Who in Florida (west coast/Tampa area) do Appleseeder's use to set up gun trusts? Any recommendations?
I used David Goldman to create my trust. He was highly recommended by my FFL.
https://www.jacksonvillelawyer.pro/florida-nfa-trust-lawyer.html
I used Ernest Myers in Orlando. Highly recommended.
He's not a trust lawyer nor an NFA lawyer himself, but is an NRA instructor and long-time gun guy. For the trust paperwork and documents, he used licensed legal software from one of the NFA guru lawyers. He also spent an hour or two with me and my wife (trustee) when we created the trust to explain the NFA, regulations, and how to use the documents. Much appreciated.
Enlighten me (no joke). What are gun trusts? What are they good for? Why should I get one? Why should citizen Joe Gunowner need one? Or, are they a seasonal fad (like the hula hoop and the yo yo?
aj
David Goldman explains benefits on his webpage (line above).
I used Goldsmith as well. It turned out that he was a participating attorney in the Metlife/Hyatt Legal Plan I get at work. No charge.
Go to the Silencer Shop website and poke around a little. They give you pretty good information, and if you find one of their kiosks in many of their affiliate gun stores, you can get your photos and fingerprints done pretty conveniently. It's also convenient if you have trustees in a different location. All they have to find is a Silencer Shop kiosk instead of sending their information to you.
Tim
Quote from: airplanejoe on February 04, 2017, 09:36:37 AM
Enlighten me (no joke). What are gun trusts? What are they good for? Why should I get one? Why should citizen Joe Gunowner need one? Or, are they a seasonal fad (like the hula hoop and the yo yo?
aj
A gun trust, like any other trust, is an estate planning tool. They are popular for buying and owning NFA weapons for a number of reasons, some more valid than others and some more relevant to a few than to most. They used to be used to buy a silencer because trusts and corporations had an easier paper dance than individuals, though that's largely been fixed so individuals are treated the same as paper entities. The HUGE advantage is buying silencers or the like then passing them down to your heirs. Used to be you could leave them to your heirs tax free when you died (only if you filed the right form before you died) but if you wanted to give them to the kids when you were old but not dead, it was a complete new transfer with $200 a pop tax due. With a trust you can add (or remove) people from the trust, which allows you a lot of flexibility in your life time and you can pass the trust to your heirs easily, smoothly and legally. They have the advantage of being a set it and forget it deal. You set up the trust, buy and hold the assets, and you don't have to file new forms or anything. If you live one day or a hundred years, the paper work is done. And, wait for it....it's cheap.
Most people don't bother with a gun trust for non NFA weapons but bit by bit I'm putting my title 1 (ie, regular guns) into the trust. That way my son gets what I want him to get. My guns aren't part of the estate like my house etc, they are in a trust. Protected, and ownership is in essence already his.
A trust is a good way to hold ownership of all sorts of property. If you've never talked to a lawyer about it, you should.