How to Add Firearms to Your Estate Plan in Florida

Many families in Florida believe in the Second Amendment, and they amass considerable collections of firearms over the years. If this sounds familiar, you might have various guns that you wish to leave behind after your passing. Some of these firearms could be very expensive, rare, or even prohibited by today’s standards. Perhaps you have inherited some of your firearms from your own relatives, and you want to continue the tradition of handing them down through the generations. Whatever the case may be, it might be time to get started with a gun trust in Tampa.

Who Needs a Gun Trust?

 Not everyone needs a gun trust. Florida is famous for its strong support of the Second Amendment, and it puts few restrictions on the possession, sale, purchase, and transfer of various firearms. This means that it is actually quite easy to transfer your firearm collection to a beneficiary without overly complex legal steps.

However, not all firearms are created equal in Florida. Some are exceedingly rare, and they may have been obtained at a time when current laws did not exist. This creates a situation where it is legal to own certain prohibited firearms, but it is illegal to acquire these firearms. Common examples include fully automatic weapons, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns, and some “destructive devices.”

The definition of a destructive device is quite vague, although these objects include grenades, missile launchers, cannons, and so on. You might also come into possession of silencers, pistol conversion kits, and other upgrades that make normal weapons into “Title II firearms.” Although many people are not aware of this fact, it is technically legal for some Americans to own missile launchers, grenade launchers, machine guns, and various other “military-grade” weapons under certain circumstances.

If you own any of these weapons, you might be wondering how you can pass them down to your beneficiaries without breaking federal law and potentially incriminating your own family members. A gun trust solves this issue. With a gun trust, ownership of the Title II firearm passes to the trust – and not a specific individual. With this strategy, you can keep your family members out of trouble – while keeping your guns in the family.

Another potential benefit of a gun trust is that it allows you to share your Title II guns during your lifetime – even before you pass away. Without a gun trust, it is all too easy to risk legal issues if you let a friend or family member fire your Title II gun. Speak with an experienced estate planning lawyer in Tampa for more information about gun trusts.

Find an Experienced Gun Trust Lawyer in Tampa 

If you’re serious about creating a gun trust in Tampa, reach out to Knudsen Law at your earliest convenience. With our help, you can secure a reliable future for your firearm collection. Reach out to our Tampa gun trust lawyers today to discuss your estate planning options in more detail, and get started with an effective action plan.

Sources: 

atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/national-firearms-act

atf.gov/firearms/qa/which-firearms-are-regulated-under-nfa