Firearms Disposal/ Removal, Please Share With Your Loved Ones

Great post Nick!

I'd get the word out if anyone else I knew owned guns :p Makes me sad whenever I see them show off a huge pile of usually old and probably interesting guns getting destroyed.
 
Claybuster said:
It's not an unreasonable question when a business asks you and me to "share this with our loved ones" in the context of "historical and sentimental value, collector and museum condition." There is a long history of dealers lying outright about a gun's value to bereaved family members and then turning a massive profit on it. Dealers even have a name for them; "widows guns."
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I can't comment on what other dealers have done, but I can say that in all my dealings with Shane and the crew at Reliable I have been very happy. If I felt I'd ever been dicked around by them, I'd be making noise about it. But, they've been consistently honourable and fair in my experience over the last >10 years that I've been frequenting their shop and the 10's of thousands of dollars worth of transactions. I think this has everything to do with the character of the family that owns the business: They come across as good people. I never once got the feeling that they were out to "hustle", "wheel and deal" or "grind".

Anyway, if anyone did want to use their firearms removal/disposal service and was paranoid about fair pricing; just put the firearm on consignment. The folks at Reliable would take their cut for dealing with the sale and the owner should feel more secure about the selling price knowing that Reliable has a vested interest in making sure the sale price is not too low given that they are paid on a % commission.
 
This is a great idea and service which in many cases will solve some complex issues. It brings to mind another question; I'm sure it is answered somewhere so please direct me to the thread......Is there NO way that a prohibited, restricted, or any firearms can be rendered disabled and then left in the possession of anyone who has no interest in 'guns'. I can imagine the disabling would need to be verified and done by someone 'authorized '
 
Claybuster said:
On several occasions I have thwarted unscrupulous dealers who were trying to screw over widows on valuable firearms. Understanding that you have a business to run and must make a profit does Reliable pay what a neutral third party observer would consider a fair price to people who use the service?
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Let a business make profit and pay their employees or let the rcmp destroy the firearms (the whole rcmp process is paid by taxpayers)...
Hard choices!
 
I am not certain there is anything more damaging to the relationship between law enforcement and gun owners than this tragic plague.
Glad to see someone is making a difference.
 
rkm456 said:
Oh, so you're outright accusing them of taking advantage of people. Got it.
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Some business owners are absolutely unscrupulous,without doubt,usually the pawn shop type. It's simply a fact of life. Most local gun shops that handle these types of deals value their reputations and integrity which would be instantly and irreparably trashed if they stooped to that level.
 
Claybuster said:
On several occasions I have thwarted unscrupulous dealers who were trying to screw over widows on valuable firearms. Understanding that you have a business to run and must make a profit does Reliable pay what a neutral third party observer would consider a fair price to people who use the service?
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^^ This..

Businesses dont care about widows or their stress...They want to make big money off people in tough spots.
 
scott_r said:
^^ This..

Businesses dont care about widows or their stress...They want to make big money off people in tough spots.
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I think you are way out of line if you are trying to imply that the people at Reliable are like that. My guess is that you don't know the folks at Reliable as I don't know anyone out here in Vancouver that would level accusations of "predatory" business practices against Shane and the crew at Reliable.

Sure, there are unscrupulous business people out there who would take advantage of anyone at any time. But, in my first hand experience the folks at Reliable are not like that. And, my experiences are echoed by my many friends who've transacted with them.

It would be really cool of you if you were to respond with a posting saying something like "Hey, I don't know the people at Reliable and I didn't mean to imply that because they are a business they are out to take advantage of widows and desperate people."
 
rkm456 said:
Oh, so you're outright accusing them of taking advantage of people. Got it.
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You don't get it at all. I am not castings aspersions on Reliable. When any gun dealer asks me to pass along information to my loved ones in the context of estate planning or the highly-charged issue of gun amnesties it is entirely reasonable to ask how my survivors will be treated if they avail themselves of this service.

Perhaps if you'd also seen a dealer offer an elderly women $250 for an unaltered Winchester Model 73 in very good condition or $50 for two Lee-Enfield Jungle Carbines still in the Cosmoline paper you'd be a little more wary too.
 
Thank you Reliable for putting up an easy to find alternative to RCMP melting pots . Many people who have lost loved ones often have no desire or means to deal with the guns. Unscrupulous people are in every business, When my grandpa died he left my Grand mother a account of all of his collectible books . Basically a pre-done add describing each book condition rarity etc. she advertised them in the places he suggested and sold a few at good prices to honest collectors . One "collector" bought 20 000 dollars worth of books for $250 bucks . Grandpa had figured that honest people would respond and offer fair value and had not given any suggestion as to price . When I found out I told my mom how much some of those books were worth and she said, well grandma made the sale and would never go back on it so not to worry too much . When my Grandmother passed away my aunt and uncle went up to Fort Mac and emptied everything she owned into a dumpster . This is the way estates are sometimes dealt with and I think Reliable is a better alternative to seeing good guns chopped or given up to the RCMP . If family wants to sell to the top bidder that is their option but if it is just going to be given to the RCMP due to hassle then then there are better ways to be rid of the firearms .
 
Another option that I read on another thread somewhere, if you're just going to hand them in, consider giving them to a firearms instructor. At least they will be put to some good use, instead of being wastefully destroyed.
 
Claybuster said:
Perhaps if you'd also seen a dealer offer an elderly women $250 for an unaltered Winchester Model 73 in very good condition or $50 for two Lee-Enfield Jungle Carbines still in the Cosmoline paper you'd be a little more wary too.
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Or $50 for mint Winchester 1200 w/ 2 barrels and ammo. Thankfully the party walked away and I gave them an offer they were much haapier with.
 
The simple solution is for the dealer to collect the guns, then put them in an auction.
The price is set by the auction audience, not the dealer.
Auction house takes their cut, dealer takes half of remainder, and widow gets other half of remainder.
 
Businesses dont care about widows or their stress...They want to make big money off people in tough spots.
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Sounds like you need to find some better places to shop at. Every businesses owner is not like that, those are probably a minority.

You comment reminds me of the RCMP investigator who said to me once "When a guy is standing in your store with $2000.00 cash in his hand and no PAL, it must be hard for you not to sell him the gun anyways." I told him, "thats right, every gun store owner when shown the prospect of $$$ is just like Monterey Jack from Rescue Rangers, when he smells cheese, we just cannot control ourselves and will do anything."



When buying guns from people who need to get rid of them in a hurry, fair market value is not, the highest price found online, what a friend thinks it should sell for (yet never willing to pay that themselves) EE, or the price that kind of gun has on it on a gun show table (that has been there for the last decade).

Gun stores have no shortage of guns to bring in, so when someone brings in a gun they do not want or need anymore, the store should not be expected to pay top dollar on a gun owner does not even want. If you were to take your old car to the local dealership for them to buy off of you, don't expect Kelly Blue Book pricing. You are lucky with half.

There are examples posted in which a dealer did a very dirty deed in paying a fraction for a gun they knew would sell for many times more. On the flip side, we deal with the other extreme, when a guy is trying to convince me that his Henry Pump 22LR in worth at least $600.00, because the Taco rimfire scope on it is worth $200.00.
 
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