Fallschirmjaager
Consumer Whore
I am currently serving in Afghanistan with the US Army. I have a lot of guns back home and I'm worried about them. I won't be returning until at least the beginning of November, probably more like Thanksgiving time, so I can't really do much of anything until after SB281 goes into effect. I left a law abiding citizen, but now run the risk of coming home a criminal or at the very least being out thousands of dollars just because I stood up to serve my country rather than staying behind to fight my state.
As of now, I have the following problems:
1: I have a bolt rifle (Savage Mk.II) at Scott's getting chopped and threaded (still Title 1). It's probably done by now, I haven't e-mailed them to find out and I don't think they have my e-mail as I only left them with a phone number. They're really stand up guys and extremely well respected in the local community so I don't expect any trouble on their end, but I'm not 100% sure how to legally get the rifle back and into safe hands. My mom is my POA and also a co-trustee on my NFA trust (which I may be putting all my weapons into after I research this option a little more) so I'm thinking she should be able to handle it but I'm not sure how yet. She is very good with legal stuff but only recently became interested in firearms and isn't up to speed on all the state and federal laws yet.
2: I have a Romanian RPK being built by Glade Valley. They have my parts kit and a receiver on which I have not yet filled out any paperwork. They also have a can I'm still waiting on, I sent the F4 out the day before I left (Jan 2nd). If my mom can take possession of the receiver prior to October 1st, (which means doing a 77R in my name as POA or titling it to herself and then selling it to me later, which she can't do unless I move out of MD) I should have no problems. If not, my best option is to try and find an out of state dealer to ship it to who will hold on to it until I get home, in which case I still can't take possession until I move out of the state. The can I'm also not sure about; again she's on my trust so she may be able to take possession for me but I'm not 100% on that. I also don't know yet what status the can will have once October 1st comes around, I have to do more digging on that.
3: I want to buy some neat old rifles over here. Enfield-Martini Short Levers, 1886 Lebels and various percussion cap rifles of neat vintages abound over here, and for pretty cheap. They're all pre-1898 (non-firearms by both Federal and MD law) so I can get them shipped home with just a signed memo from my commander but once they're in MD they're in danger. I'll explain why shortly.
4: My currently owned NFA items are with my parents. Three cans and a particularly expensive SBR, which will definitely NOT meet MD's stringent new regulations. I can not leave them with anyone else unless I add them to my trust, as all the co-trustees are my immediate family and they all live in MD. I have considered the idea of getting with JAG over here to add a trustee, but I just got a very generous offer from an 07/02 on another board to repair them for me. Seeing as they're all broken, that sounds like a great plan. I'll likely go that route after discussing it with the folks back home.
5: I have an SSG-97 (Romanian SVD) that I bought years ago on military orders out of state. It has never been registered in MD. Can my mom do a 77R on it? I assume if she can take possession of the RPK receiver than this should be just as easy, but it's a similar problem. What if I didn't have a POA? I'm just a criminal because I'm deployed and can't comply with their childish new law?
All this might sound slightly alarmist for the simple reason that I bought all my handguns and all but one of my "assault weapons" in MD, and they are therefor registered. I don't as of yet have any weapons that were non-regulated before but which will become regulated when the bill goes into effect. With the one exception mentioned above, none of my rifles or pistols need to be registered in order to comply as they already have been at the time of purchase. THIS BEING SAID: I intend to fight this bill, sign the petition for referendum, write my delegates, flood my Facebook feed, etc. etc. until I have made myself very well known to the powers that be. I have testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee in support of relaxed Concealed Carry legislation, I have had the numbers run on some of my guns by police throughout the state, and in at least one county my old residence was known as "the house with the guns" to the county cops, even after I had left for Iraq in '07. They know who I am already and they're only gonna know more certainly over the next couple of months. They can, have and WILL break into peoples houses to steal their shit, and I have nothing but solid reasons to believe they'll do the same to me. You guys know damned well that when they come for a gun, they come for all the guns, no matter what caliber, vintage or design. I need them out before I can fight the way I want. This brings me to my final issue:
Can I loan everything (everything Title I that is) to an out of state friend if he is not a prohibited person? If I do that, can I get them back into the state later?
