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Somewhat sickening Luger story

Picton

Picton

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Got a call last night from an old high school buddy who's now a LEO out west. Not an awful guy: Afghanistan vet, currently an NG officer, etc. He tells me of a call he and his partner went on last week, where an old lady had just lost her husband and wanted to get rid of his guns.

They pull up in front of a mansion, so she's not hurting for cash. A space above the workbench in the garage is stuffed with guns, including a civilian version of an Uzi, a pristine 1950s Colt Python, and... a Luger. They explain to the lady that she's got some pricey guns, and that if she gives them to my friend and his partner, they'll only be destroyed. Lady's completely ambivalent.

So my buddy and his partner talk quietly off to the side and decide to ask their sergeant whether it's legal for them to offer to buy the guns FTF (legal in that state). Sergeant says it's fine, as long as he doesn't hear about it. So the partner takes the Colt and the Uzi, leaving the Luger for my buddy. Neither of them wanted any of the other guns.

Price haggling ensues.

The lady didn't care how much money she got for them; she just wanted them gone. So the partner takes the Uzi and the Python for $500. For the pair. And the Luger? All matching? Pristine condition?

$200.

I yelled at my buddy for his lack of ethics. I'm the first to snap up a bargain, but I'm not sure I could knowingly take a $1200 discount from an old lady, especially if the only reason I'm in a position to do so is because I'm on the job. In fairness, he claims he told her what a bad deal she was getting (I've got no reason to doubt him on that). He says he had trouble even getting her to take the $200.

I hung up the phone and threw up a little in my mouth.
 
If he explained what they were worth and she still didn't care, I would've taken the whole lot for $200. You don't have to haggle me to get my price to come down; if I offer $200 and she says no, I'll offer $100, and if she stills declines, I'm filling out the paperwork as a gift and taking everything.

Then again, I never look a gift horse in the mouth.
 
the only sickening part was when you threw up in your mouth.

1. Mansion
2. Guns would have been destroyed
3. Profit
4. More profit
 
Seriously. She was basically throwing them in the trash and they gave her cash. If they were as truthful as you've indicated then there is nothing to complain about.
 
Don't take this the wrong way, but I now want to make you vomit so hard your socks come up.






Something like buying a mint Holland & Holland for $5.
 
The fact that she was basically giving them up to be destroyed, they were both truthful to her, and she lives in a mansion; Id be okay with it.
 
I'd take them and treasure them in a heartbeat! She didn't see them as worth anything and her husband obviously never thought to tell her the significance of his guns so I think they belong in the hands of someone who will appreciate the history and value. I tell my significant others as often as I can how much I love my guns and the historical value they hold. If for some reason I died young you'd better bet my family would know how important my collection was to me... I'd say lucky on the part of your friend, not unethical.
 
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these guns where saved from the grinder. I'm fine with it. As far as the wife was concerned they had no value whatsoever...
 
Ah, well. I am happy for him (and for the guns), but I'm not sure I'd have done the same. Different strokes, different folks. I'm not the one who used words like "injustice" either.

And, to be clear, the vomit in my mouth was about the $200, not the ethical part. I wanted pics too, but he's about 3,000 miles away from here. We'll see if he ever gets any uploaded.
 
didnt someone on here recently post a story about buying a house and after he closed they found a floor safe in the garage with a luger or two? and the D bag former owner wanted the guns destroyed.
 
That is why there is a letter in my safe that starts "If you are reading this I'm probably dead" and goes to list the approximate value of each gun and has the address of Four Seasons as a starting point.
 
"Widder wimmin" is always a hot topic among collectors, but I don't know any who would think your buddy did wrong here.

You can only educate so much, offer what you can, then accept the price difference as karma for saving history from the crusher.
 
OP, if you had a chance to score a case of .223 for $200 would you say "Oh no, $200 is too little. The going rate now is $800".

Seriously?

Besides, like others have already said; those guns were saved from destruction.
 
While I share the OP's disdain, I'd rather this result than they not buy them at all and they go into the smelter.
 
Arguing about ethics is about as useful as arguing about religion, but everyone's entitled to their own opinion. The only way I can explain my objection is to say that I'd have been happier if my buddy had set up the deal, then gone back after he was off work and out of his uniform to do the FTF. Plus, I've got no problem with bargains, but I do believe in paying what something's worth, especially a sought-after milsurp.

Of course I'm happy the guns didn't get ground up, and of course I'm happy for my friend's good luck. But I'd have done it differently, is all I'm saying.
 
had they not told her they were worth big bucks i would agree with you. But the seller was informed and didnt care. you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink
 

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