Where would it be better to sell when moving: Boston to Atlanta

[srmd22]

Hi again, thanks for all the advice on rules for transporting firearms across state lines for a change in residence. I apologize for the confusion in my last post. Initially, I had been planning on moving to PA, but events conspired to change that to Atlanta. After checking some of the links provided here by members (thank you much) and googling some more, it looks like Atlanta is a fairly gun friendly town. You do need a licence to conceal carry (and it is not too hard to procure), but not to own, and have in your home, place of business or car. They have very "visitor" friendly laws as well, from what I can see, and as long as you obey there local laws you should be okay. Of course, I am not a lawyer, but I gleaned this info from the site of an Atlanta law firm. Good enough for me for now.

However, this raises another question for me. I was planning on selling part of my collection, really simply because I have more then I use, and figured it would make the move just a smidge easier (every little bit will help, this will be a complex move). MA, however, is kind of a pain to sell in, and given my time constraints, I might have to sell for more of a loss then if I were to wait and sell in a less ornery environment. Maybe less paperwork too, I don't know.

Anyone know what is involved in private gun sales, or sales to a shop in Atlanta? Can I just move there with a handgun, and legally sell it?

Thanks again, the advice is really helpful to a guy that likes firearms and the 2nd amendment, and is a safe and legal gun owner, but not too knowledgeable about it otherwise.

 

[Supermoto]

I would sell privately (4 guns )whatever you can't get at a MA FFL easily here. Help MA residents to get stuff they can't easily

Then take the rest with you to GA. Once you become a legal resident of GA, sell the rest there privately. No paper work involved there, they just need to be sold to someone that can legally own them

 

[headednorth]

Depends what you have I would think. An old AR here is a pre-ban $1k+ AR. An old AR there is an old AR. A 30 year old mag here is a $30 pre-ban mag. A 30 year old mag there is a doorstop.

eta- pretty much what moto said. Be a bro and leave the extra-killy stuff here.

 

[Glockster30]

I'm not sure why you think that MA is a pain and a more ornery environment to sell a firearm than in another state. In addition, depending on what you are selling, it may have more value in MA than in a "less ornery state." For example, a used Glock will get you more money than in many other free states.

In MA, you, the seller, have 3 options:

1) Advertise to find a buyer for your gun and go to an FFL to transfer it. Different FFLs have different fees, but most charge around $20 or a little more for a transfer fee. You or the buyer pay the fee or you can split it.
2) Sell the firearm face to face (FTF) with the licensed buyer and fill out the online eFA10 form found in the online MA Gun Transaction Portal (Link below)
3} Sell to an FFL, but expect to get the least amount of money since the FFL has to make a profit reselling it.

https://mircs.chs.state.ma.us/fa10/action/home?app_context=home&app_action=presentTrans

 

[Al-Jim19]

Sell anything in MA that you can replace in GA.”, especially ARs, AKs, Glocks, other off list pistols, and any preban magazines. Even if you only make a small profit on all of those you’ll save by purchasing new stuff down there. In addition it’s easier to carry cash on your move down south than a bunch of metal knick knacks.

 

[allen-1]

In Georgia, person to person sale without any paperwork is perfectly legal, as far as you believe that the person you're conducting the sale with is not a prohibited person. The sales that I've been involved with, both parties have shown their weapons permits.

If you sell to an FFL, you'll fill out a federal 4473 form.

Guns down here are plentiful, as headednorth said, an old AR here in Georgia is just an old AR. 30 year old mags are just 30 year old mags. I can buy 30 round mags at my local gun store.

If I were you, I'd sell them in Boston.

 

[citoriguy]

If it’s anything like Florida (where I grew up and picked up shooting), there’s no paperwork to be done. You get cash, you give gun. At least that’s how Florida was in the late 90s through the mid 2000s. IANAL though.

 

[drgrant]

If you have something viable (eg non fudd stuff) that you want to sell (and never see again) move it now before you move. People will generally pay more for stuff here, in the rest of the country people are pretty skinflinty and you're going to have a much tougher time moving the guns without getting hosed on the sale. Free-america shops are filled with stuff like the stuff you are probably bringing down there...

Otherwise I'm of the mind of "Sell nothing, move". The idea of "ill sell stuff, then just buy it back later" generally sucks. I only ever have engaged in that because I needed
the money. Otherwise the transactional costs of doing that suck. (eg, the idea that wasting time to sell something costs money by itself).

