Inheriting Guns: A Hypothetical Question

[Sunray]

"...you and your siblings inherited ten or more guns?..." Shouldn't happen. The will should specify who gets what. No decent lawyer would recommend anything of high value being left that vague.
"...the executor of the estate should decide who gets what..." Not the executor's decision. The executor is just the 'business manager', so to speak, of the estate. Who gets what is up to the testator.
"...squabbling heirs almost always end up regretting..." They end up regretting the squabbling. Usually over small estates too.

 

[David E]

Since I already had quite a few guns and my brother did not have many, I took only one and told my brother that he could have the rest.

So, which one did YOU pick ?

 

[rondog]

I have three brothers, and we all get along wonderfully. When our dad passed away, we pretty much just sat down and talked about who wanted what, including his guns. I wanted his Rem. 700 .30-06, he also had a 12ga. Browning A5, a 16ga. Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen, and an old single-shot .22. I don't remember what brother got what gun, but we were all happy with it.

We're very fortunate that we all get along well, never any arguing or squabbling. Dad did very well at taking care of us and Mom. We recently learned that we all own mineral rights on several pieces of land in western OK, apparently this dates back to our great-grandfather, who was a settler in one of the land rushes back in the late 1800's. Dad didn't have any "war trophy guns", he and Mom were both machinists during WWII at Mare Island shipyard.

 

[Lancel]

So, which one did YOU pick ?

A nickel finished S&W 27-2.

Larry

 

[scythefwd]

I have been informed that my inheritance is everything my dad owns. That would be a lot of guns, and that is about it. 10 or more might cover what he has in the display case... I don't know what he has in the safes, cases, and just lying around anymore. I will honor my fathers wishes, and I will not give any to my brother or sisters. That will hurt more than losing my father... not sharing him with the rest of my family.

 

[22-rimfire]

I have limited experience. My grandmother died, and some of her children were like scavenging dogs. I don't even want to see them (uncles and aunts) any more after that period and that was 10 years ago. Needless to say it left a bitter taste in my mouth which has not gone away.

The best thing to do is put your intentions in a will. It is no guarantee that it will play out like that, but it is about all you can do.

 

[TooTaxed]

You are wise to include in your will how your guns are to be distributed, as well as leaving instructions how they are to be valued and suggestions as to how they can be marketed to get fair value. In my experience, not all heirs are interested in guns and would just as soon have the cash value. Similarly, not all of the guns are "special" and may readily be sold.

It may help if they are specifically referred to as "family heirlooms"...at least the prized guns! That could possibly give a basis for a lawsuit against someone who "disposes" of the guns in the future without notifying the rest of the family. (A real gun hater...such as my sister-in-law!...will simply drop them off a bridge into a deep lake rather than let anyone else have use of them.)

I recently went to an estate sale including the accurized firearms, expensive reloading equipment, components, and shooting gear of one of America's past shooting champions...it was really, really sad. The family, none of whom were shooters, almost certainly did not get 10% of what the stuff was worth. That was a real "wake up call" for me...

Example: One of the items was a M1A SS barreled rifle with adjustable cheekpiece and a large, clunking heavy scope including a block attached...I couldn't readily identify the tactical scope as the external ID was all covered by the blocky mechanism. No one knew what it was, and no one bid on it. At the close, the family still had the rifle and wanted to dispose of it...asked me for an offer. To help them out, I initially offered $1,600 for the rifle alone...I had a nice Leopold scope at home to put on it. The family counteroffered the entire setup for $1,800...which I took as I figured I could sell the scope for at least that difference.

When I got home I noticed a "BORS" ID on the bottom of the block...researched it on INET, and was shocked to find that I had a Barrett BORS computerized sight paired with a Leopold Mk 4 scope! Also found that the rifle with its rather unusual stock had been accurized by the Army Marksmanship Unit. I had an easy $5,000 worth of rifle for my $1,800!

 

[Badlander]

Lancel
I hope your brother in now single. or disowned!

 

[DammitBoy]

When my Dad passed away my mother asked me to take his gun collection. None of my brothers had any interest in them at all.

 

[Officers'Wife]

Before my Grandfather died he wrote down which child/grandchild would get which personal item and his various other assets. My cousin (an attorney) called it a will. That bit of cheek out of the way, it would depend on the desirability of the weapons involved. Ten wall hangers, sell for what you can get. Objects with great sentimental or family history value divide up as fairly as possible.

If all else fails, you and your siblings sit at a table with coffee and discuss the matter and come up with a fair solution.

 

[Mr.Davis]

If all parties are interested in the guns, do the following. For the purpose of the example, we'll imagine there are 10 guns and five people (this works best when there are more items than people, to ensure everyone gets something).

Lay all 10 guns on a table. Number each one with a little card by the gun. Give everyone 15-30 minutes (depending on number of people present) to examine the guns and decide what they're most interested in. Explain that each individual will have 100 points to disperse between the guns they want. The person who bids the most points on each gun wins it.

Then, have each person (privately) write down a "bid" for each gun on a card. At the end, compare the bids and award the guns to the people who bid the most for each.

Using this method, someone who REALLY wants a certain gun can blow almost their entire points stash on one weapon, but it leaves them with only that gun. On the other hand, somebody more interested in quantity can bid modest amounts on a number of different firearms and walk away with more than another person.

It's not perfect, but it's better than selling them all off.