Trivial, and the answer is probably depends upon local laws anyway.
I inherited three guns. They apparently have parts missing, someone said the ‘’ firing pens’’ were all missing. I’ve no other guns. Am I a ‘‘gun owner’’?
I think there are at least some rules on what is a ‘gun’. For the AR type guns everyone is gaga over,right now, the metal lower is the actual gun. It is essentially a hollow shell that all the trigger parts fit into and the barrel, and firing mechanism fits on. As I understand it, that hollow shell is what defines the gun, any barrels, uppers, springs etc are just accessories. Google “AR lowers” for pictures of what this simple piece of hollow metal looks like.
The same may be true for your ‘guns’. It might be that the part stamped with the serial number is the gun, if you have that…its a gun.
Note that I’m not nearly as expert as most any enthusiast, so would differ to those who claim to know more.
Incidently, it occured to me that when I carried home my AR lower in a box on my passenger seat, I could have been breaking the law. This is why I have a concealed carry license…not because I want to carry a gun on my body, but because I’m never sure if what I’m carrying in my car will be viewed as legal by a police officer.
Why does it matter if they work or not? They are guns, they are in your possession, therefore, you are the gun’s owner. If the police came to your door and found you holding one, or you were driving with one on the front seat and you were stopped by the highway patrol, do you think they would need to make the distinction? “Oh that gun, officer? No, that’s not mine.”
BTW, I am in the same boat as you. I inherited a couple of WWII era firearms, which have not been fired in decades, but I presume they still work. I am a gun owner, for all intents and purposes. I would like to get rid of them, but I have not made the time to investigate what I need to do.
Firing pins are easily replaced by a good gunsmith. The guns you have now aren’t currently in operating condition, but you are indeed a gun owner. (Just as someone who owns a car with a dead battery and four flat tires is a car owner.)
If you want to get some money for them (and depending on the guns in question, they may be valuable) go find a decent gun shop and talk business. They can help you legally sell your firearms for a small commission.
If you just want the things out of your hose, contact your police. Most police departments are happy to take unwanted guns and dispose of them.
The law doesn’t differentiate. Even if it is missing a few parts, it is still a firearm.
For example, the ATF has decided that the lower receiver is the essential part of an AR-15. If I go to the gun store I have to buy the receiver from an FFL, even if it includes no other parts.
Look at it this way: If you gave your “non-gun” to a felon, and he dropped in a new firing pin, you couldn’t get off the hook by claiming it was not a firearm when you gave it to him.
PM me if you want someone to take them off your hands. I can give them a good home where they will be cared for. (Through an FFL, of course)
May I plead for you to go to a gunsmith … you may be disposing of an antique or historically significant gun without realizing it.
[A number of years ago a police department crushed a number of significant guns stolen from a museum as it was how they disposed of stolen weapons. It made the antiquarian in me scream in a manner of speaking. Just like those home reno shows taking a chainsaw to hand done maquetry woodwork to install an AV center to make the house sell better.]
Now that is just ridiculous! Why didn’t they just return the guns to the museum? Even the most clueless person you’d think would understand that museum pieces are valuable and shouldn’t be wantonly destroyed.
The bureaucratic mentality? “Standard procedure for disposing of stolen weapons is to crush them. These are stolen weapons. Therefore, crush them according to standard procedure.”
Some years ago, I inherited an old antique black powder cap-and-ball two-barrel pistol. Works! I phoned the local police department, and said I’d like to register it.
They said I didn’t have to. I said, yeah, but I want to. They laughed, and said to bring it in.
Ever bring a gun to a police station? A bit daunting. They said to put it in a briefcase. So I did. The guy at the front desk heard me out, opened the case, and laughed.
The homicide detective laughed. But, why not? He went through the procedure to register the gun. He used a school ruler to measure the bore width. “About half an inch. We’ll call it fifty caliber.” He unscrewed the wooden grips – and called attention to the hand-forged screws – and used an engraving tool to scratch the serial number into the wood on the inside.
I never knew bureaucracy could be so much fun!
I do not own a gun (much less several, which would necessitate a rack) but my dad cherishes his father’s old rusted-beyond-use hunting rifle. I do not consider him a “gun owner”.
While I would not BRING a gun to a police station for obvious reasons I would maybe call and say you’d like them to come pick up some unwanted guns. The idea of consulting with a gunsmith is good advice as well. You might have something of value so it would be a win-win situation for you.