What to do with a sawed-off shotgun

[Crafter_Man]

*Originally posted by DougC *
If you have a local sporting goods/gun shop, you could phone them up and ask their advice on it, as to if it would be worth aquiring a new barrel and stock for. There’s a slim chance the receiver might be worth more than $50, and if you explain how you got it and it’s obvious you’re asking how to make it legal again, they’re not likely to turn you over… Call a small local store though, not the area Sports Authority or Wal-Mart. They won’t know, or may call it in…

Um, my advice is to not tell anyone about this thing.

Do not in any way let the BATF know about this thing. Even if you render in inoperable, your name will be put on a list.

Bottom line is this: Keep your mouth shut and get rid of the damn thing. If you want to chop it up into little pieces and then get rid of it, fine. Just get id of it. Use your imagination.

[bdgr]

An H&R break open shotgun isnt worth much more than 50 bucks complete, and break open shotguns the barrel has to be hand fitted. Barrel is easy to remove though, just remove the forearm, and the barrel hinges down and off. Get rid of it, quick, and keep your fingerprints off of it.

[Johnny_L.A]

As I recall, Harrington & Richardsons are very inexpensive shotguns. I think you can probably buy a new one for $150 or so. I’d say it’s not worth converting to a legal length, but that’s your choice.

It probably has a screw-on barrel, so you can probably remove the barrel with Vice-Grips or by twisting it in a vice. The stock will be held on with screws. If you do nothing else, *get rid of the barrel now! Don’t just cut it off at the receiver, as any bit of it left could be considered a “short barrel”. Remove it immediately. Then destroy it, if possible.

I should point out that I am not a lawyer, and do not know all of the laws that may be involved. But for damned sure, you’ve got to make it “legal” quickly.

I would not damage the serial number, because I think removing a serial number from a firearm is a federal offence.

If you decide to destroy the firearm, a cutting torch should do the job. Maybe you can rent one. But if you’re going to go to all that trouble, try removing (and destroying) the offensive bits first.

This is very serious. I wouldn’t even touch a gun I thought was illegal, let alone accept it as collateral on a gambling loan. But now that you have it, the safest thing to do is to destroy the short barrel after removing it and remove the stock. In California it’s illegal to transfer a firearm without going through a gun dealer. It wouldn’t surprise me if Colorado has similar laws. If such is the case, then you can be in trouble for just having the receiver. But the main thing is to get rid of the barrel and stock.

Remove and destroy the barrel.

Get rid of the stock as well.

I know I’m repeating myself, but it is very, very important that you get rid of the gun or at least the offending parts immediately.

[handsomeharry]

first thing to do is speak in a different tense about a “friend” and use the term “hypothetically” a whole whole bunch. next thing, wrap it in a trash bag and go to some trash dumpster near you and pitch it in. make sure that there are no witnesses. let someone else be the hero at a poker party. lol

[DougC]

DougC, the nearest sporting goods store that carries guns is 85 miles away and I would prefer not to transport the thing.

• • • You don’t have to take it there first, just phone them and say how you came to have it, and what they’d suggest you do with it. Gunshops don’t make it a regular habit of turning over customers with semi-legal weapons; around where I live they just refuse to work on them, unless you want it repaired back to legal configuration–which they will -quietly- do, if it’s possible. If it’s not possible, they just say as much, and turn you away. … Note that if they call the police or ATF, that casts a certain amount of suspicion on them also. ~ The only way to find out what to do with it is to ask someone who will actually know, and they will will be able to tell you if it’s worth repairing and how much it will cost to do, or refer you to a gunsmith who can tell you. There’s no need to panic, sawed-off shotguns are more common than many think: people find this sort of stuff in “grampa’s estate” all the time.
      ~

[Crafter_Man]

Note to Moderators:

While I admit I have enjoyed participating in this thread, and am compassionate to TV time’s predicament, I must also urge for this thread to be closed ASAP. This is primarily for the benefit of the SDMB and the Chicago Reader, as I am confident your lawyers would not like what’s being discussed here…

[John_Kentzel-Griffin]

I agree.

This is closed.

DrMatrix - General questions Moderator