NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog

The U.S. Senate has announced that anti-gun legislation will be heard on the floor next week. While that could change at any time, right now it means that your Second Amendment freedoms are on the chopping block, and you need to take immediate action to save them.

Senators are scheduled to vote on a so-called "universal background check" bill being pushed by lifelong anti-gun zealot, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y). Schumer's bill--S. 374, the "Fix Gun Checks Act of 2013"-- would criminalize virtually all private firearm sales, even temporary transfers, making you a criminal if you simply transfer a firearm to an aunt, uncle, cousin or lifelong friend without the federal government's approval. Even worse, President Barack Obama's Justice Department says that Schumer's bill will only be effective if it's coupled with mandatory gun registration.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's (D-Calif.) gun and magazine ban legislation will be allowed to offer her legislation as an amendment.

On April 2, the United Nations General Assembly voted 153-4 to pass the Arms Trade Treaty, with the United States voting in favor. The vote in the General Assembly was necessary to push the treaty process forward after negotiations twice failed to deliver on the goal of developing the treaty by unanimous consent. The Obama Administration is expected to sign the treaty soon after it is opened for signature June 3.

The text of the approved treaty is deeply problematic and threatens the rights and privacy of American gun owners. Signatories are encouraged to keep information on the "end users" of arms imported into their territory and supply such information to the exporting country. Exporting nations, nearly all of which have civilian firearm control regimes far harsher than the U.S., are encouraged to take the firearm control laws of an importing country into account before approving a transfer of arms. The treaty also encourages states to adopt domestic legislation to facilitate the treaty's onerous requirements.

To read more on this treaty and its problems see the full press release from the NRA-ILA

What is probably the most serious threat to American gun owners in decades may achieve much of what many of the new bills before Congress are trying to achieve.

The UN Gun Treaty should ban the future transfer of most small arms (pistols, and rifles) if those guns could cause damage to another state. While this makes sense for a submarine, missile or nuclear bomb, the Treaty makes no provision for the difference between a Glock and a nuclear bomb.

For several years the NRA has talking about what it depicts as an international conspiracy to "grab your guns" or "restrict rights to buy certain firearms in the future."

While it is too early to tell what the final Treaty if approved will sate, one can review the previous version to see what the Gun Treaty is attempting to accomplish. If you would like to see a previous version with some commentary follow this link to the UN Gun Treaty

The UN Gun Treaty may prohibit the future purchase and transfer of small arms (pistols and rifles). We are still recommending that is you are allowed to, you should transfer all firearms and magazines into your Gun Trust as soon as possible. If you have a NFA Trust or trust designed only for NFA firearms, you should investigate upgrading your trust to deal with all firearms. For those with substantial value in their firearms and accessories
a multi-generational asset protection gun trust may be the solution for your and your family. If you would like to contact a Gun Trust Lawyer® use the contact form on the right side of this page.

A few years ago the NRA ran a similar special and I am always getting asked if I know of any specials for life members. If you follow this link you can get the $1000 NRA Lifetime membership for only $300.

The Second Amendment Foundation today won a significant victory for concealed carry when the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals let stand a December ruling by a three-judge panel of the court that forces Illinois to adopt a concealed carry law, thus affirming that the right to bear arms exists outside the home.

Continue reading "Huge Win for Gun Rights in Illinois" »

Lawyers in other states are always asking where they can learn about NFA Trusts and Gun Trusts. Here is an opportunity to learn about advanced planning with gun trusts for your clients.

I have been asked by the American Bar Association to present a CLE which will be available to lawyers and non-lawyers on the use of Gun Trusts to protect firearms from changes in future legislation. For those who are not familiar it was the ABA Journal that wrote an article on my a few years ago about the creation of a new area of legal practice dealing with Gun Trusts The print version of the article was In Goldmans Guns Trust and an online version is available under Florida lawyer Fashions Gun Trust (And Niche Practice).

Brief Program Description:
Gun Trust Lawyer® David Goldman will discuss the history of firearms regulation, federal and state firearm policy and control, potential changes to firearm regulation, and how the multi generational Gun Trust can help assist your clients with protecting their right to bear arms under the 2nd amendment. The presentation will also encompass an overview of enacted gun laws, how they affect your current rights and options, and how multi generational Gun Trust helps solve some of the issues that may arise. Lastly, Mr. Goldman will discuss ethical and malpractice issues one should always consider when dealing with firearms.

Sponsors:
The American Bar Association Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division and Center for Professional Development

Live Webinar and Teleconference
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Eastern

You can register for the event on the American Bar Association website using this link.

The 133rd Federal Congress is being bombarded with Firearms Legislation. (No pun intended)
One of the latest is Senate Bill 150 by none other than Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA)

The Firearms Policy Coalition has provided a nice summary of the 120+ bill that would almost restrict every firearm other than a revolver. I am sure that restriction will come in a second bill.

