative of mine. We are both Pennsylvania residents and there is no legal bar to him owning a gun; he has his own LTCF. My question is -- how can I legally purchase a gun and transfer ownership to him? Would I have to have him in the shop with me (so he can fill out the paperwork) and just pay for it?

I am assuming (though I do not know for a fact) that it would NOT be legal for me to purchase then gun in my name then just give it to him, no?

Would appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction here.


Thanks in advance!

[Emptymag]

I'm assuming the relative is not your son...

Well, if you buy it and transfer it to him, there's $20 or more gone, just to do the transfer.

Take him to the shop and let him "purchase" it with the money you give to him. It's up to you how you want to handle that part.

[rady8um]

Originally Posted by jkp1187

Hello, all.

I am thinking of getting a handgun as a birthday or Xmas gift for a relative of mine. We are both Pennsylvania residents and there is no legal bar to him owning a gun; he has his own LTCF. My question is -- how can I legally purchase a gun and transfer ownership to him? Would I have to have him in the shop with me (so he can fill out the paperwork) and just pay for it?

I am assuming (though I do not know for a fact) that it would NOT be legal for me to purchase then gun in my name then just give it to him, no?

Would appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction here.


Thanks in advance!

Thanks, I didn't even know we were related. My Birthday was 2 weeks ago, but better late than never.

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by Emptymag

I'm assuming the relative is not your son...

Nope.

Well, if you buy it and transfer it to him, there's $20 or more gone, just to do the transfer.

Take him to the shop and let him "purchase" it with the money you give to him. It's up to you how you want to handle that part.

That's probably what it'll come down to. A friend of his is a FFL dealer, but I was just curious if it was possible to 'gift' a firearm to someone -- especially if that person already had a LTCF.

[Emptymag]

Nope.

Not a handgun. Unless it's father/mother to son/daughter (and the grandparent thing comes into play, but I don't recall how)... there was just a post explaining it the other day.

The LTCF really has no bearing on any of it.

The handgun transfer process requires paperwork which has fees associated with it... extra work, extra money, extra big PITA!

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by Emptymag

Nope.

Not a handgun. Unless it's father/mother to son/daughter (and the grandparent thing comes into play, but I don't recall how)... there was just a post explaining it the other day.

The LTCF really has no bearing on any of it.

The handgun transfer process requires paperwork which has fees associated with it... extra work, extra money, extra big PITA!

Oh well, that's what I expected. Thanks.

[Xringshooter]

Yes, you can "gift" anything to anybody as long as it is legal. If you want to buy the firearm and then give it as a gift, you and the recipient will have to go to the FFL to do the transfer, PICS, etc. That would be if it were a handgun. As PA does not require any paperwork for a long arm transfer, as long as you know the person receiving the long arm is allowed to possess it, you can buy it and give it to them. I myself would still get something in writing showing the transfer (the one here on the forum would work fine), just in case.

[Statkowski]

Everyone else does it, why not a GIFT CERTIFICATE for the gun shop? You can pay, he has to come in, register, and pick up the handgun.