Reminder: Make sure you have a WILL!!

dwarven1

Lonely Mountain Arms
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The title is a little grim, I know, but...

Last week a very dear friend of mine passed away suddenly. No warning, he just stopped showing up for work. Police were called and they found him dead of natural causes in his apartment.

Now... here's what leads me to this post. I knew that Rich had a couple of hanguns - a Colt .45 of some vintage or other and a wheelgun (I don't remember the caliber). I mentioned them to the friend who was to have been Rich's executrix (had he gotten around to actually SIGNING his will) so that whoever cleaned out Rich's apt wouldn't have a rude surprise, and she tells me that A) they're in the tender care of the PD out there (his brother turned them over to them) and B) she's going to give them to me when she get her hands on them.

And as Rich did NOT have a will, so if they're not on that never-to-be-sufficiently-damned LIST, I will NOT be allowed to have them, all in the guise of PROTECTING ME from "defective products"! [angry2] [angry2]

You have NO idea how enraged I am at this right now... Rich was closer to me than my own brother and sister, and the thought of inheriting his arms has me in tears... and the thought that our stupid laws will keep me from doing so has me steaming and grinding my teeth.

So, folks... if you don't have a will, please... make one. Or else Gov. Patrick (if you're in MA) will oversee where your estate goes.

Hopefully in a few months I will have a couple of entries for the "new acquisitions" thread. Somehow.
 
Ross,

Sorry to hear of your loss!

Wrt the guns . . .

- I hope that the PD is gun-friendly, because if they insist that the guns get handed over to only an FFL, they will likely be "nontransferable" in MA. [sad]

- With no clear executrix, they may not turn them over to a non-licensee next of kin (probably illegal to do so) and won't hold them for months for the next of kin to get licensed (something most won't want to deal with anyway).

- The Brother should never have done what he did, but hindsight is not real helpful here.

- Suggestion, have her call the PD and perhaps go with you to retrieve them post-haste. Since the Brother handed them over, they may insist that he go with you.

Regrettably, IMNSHO all the cards are in the PD's hand now.

Good luck!
 
They're in CA, Len. Semi-Auto Sam would know better than us what laws cover that sort of thing. If necessary, one of my squire brothers is out there so he could take possession of them until we figure out how to get them to me.
 
Yikes, that makes it an even stickier situation!

If it touches an FFL (which it might well have to here), no way they can transfer them to a MA resident (no exemptions for FFL to transfer on inheritance allowed in our laws, it has to be executrix to inheritor directly). That's the tricky thing about inheritance and the GCA-1998!
 
2 things... If they are C&R guns, you could get them (if you have your C&R FFL), and if they are not, but they are on the list and pre 98' you could have them shipped here and transfer them through an FFL...
 
Yup, I've been following all the threads... I actually posted here not for advice or sympathy (although I do appreciate both!) but to kind of put it in people's faces about what can happen.

I don't know how old the guns are; I have a vague memory (from 10 years back!) that the wheelgun might be a .45, and as I said I have no idea how old they are. We'll see how this works out. Rich lived here in MA back in the early 90's, but he owned them from well before then. I don't know if I can find an FFL who'd accept a sworn deposition that yes, they WERE in the state or not, though.
 
Sorry for your loss. I agree, having a Will is a MUST. Parents did it a few years ago...they are both thankfully in good health and young but you never know what can happen.
 
Thanks, folks. He was not only a "just" good friend, but he was my Knight in the SCA and I Raised him to the degree of Master Mason - both very close ties. I think I'm still a little numb...
 
Sorry to here about your friend Ross.

I hope and pray that somehow you end up with Rich's guns. Especially if he was into them, I can't think of any item that can hold as much sentimental value as a man's guns. You'll be reminded of Rich every time you handle, clean, or shoot them.

Thanks for the heads-up. I've got to get to work on a will to ensure my stuff ends up in the right hands. Now... how do you spell your last name?
 
Sorry to here about your friend Ross.

I hope and pray that somehow you end up with Rich's guns. Especially if he was into them, I can't think of any item that can hold as much sentimental value as a man's guns. You'll be reminded of Rich every time you handle, clean, or shoot them.

Thanks for the heads-up. I've got to get to work on a will to ensure my stuff ends up in the right hands. Now... how do you spell your last name?

Why, thanks, Jim - PM inbound on my last name. [wink]

And thank you for getting the point of my post - as I said, I'm more angry about the draconian laws in this G-d-forsaken Commonwealth and want to remind folks to take steps to make sure that their worldly belongings go where they WANT them to.

But the condolences DO help - thanks, folks.
 
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