Hypothetical gun question
 

So say you are doing some remodeling in your own home, and you find a handgun up in the attic. You are pretty sure that this gun belonged to a family member who has passed away. This gun has is not registered as far as any one knows, it was passed down through a couple of generations of uncles/fathers.
What would be the correct thing to do ??. Should/ can it be registered? Is it illegal to possess?

Gee, you better call the feds and ask...

PA doesn't have gun registration, AFAIK. At least I never registered any when I lived there and I did sell one of them to a Philly cop later.

I don't think that most places have gun registration. Keep the gun, don't worry about it.

It's a right protected by the constitution.

What sort of gun might it be, this hypothetical gun, you know, if it was real, which it's not.

PA has no requirement to register a gun. The second amendment gives you the right to bear arms. Thankfully our state recognizes that right. Not all states do.

I wouldn't worry about it if you know it's a family gun that has not been used in crimes.

Keep it, enjoy it, take pix of it and post them here so we can enjoy them. :)

There is only one correct and moral course of action under these circumstances. Buy some ammo for it and make sure it is both functional and zeroed.

+1

"Gun Registration" doesn't mean what you might think it does in most states (CA is one exception). There is no national database of who owns what firearm.
Jim

Except on CSI...

There are more states than CA. NY definitely. I'm pretty sure for MA for handguns. IL? DC.

thats what memorial day weekends are for...............SHOOTING!



i have bean once yesterday and going again today.



practice makes perfect. ACCURACY SPEAKS!

Take it from me, just shut up and put it in yer sock drawer!

(technically in PA you need to have it transfered to you from the estate. That needs a lot of paper so follow advice #1)

Massachusetts records the transfer of all firearms. There is database of ownership but records of dealer transfers before '86 or private transfers before the mid '90's were destroyed by the state. Unlike NY handguns you own do not need to be listed on your license.

I'm in CA and if I "found" a family heirloom, the last thing I'd do is tell the state of California.

Anybody dumb enough to put a handgun of any sort in the attic either couldn't give a rats rear or has no business owning one anyway.

Nonsense. Generations of Americans stored their guns not only in the attic, but in the basement, garage, bedroom, family room, kitchen, or where ever the hell else they had room with no problems whatsoever. People - including children - respected them for what they were and did not handle them inappropriately. They were used to seeing them and were entirely comfortable having them around. Nobody even considered misusing them. Many of us grew up in families like that. I was as likely to find one of my dad's handguns in his nightstand, desk, or in a kitchen drawer as I was to find the roll of tape or pencil I was looking for. It was never a big deal. Why, by golly, even my young friends wouldn't even bat an eye if they saw one, because their dads all had them laying around too. It's only the hand-wringing ninny anti-gunners that have squealed long and loud enough to make folks think anything short of locked storage is a dangerous outrage. Like I said, nonsense.