-Mike

 

[greencobra]

I would sell privately (4 guns )whatever you can't get at a MA FFL easily here. Help MA residents to get stuff they can't easily

yep, may as well tuck us one on your way out. good luck!

 

[weekendracer]

If you have something viable (eg non fudd stuff) that you want to sell (and never see again) move it now before you move. People will generally pay more for stuff here, in the rest of the country people are pretty skinflinty and you're going to have a much tougher time moving the guns without getting hosed on the sale. Free-america shops are filled with stuff like the stuff you are probably bringing down there...

Otherwise I'm of the mind of "Sell nothing, move". The idea of "ill sell stuff, then just buy it back later" generally sucks. I only ever have engaged in that because I needed
the money. Otherwise the transactional costs of doing that suck. (eg, the idea that wasting time to sell something costs money by itself).

-Mike

It's not being 'skinflinty', a basic Bushmaster is a $500 gun unless you've done some serious upgrades, an AK is a dime a dozen. No one in a normal state is going to pay $1k for a basic AK or AR. Every gun I've ever bought has been well below MSRP, not above it. I've never checked some list to see if it was 'legal' in my state either. 30 rnd Pmags are 12 bucks last time I looked, brand new (it's been a while since I bought mags, if they've gone up, oops). I went and looked it up, they selling for $10 at Brownells. So, sell the old 30's and pick up brand new ones, or use the old ones for 'range day' only. The whole concept of paying 'more' than something is worth is isolated to small parts of the country.

 

[garandman]

Not sure about Atlanta but prices near Fort Benning (Columbus) were dirt cheap. Wish I’d bought more when I was there.

 

[FrugalFannie]

I would sell before you move. Anything you don't want to keep, why move it? At least attempt to sell things. If something doesn't sell you can always bring it with you and try selling when you are down there.

 

[teaser452]

Best guess is you’ll get more in MA. GA is more free.

ETS: when I moved down here to NC, I sold all my old crappy pre ban 30 round mags for 30 a pop. People couldn’t get enough of them. Probably could have gotten 50. (I did keep 2 so I could show the locals how pathetic MA really is). Never fails to bring laughter as we laugh at the prisoners of MA. No offense to any of you stuck behind enemy lines.

 

[drgrant]

It's not being 'skinflinty', a basic Bushmaster is a $500 gun unless you've done some serious upgrades, an AK is a dime a dozen. No one in a normal state is going to pay $1k for a basic AK or AR. Every gun I've ever bought has been well below MSRP, not above it. I've never checked some list to see if it was 'legal' in my state either. 30 rnd Pmags are 12 bucks last time I looked, brand new (it's been a while since I bought mags, if they've gone up, oops). I went and looked it up, they selling for $10 at Brownells. So, sell the old 30's and pick up brand new ones, or use the old ones for 'range day' only. The whole concept of paying 'more' than something is worth is isolated to small parts of the country.

I never suggested that anybody should be forced to pay more than what something is worth... but my point is in free america people just tend to just to buy whatever whenever they want, which makes the secondary market pretty much frontally loaded with skinflints.... most of the non skinflints just go out and just click buttons and buy shit... and get the 20 dollar transfer down the street.

 

[sigfanboy13]

Welcome to the ATL. I just moved down here 2 weeks ago.... Enjoy all the freedom! There's a TON of awesome gun stores down here, but the KF Armory is my favorite.

 

[M1911]

Another option is to take your guns to a shop like Four Seasons and put them on consignment. You will get more money than if you sold them to Four Seasons, but it will take longer befor you get paid.

 

[JayMcB]

or...put them on NES classified with a time limit to support your NES compadres.

Whatever doesn't sell or doesn't meet your time constraint, put on consignment @ Four Seasons.

Pack and take the rest to GA. Profit

 

[Broc]

If it is cheaper in GA brand new = Dump it in MA.

You will make money and help someone in MA.

You are leaving this terrible world of worshiping old POS metal mags and worrying about all this pre/post ban BS. Over there, you throw those POS mags away and buy a new one cheaper than a box of ammo.

 

[citoriguy]

or...put them on NES classified with a time limit to support your NES compadres.

Whatever doesn't sell or doesn't meet your time constraint, put on consignment @ Four Seasons.

Pack and take the rest to GA. Profit

+2. Put what you don’t want to lug down to GA on here for a short bit. Whatever doesn’t sell can go on consignment or you can sell down there for less than you’d get up here.

 

[fshalor]

I sold 4 in MA (used all my transfers) when I left. But I am an idiot and I charged common market non MA prices. All went to a good home.

