Seeking Answers to Help a Friend

This is what will happen (if in Mass) if the police are called:

1) Husband is arrested and charged with multiple felonies and perhaps held until trial due to 'dangerousness'.
A) This will cost tens of thousands of dollars.
B) Is he the only one working?
2) If the police have ever stopped the wife for so much as a marked lane violation - she goes away too.
A) Another pile of cash
3) Children will be input into the DSS system, left at home if mom is not locked up, into foster care if she is.
A) You will never be free of the system until the kids are 18 or it will be years to get them back (if at all).

If she is afraid of her husband, LEAVE. If the presence of guns terrifies her so, have her get some mental help.

If none of this, have her husband get an LTC and register them via EFA-10.
 
No one has asked, so I will: Would renting a storage unit in Rhode Island be a temporary solution until one of them gets an LTC? I understand that storage companies don't want firearms in their units, but if he packs them away and stashes some other household stuff, it shouldn't become an issue. At least they're out of MA and out from under the wife's bed while they sort things out. Somebody needs to talk to the guy.
 
Amazed at how some of you jump to conclusions.

1. She is not terrified of GUNS. She is terrified of the adults in her home going to jail and losing her kids because her husband is being a pompous ass.

2. She doesn't know much about laws and rules and firearms in general so she reached out to me, a friend. I didn't know the best thing to do, so EMTDAD said to ask you knowledgeable folks.

3. Yes, their marriage sucks. She HAS spoken to him and he wont secure them any better than they are now and he says he wont get a license here in MA because no one tells him what to do.

4. Yes, my location is listed however, last time I checked I could have friends that lived outside of my home town and since no other information was given, I hardly think I blew anyone's privacy.

5. My husband is not having an affair and has not spoken to my friend directly.

6. Someone here suggested a buy back program with no questions asked. Maybe that is a solution. My original question was simply can she contact the police without getting in trouble. She was going to turn them in. Not because she is afraid of firearms but because she knows possessing them without a license is illegal! They arent hers per se, but she didn't know if they are automatically hers because they are now in her house and she has discovered them.

7. We are not taking possession of them and have no desire to do so.

8. Do some of you just thrive on ridiculous drama? Nevertheless, I have taken the reasonable responses of some of you and suggested that first she take the initiative and at least store them properly and second, get licensed herself, if he won't.

Thank you to those who were helpful.

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No one has asked, so I will: Would renting a storage unit in Rhode Island be a temporary solution until one of them gets an LTC? I understand that storage companies don't want firearms in their units, but if he packs them away and stashes some other household stuff, it shouldn't become an issue. At least they're out of MA and out from under the wife's bed while they sort things out. Somebody needs to talk to the guy.
Woodstock,

Forgive the ignorance of this question, but why RI? Could they do this in MA or is there something about RI that makes this scenario better?

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Woodstock,

Forgive the ignorance of this question, but why RI? Could they do this in MA or is there something about RI that makes this scenario better?

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No, can't do it in MA as either of them could still face felony charges if found out.

I don't know about RI law, but NH requires no permits for anyone (even NRs) for possession of firearms and no requirement to lock them up, thus storing them in NH violates no laws.
 
If this woman knows nothing about guns she should not be messing around with any trigger locks. She should be nowhere near the triggers without knowing if the guns are loaded or not.

I wouldn't recommend she handle them at all.

She should tell him she knows they are there and give him a chance to find a way to get them out of the house or stored properly before she does something about it.

Edit: doesn't sound like he will listen or do what she wants. I'd stay out of it, but can understand, on the other hand, not wanting to feel guilty if he was to do something stupid/evil with them since she asked for advice. Crappy situation.

My two cents anyway.
 
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PM sent. There's some terrible misinformation being handed out in this thread. There is potential for 2 1/2 years minimum state prison for improper securing of firearm in the home where children have access depending on the gun involved even though there is no minimum mandatory for the unlawful possession of the firearms in the home without an FID card or LTC. It is possible for the woman to be charged. Would she? Who knows what the police would do but once they're involved it's out of control. She should maintain control of the situation by getting a neutral lawyer involved who knows these issues. Mishandling this could blow up very badly in many different ways.
 
Well, does that priority include having her Husband saddled with a felony conviction? Because that is exactly what will happen if she calls the police.

Is that universally the case? I've known a lot of people who ended up with a relative's guns, stored them with no license for years, and then called the cops one day and the police just came by and took them without any fuss. Of course the logic of giving/selling them to a license holder escaped these folks.
 
EMTMOM - I suggested RI because it's close to your location and he might be able to stash them quietly until he gets legal. I don't know the RI laws, but they can't be as bad as MA. Maybe some of the RI NES folks can chime in with how bad their laws are. Again, it all needs to be low-profile.
 
...

8. Do some of you just thrive on ridiculous drama? ...

This is NES. Yes. It's a masculine version of Facebook/Soap Oprah.

... Nevertheless, I have taken the reasonable responses of some of you and suggested that first she take the initiative and at least store them properly and second, get licensed herself, if he won't.

That is good. And part of the LTC process is to take a course, which will help her handle them safely in order to lock them up.