Summary: S. 150, among other things, would ban the sale, transfer, manufacturing and importation of:

• All semiautomatic rifles that can accept a detachable magazine and have at least one "feature" (i.e., pistol grip; forward grip; folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; grenade launcher or rocket launcher; barrel shroud; or threaded barrel);
• All semiautomatic pistols that can accept a detachable magazine and have at least one "feature" (i.e., threaded barrel; second pistol grip; barrel shroud; capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip) or that are the semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm);
• All semiautomatic rifles and handguns that have a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds, except for an attached tubular device designed to accept, and capable of operating only with, .22 caliber rim fire ammunition;
• All semiautomatic shotguns that have a folding, telescoping, or detachable stock; pistol grip; fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 5 rounds; ability to accept a detachable magazine; forward grip; grenade launcher or rocket launcher; or shotguns with a revolving cylinder;
• All ammunition feeding devices (means a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device) capable of accepting more than 10 rounds; and
• Over 100 specifically named firearms.

Unlike the 1994 assault weapons ban, Senate bill 150 does not include a sunset possession that allowed the original federal ban to expire. The bill also requires a background check on all sales or transfers of grandfathered firearms; prohibits the sale or transfer of large-capacity ammunition feeding devices lawfully possessed on the date of enactment of the bill; allows state and local governments to use federal funding to buyback grandfathered assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices; imposes a safe storage requirement for grandfathered firearms; and requires that assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition feeding devices manufactured after the date of the bill's enactment be engraved with the serial number and date of manufacture of the weapon. Assault weapons used by military, law enforcement, and retired law enforcement; antique weapons, and firearms manually operated by a bolt, pump, lever or slide action are exempted from S. 150.

If you do not have your guns and magazines in a Gun Trust, now is the time to get them in a trust. Also if you plan on buying threaded barrels now is the time to do that also, even if you build them up later. Ammo will come back down, but you may not have the opportunity to use a silencer if you can't purchase a threaded barrel.

There are a few organizations you can join to help fight overreaching gun legislation. By visiting the FirearmsPolicy.org webpage you can help support the following gun rights organizations. I recently joined all of them and would encourage as many of you as possible to join 1 or more.

Federal - Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) +$15.00
Federal - Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA)+$15.00
CA - The Calguns Foundation (CGF) +$15.00
CA - California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees (Cal-FFL) +$15.00
MA - Commonwealth Second Amendment (Comm2A) +$15.00
FL - Florida Carry, Inc. (FCI) +$15.00
HI - Hawaii Defense Foundation (HDF) +$15.00
IL - Illinois Carry (IC) +$15.00
NJ - New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) +$15.00
TX - Lone Star Shooting Association (LSSA) +$15.00
WV - West Virginia Citizens Defense League (WVCDL) +$15.00

Continue reading to see the other 26 firearms bills which have been introduced in the last few days.

Continue reading "Congress being bombarded with 27 new Firearms Bills" »

President Obama is speaking about Guns at this time 12 PM and he is making many executive orders as well as calling on Congress to pass legislation on the following.
1) universal background check for purchases from dealers or individuals
2) restore bank on military style assault weapons
3) ban on magazines > 10 rounds
4) help law enforcement, make laws and punish those who buy guns for others.
5) more cops back on the job and streets

No word yet on existing items that are already owned unlike the gun laws signed into effect in NY yesterday.

Today, the President is announcing that he and the Administration will:

Continue reading "Obama's Gun Proposal being announced" »

Silencerco is introducing two new rifle center fire suppressors at the Shot Show in Las Vegas this week. The retail price of this series is $899 with a mount.

Their Press Release includes the following information.
The three features for the SPECWAR include:

• ACTIVE SPRING RETENTION - The SPECWAR's patented ASR (Active Spring Retention) locking collar ensures your SPECWAR will not come loose under a heavy firing schedule, greatly reducing incidents of the largest causes of rifle suppressor damage, baffle and end cap strikes.
• UNIQUE BAFFLE ALLOY -The SPECWAR's fully welded, precision TrueBore Wire cut core features our unique new baffle alloy that represents a significant strength increase over current industry standard materials.
• Specwar RS FLASH HIDER - The Specwar RS flash hider is a rock solid platform for attaching your Specwar. The RS stands for Resonance Suppression which is a patent pending technology that keeps the flash hider from ringing like a tuning fork. Used independently the Specwar RS offers superior flash reduction.

As Obama was running for President he claims he will not take our guns away. Now it seems that the only way we may be able to protect our guns against future legislation he will likely sign may be to put our guns in a Gun Trust.

Thanks to the JFPO for bringing this video to our attention. Perhaps it's not what he says but what he obviously doesn't say. Obama said nothing about high-capacity magazines, semi-auto pistols, nor semi-auto guns like the AR15. I am sure he will find a way to reconcile his words with his actions.

A Gun Trust is designed for all of your firearms even if you do not have any Title II firearms. Title II firearms are sold by Class 3 Dealers and include Silencers, Short barreled rifles and shotguns, AOWs, DDs and full automatic pistols and rifles.

