# HOLY CRAP! I just won a free handgun! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 6, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518 "2006-08-06T02:13:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2006, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/41 "2006-10-01T03:12:36Z")
Just curious here, **Lumpy**. _Did_ it come with a cable lock? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/42 "2006-10-01T14:33:21Z")
[QUOTE=Ringo] Just curious here, **Lumpy**. _Did_ it come with a cable lock? [/QUOTE] Absolutely. Does it make a difference which way you thread the cable-up through the magazine receiver or down through the ejection port? ---
**Author:** ![Hirundo82](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/919ad9/32.png) [@Hirundo82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirundo82)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/43 "2006-10-01T15:59:07Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] Absolutely. Does it make a difference which way you thread the cable-up through the magazine receiver or down through the ejection port? [/QUOTE] I don’t really think it makes a difference, but I always thread it through the ejection port and out the magazine well. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/44 "2006-10-01T19:20:50Z")
[QUOTE=Ringo] Just curious here, **Lumpy**. _Did_ it come with a cable lock? [/QUOTE] Isn’t there a law that requires a new handgun to be sold with a lock of some sort? I could swear that I read that somewhere but I can’t seem to find it right now. It might be a state-by-state thing, but if it’s necessary for only a few states it generally becomes the _de facto_ standard elsewhere due to economy of scale. ---
**Author:** ![Lizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@Lizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lizard)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/45 "2006-10-01T20:38:52Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] It’s obviously an enormous responsibility [/QUOTE] I dunno. You must not have met some of the dumb shits who go to gun shows in rural America. As for a lockbox, just buy a basic metal cashbox at a department store. That’s good enough to keep a child from picking it up. Make sure you store it unloaded even so, and I agree with earlier posters: Nice piece, and congrats. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/46 "2006-10-02T02:20:56Z")
**Lumpy** , down through the ejection port and the magazine cavity. Keep the keys handy. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/47 "2006-10-02T03:08:22Z")
I don’t know what this thing costs, but be aware its value counts as income and is taxable. Last I looled into this was 5 or 6 years ago, but back then the retail value was basically added to your annual W2 income and you paid tax based on the total. [hijack] My dad once won a “dinner with Michael Jordan” that was valued by the sponsor at around $15K. He declined it because, though for some it might be a bargain, he didn’t want to spend $5K for a single meal. Dad said he wouldn’t spend that to have dinner with Jesus. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/48 "2006-10-02T03:54:49Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] Even so, your attitude towards gun owners in general (and we don’t all live in the US, you know- there are other countries with civilian firearms owners!) is rather… non-conducive to intelligent discussion. [/QUOTE] Why. Should he have a fawning, obsequious attitude towards gun owners? Would that be more conducive to intelligent conversation? mm ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/49 "2006-10-02T10:31:48Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] I don’t know what this thing costs, but be aware its value counts as income and is taxable. Last I looled into this was 5 or 6 years ago, but back then the retail value was basically added to your annual W2 income and you paid tax based on the total. [hijack] My dad once won a “dinner with Michael Jordan” that was valued by the sponsor at around $15K. He declined it because, though for some it might be a bargain, he didn’t want to spend $5K for a single meal. Dad said he wouldn’t spend that to have dinner with Jesus. [/hijack] [/QUOTE] That’s just screwed up (being taxed on prize winnings, not the declining dinner with Michael Jordan thing). Not trying to advocate illegal activity here, but what’s stopping people from “forgetting” to mention things they win to the IRS? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/50 "2006-10-02T11:16:09Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] That’s just screwed up (being taxed on prize winnings, not the declining dinner with Michael Jordan thing). Not trying to advocate illegal activity here, but what’s stopping people from “forgetting” to mention things they win to the IRS? [/QUOTE] If the value is over a certain amount – several years ago the amount was $1500 – then the promotor is also required to fill out an IRS form saying who they gave it to and what the value is. If your prize is worth less than this year’s magic number, you’re probably free and clear. I just don’t know what the current number is. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2006, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/51 "2006-10-02T13:16:30Z")
[QUOTE=mamboman] Why. Should he have a fawning, obsequious attitude towards gun owners? Would that be more conducive to intelligent conversation? mm [/QUOTE] I debated whether it was worth responding to this, but in the end I’m going to say the events in this thread are over three months old and we’d be digging up an argument out of context, which makes further debate a bit pointless. You’re welcome to start another thread on the topic elsewhere, though… ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518/52 "2006-10-03T03:56:02Z")
[QUOTE=mamboman] Why. Should he have a fawning, obsequious attitude towards gun owners? Would that be more conducive to intelligent conversation? mm [/QUOTE] Fawning? Obsequious? Pray tell, what _are_ you trying to say? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-i-just-won-a-free-handgun/367518.md?page=2)