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You typed all that on a CELLPHONE?! That is dedication. Hat's off.
 
3. Yes, their marriage sucks. She HAS spoken to him and he wont secure them any better than they are now and he says he wont get a license here in MA because no one tells him what to do.



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Why does this look like it's not going to turn out well?
 
Is that universally the case? I've known a lot of people who ended up with a relative's guns, stored them with no license for years, and then called the cops one day and the police just came by and took them without any fuss. Of course the logic of giving/selling them to a license holder escaped these folks.

It's one thing to be turning over your own guns (covered by an amnesty program). It's another thing entirely to have the cops called on you by someone else. The first case you are protecting yourself, the second you have no protection.
 
3. Yes, their marriage sucks. She HAS spoken to him and he wont secure them any better than they are now and he says he wont get a license here in MA because no one tells him what to do.

...

Why does this look like it's not going to turn out well?

Yeah, that's what most stood out in EMTMOM's post. It should be easy to convince someone to secure them, unless he's not right in the head or the attempt to convince him was implemented poorly. Maybe he is unaware of other people who did nothing wrong but were/are in jail for not storing them according to the law. Find a few of those stories and show him. Does he not mind being in jail unable to provide for his children or even see them? Use some mind tricks such as "Yes I agree with you, it is awful that they are requiring you lock them up. But they aggressively prosecute everyone they find who doesn't have them stored properly. Don't take the risk. Securing them costs almost nothing and is very simple... $5 per trigger lock and a few minutes of your time, and you're done." That way, the wife doesn't appear to be the one being adversarial... she's on his side but just wants to make sure the big bad government doesn't harm them. But, with a sucky marriage, I really don't know what to suggest.... this could be all BS I'm saying...
 
6. Someone here suggested a buy back program with no questions asked. Maybe that is a solution. My original question was simply can she contact the police without getting in trouble. She was going to turn them in. Not because she is afraid of firearms but because she knows possessing them without a license is illegal! They arent hers per se, but she didn't know if they are automatically hers because they are now in her house and she has discovered them.

that clarifies the original post because like others here I originally read it as she was going to call the police to ARREST her husband and not just take the firearms.

for gun buybacks, oddly enough when they're not running the "one day" program, the police don't usually take guns. to this point, I think the buy backs are really just feel good measures. I know someone that tried to turn in a gun a nursing home patient had and the police's response was "we don't do that." Only after multiple calls over days from various people, a patrol car finally did come and take it away just placate the facility.

but outside of limited buy backs there is NO amnesty for people that ADMIT they are breaking the law, thus I wouldn't dare call the police.

another option I haven't read yet, would be to sell them to a gun store. I believe a gun dealer (FFL) can come take them legally from an unlicensed individual but know that they pay anywhere from 0 to 50% of value if they come to you and haul them all away. A lot of dealers just don't want to deal with house calls or buying used, hence the no/low price or flat out refusal to get involved.

also, most police stations have FREE trigger or cable locks. sometime they have them at other public buildings too like the library or the senior center. they're kind of flimsy but they work. I was at a police station once and commented on them and the lady was like, "please take some--take them ALL!" She was sick of looking at them and apparently they had been there for years without anyone taking any.
 
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3. Yes, their marriage sucks. She HAS spoken to him and he wont secure them any better than they are now and he says he wont get a license here in MA because no one tells him what to do.

Now there's a winning attitude.

I wonder how it will stand up in prison.
 
Because he is clearly so willing to resolve this situation with his wife and in the best interest of his family, I will just invite him to come here and seek the advice himself. His willingness to obey the law and protect himself is obviously a top priority. So why not seek the advice from all you.

Of course this is one sided, C.O. but If he was compliant, there would be no need to be seeking help.

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3. Yes, their marriage sucks. She HAS spoken to him and he wont secure them any better than they are now and he says he wont get a license here in MA because no one tells him what to do.



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Why does this look like it's not going to turn out well?[/QUOTE]

Time to further hide said items and broom said wife.
 
Screw this state. I'd get some fresh ammo and hide them all under a loose floorboard in the bedroom closet...
 
This isn't the SATs.

If there is an imminent and present danger from the husband using firearms, take them to a buyback. If not, gun locks and apply for an LTC, then register once received.
 
This isn't the SATs.

If there is an imminent and present danger from the husband using firearms, take them to a buyback. If not, gun locks and apply for an LTC, then register once received.

Would registering the guns really be necessary in this case? Conventional wisdom on this site is that you do not need to register guns that were already yours when you moved here. Of course, you're also supposed to promptly get an LTC, so this scenario is kind of a catch-22.

If the wife got an LTC, while the husband did not, and then decided to register the guns then I think that could really create problems.... since they would legally be hers, but the husband would no doubt still believe they were his.
 
Emtmom,

My guess there is a pissing match and power struggle going on. Your friend needs to somehow tell her husband that, yeah marriage is not good, yeah we have both pissed off each other, but can we please just look past our differences for just this one issue. She is clearly going to have to be a bigger and smarter person for this battle. He is clearly being pig headed, and at the risk of his kids no less.
Another possibility, have her buy a safe and lock them up herself.
 
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