While it is not necessary under the current laws (2012) to have a Gun Trust to allow others to use or be in possession of your firearms, there are rumors that many firearms that are currently classified as TItle I firearms may become Title II firearms and controlled under the National Firearms Act. If this happens we will all have to be careful about constructive possession and may lose the ability to transfer these firearms to others, may have to pay a transfer fee to transfer them to others, or may lose them upon our death.

A Gun Trust can allow you to allow others to have access to your firearms and even become the person in control of them after you die. While a regular Gun Trust can your beneficiaries to use and have access to the firearms there is a risk that the people who would receive the benefit after your death may not be able to actually realize the full benefits from the value of your guns.

There is a multi generational gun trust that may solve this problem if you transfer your firearms, magazines, and other related items to your Gun Trust before the law takes effect. It appears that the current proposed legislation would prohibit additional transfers and you might even lose your firearms after you die. With the Irrevocable Gun Trust or multi generational asset protection gun trust (our Professional Gun Trust), the Gun Trust will remain the owner of the firearms even after you pass away. This means that you beneficiaries, your kids and grandchildren, will become authorized managers and users of the firearms. If one day transfers are allowed again, like with the previous assault weapons ban, then they could realize the monetary value of the firearms by selling them. If there is no sunset provision or the ban becomes permanent your family and future family members can become the users and enjoy the benefit of possession and use of the firearms into the future.

Different states have different rules on how long a trust like this can last. Our trust allows for the creator or future manager of the trust to select the jurisdiction rules to follow. This means even if you live in a state with a relatively short time that a trust can exist, you can select the rules of a state so that the trust can last 360 years , 500 years, 1000 years, or even one that can last forever.

The Professional Gun Trust is not designed for everyone, but if you have a substantial firearms collection of the ability to protect the firearms from creditors or potential loss due to legislative change is important you should Contact Us to schedule a time to discuss how this trust may be of benefit to you. If you already have a Gun Trust, you can upgrade your current Gun Trust and for our previous clients we will credit you the full price of the previous trust. This trust is not available online and must be setup with a local lawyer. We start the process in our office to deal with the federal issues and the locally licence lawyer will make state specific changes for state and local laws.

It appears that a former deputy in NY had some firearms that had been previously seized by the police in his personal possession even though they were suppose to be destroyed. One of the items in his possession was a silencer. While it appears that active duty police are permitted to have silencers, once they are no longer a police officer they cannot possess them. The specific details on how he received the silencer are not know, but even if he legally possessed it, once he was no longer a police officer his possession in NY would be in violation of the law.

We are often contacted by NY police officers wanting to set up gun trusts to buy silencers in NY and generally advise against it because of the risks of separation from the police and the consequences. Some police officers form trusts and buy and keep NFA firearms in other states where they are legal but it is risky to bring them to NY.

Recently Google Shopping updated its terms of service to not allow any of the following
Other prohibited categories

The following products are not allowed on Google Shopping:

• Vehicles
• Guns, ammunition and knives
• Tobacco and cigarettes
• Traffic devices (Learn more)
• Products related to casino and gambling
• Products or digital goods that require additional software installation in order to be purchased.
• Products bundled with service plans. (Note: The only products that are allowed to be submitted with a service plan are mobile devices.)

The NSSF is reporting that
NSSF is attempting to reach Google to urge the company to reconsider this discriminatory policy that is hostile to the Second Amendment. We also plan to remind the company and emphasize that firearms cannot be purchased online and be transferred directly to the purchaser. A firearm that is purchased online must be physically sent from one federal firearms licensee to another, with the latter conducting the mandatory FBI background check on the purchaser (represented in person) and then transferring the firearm only after the purchaser has passed background check.

The company's new, anti-gun policy has rightly caused firearms owners to reconsider having Google be their search engine of choice. According to reports, the search engine Bing.com, for example, currently does not block firearms from appearing in shopping results.

Google's restrictive policy comes at a time when retailers and other online information resources have increased their content about firearms because of consumer demand. Fortunately, consumers have other online services to turn to instead of Google for their firearms information.

Yesterday I read on Military Times that the American Silencer Association recently met with some unnamed people in congress and visited the ATF. Below is a video of their trip. Warning its a little long at over 7 minutes and has a lot of unnecessary footage of doorways, buildings and walking. You can skip to 1:25 if you want to see where the content starts.

Joshua Prince wrote a little review of the video on his Pennsylvania Gun Trust Blog where he noticed something that I missed. While many have been talking about the ATF removing the CLEO requirement it has not happened yet. While the CLEO removal would be nice, many would not understand the full benefits if there was not a CLEO requirement for individuals.

Joshua points out that the ASA also points out that since individuals also require fingerprints, and photographs unlike Gun Trusts that it might be possible to start eFiling Form 4 Submissions in the near future. (For those who do not want to watch the 7 minute video, skip to 3 minutes and 4 seconds )

I do not expect either to happen anytime soon, but you never know. If you are looking for a Gun Trust Lawyer® Contact Us or call our office to begin the process of creating a NFA Gun Trust or Gun Trust.