I don't want to come home a criminal and find that all my guns are gone.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
As of now, I have the following problems:
1: I have a bolt rifle (Savage Mk.II) at Scott's getting chopped and threaded (still Title 1). It's probably done by now, I haven't e-mailed them to find out and I don't think they have my e-mail as I only left them with a phone number. They're really stand up guys and extremely well respected in the local community so I don't expect any trouble on their end, but I'm not 100% sure how to legally get the rifle back and into safe hands. My mom is my POA and also a co-trustee on my NFA trust (which I may be putting all my weapons into after I research this option a little more) so I'm thinking she should be able to handle it but I'm not sure how yet. She is very good with legal stuff but only recently became interested in firearms and isn't up to speed on all the state and federal laws yet.
2: I have a Romanian RPK being built by Glade Valley. They have my parts kit and a receiver on which I have not yet filled out any paperwork. They also have a can I'm still waiting on, I sent the F4 out the day before I left (Jan 2nd). If my mom can take possession of the receiver prior to October 1st, (which means doing a 77R in my name as POA or titling it to herself and then selling it to me later, which she can't do unless I move out of MD) I should have no problems. If not, my best option is to try and find an out of state dealer to ship it to who will hold on to it until I get home, in which case I still can't take possession until I move out of the state. The can I'm also not sure about; again she's on my trust so she may be able to take possession for me but I'm not 100% on that. I also don't know yet what status the can will have once October 1st comes around, I have to do more digging on that.
3: I want to buy some neat old rifles over here. Enfield-Martini Short Levers, 1886 Lebels and various percussion cap rifles of neat vintages abound over here, and for pretty cheap. They're all pre-1898 (non-firearms by both Federal and MD law) so I can get them shipped home with just a signed memo from my commander but once they're in MD they're in danger. I'll explain why shortly.
4: My currently owned NFA items are with my parents. Three cans and a particularly expensive SBR, which will definitely NOT meet MD's stringent new regulations. I can not leave them with anyone else unless I add them to my trust, as all the co-trustees are my immediate family and they all live in MD. I have considered the idea of getting with JAG over here to add a trustee, but I just got a very generous offer from an 07/02 on another board to repair them for me. Seeing as they're all broken, that sounds like a great plan. I'll likely go that route after discussing it with the folks back home.
5: I have an SSG-97 (Romanian SVD) that I bought years ago on military orders out of state. It has never been registered in MD. Can my mom do a 77R on it? I assume if she can take possession of the RPK receiver than this should be just as easy, but it's a similar problem. What if I didn't have a POA? I'm just a criminal because I'm deployed and can't comply with their childish new law?
All this might sound slightly alarmist for the simple reason that I bought all my handguns and all but one of my "assault weapons" in MD, and they are therefor registered. I don't as of yet have any weapons that were non-regulated before but which will become regulated when the bill goes into effect. With the one exception mentioned above, none of my rifles or pistols need to be registered in order to comply as they already have been at the time of purchase. THIS BEING SAID: I intend to fight this bill, sign the petition for referendum, write my delegates, flood my Facebook feed, etc. etc. until I have made myself very well known to the powers that be. I have testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee in support of relaxed Concealed Carry legislation, I have had the numbers run on some of my guns by police throughout the state, and in at least one county my old residence was known as "the house with the guns" to the county cops, even after I had left for Iraq in '07. They know who I am already and they're only gonna know more certainly over the next couple of months. They can, have and WILL break into peoples houses to steal their shit, and I have nothing but solid reasons to believe they'll do the same to me. You guys know damned well that when they come for a gun, they come for all the guns, no matter what caliber, vintage or design. I need them out before I can fight the way I want. This brings me to my final issue:
Can I loan everything (everything Title I that is) to an out of state friend if he is not a prohibited person? If I do that, can I get them back into the state later?
I don't want to come home a criminal and find that all my guns are gone.
Thanks in advance for any advice.