Of course I haven't managed to replace any since I left: but at least one third of that cash went to normal mags for everything in the house.

 

[slap shot]

yes, make sure you don't go over the 4 eFA10 limit. LOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

eff MAURA!

 

[srmd22]

Awesome, great advice, thanks all! I am on a time crunch, so consignment might not be a good option, although I have done that a couple of times at 4 seasons, with good results. I am going to look into listing a few here, perhaps. Actually, I may simply just move with them due to procrastination at this point, since it seems safe, and I am currently distracted with a lot of other logistics. I don't have any pre-ban stuff, except one handed down to me from my dad, which I am keeping. Most of the one's I would get rid of are not high dollar anyway, and I am not too worried about recouping maximum cash outlay. I am just trying to streamline (in general, not just with the guns) and simplify my life, pre-move, but also going forward philosophically.

I'm not sure why you think that MA is a pain and a more ornery environment to sell a firearm than in another state. In addition, depending on what you are selling, it may have more value in MA than in a "less ornery state." For example, a used Glock will get you more money than in many other free states.

In MA, you, the seller, have 3 options:

1) Advertise to find a buyer for your gun and go to an FFL to transfer it. Different FFLs have different fees, but most charge around $20 or a little more for a transfer fee. You or the buyer pay the fee or you can split it.
2) Sell the firearm face to face (FTF) with the licensed buyer and fill out the online eFA10 form found in the online MA Gun Transaction Portal (Link below)
3} Sell to an FFL, but expect to get the least amount of money since the FFL has to make a profit reselling it.

https://mircs.chs.state.ma.us/fa10/action/home?app_context=home&app_action=presentTrans

Thanks, that is super enlightening! My thoughts were mostly based on inexperience. I am kind of casual with collecting - I have seven or eight I acquired over the years, a couple handed down, and I have only sold a couple on consignment. My knee-jerk perception was that transferring FAs is just harder in MA then many other states, but maybe I am wrong? I have never done the efFA10 thing, so it is just an unknown to me. Your point about a better deal for the seller is a good one. I wish I had gotten around to this a month ago. At this point, as I mentioned, my path of least resistance may just be to hang onto the stuff and take it with me, worry about it later, as I have all sorts of other, more mundane stuff to sell also.

 

[allen-1]

Awesome, great advice, thanks all! I am on a time crunch, so consignment might not be a good option, although I have done that a couple of times at 4 seasons, with good results. I am going to look into listing a few here, perhaps. Actually, I may simply just move with them due to procrastination at this point, since it seems safe, and I am currently distracted with a lot of other logistics. I don't have any pre-ban stuff, except one handed down to me from my dad, which I am keeping. Most of the one's I would get rid of are not high dollar anyway, and I am not too worried about recouping maximum cash outlay. I am just trying to streamline (in general, not just with the guns) and simplify my life, pre-move, but also going forward philosophically.



Thanks, that is super enlightening! My thoughts were mostly based on inexperience. I am kind of casual with collecting - I have seven or eight I acquired over the years, a couple handed down, and I have only sold a couple on consignment. My knee-jerk perception was that transferring FAs is just harder in MA then many other states, but maybe I am wrong? I have never done the efFA10 thing, so it is just an unknown to me. Your point about a better deal for the seller is a good one. I wish I had gotten around to this a month ago. At this point, as I mentioned, my path of least resistance may just be to hang onto the stuff and take it with me, worry about it later, as I have all sorts of other, more mundane stuff to sell also.

You'll be happy to know that you can just bring them with you. There's no registry, there's no permit needed, nothing. You can posses a firearm in your home or in your car without any paperwork, (assuming the firearm itself isn't stolen or an NFA item), but you'll need a weapons permit to carry a weapon in public.

Here's a decent reference page from the state of Georgia: Gun Laws

 

[srmd22]

You'll be happy to know that you can just bring them with you. There's no registry, there's no permit needed, nothing. You can posses a firearm in your home or in your car without any paperwork, (assuming the firearm itself isn't stolen or an NFA item), but you'll need a weapons permit to carry a weapon in public.

Here's a decent reference page from the state of Georgia: Gun Laws

Awesome, thanks for confirming that for me @allen-1. That does make things easier.

 

[allen-1]

Awesome, thanks for confirming that for me @allen-1. That does make things easier.

You're welcome. You should know, but just in case - FOPA is what allows you to TRANSPORT your firearms from Boston to Atlanta. It allows the interstate transportation of unloaded firearms that you can legally posses in the origin and destination states. I keep a copy of it in my truck at all times.