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Last year at Christmas time our neighborhood was getting robbed very often. Well it looks like its starting up again. My neighbor just got his car broken into for the 2nd time this season.

He expressed the desire for some home protection. I am wondering is it legal for me to let him borrow a gun of mine for self defense or do I need to sell it to him? If so if he needs to use it in defense and something goes wrong will that come back to me?

Sorry if this is a dumb question to some of you but I want to help him if I can and would like to know the legal aspects of this.

Thanks

Well it seems to me that he should simply buy his own gun,
if he can pass the background check. If he needs a gun, he
should be able to scare up $300 or $400 to get himself something
that goes bang.

You can't fully know what his legal history looks like, and it
seems that you could be in trouble if you loaned or sold him a
gun, then later found out that he was an ineligible person.

SIA

Assuming he's not a prohibited person, it's perfectly legal for you to sell, give, loan, or rent your gun to him.

Depending on how well you know and/or trust him, it sure wouldn't hurt to have him sign a statement agreeing to certain terms, including return of the gun on demand.

chabouk wrote:Assuming he's not a prohibited person, it's perfectly legal for you to sell, give, loan, or rent your gun to him.

Depending on how well you know and/or trust him, it sure wouldn't hurt to have him sign a statement agreeing to certain terms, including return of the gun on demand.

There's nothing in Texas law prohibiting you from loaning it to him. It comes down to how well you know him & trust him with guns. In addition it'd probably be a good idea to take him to the practice range with you to see how well he handles and shoots a gun before you loan it to him.

And for you, stay safe! The troubles could possibly spill over to your place, God forbid. Situational awareness!

My old Daddy, bless his heart, was neither a learned nor a wealthy man. He did; however, instill in me certain values and mores. He believed that a man's word and credit was his bond, he also told me to never loan a gun, a car or a wife to anyone. So far, his teachings have paid off.

Not a dumb question at all. I agree with all the posters so far, except for letting someone borrow your truck.

I would offer my help recommending or picking out a gun, taking him the the range to help him learn to shoot, but I woudn't offer to loan him a gun. If you have one that you don't want you might offer to sell it to him, but I would more likely visit a gun store with him.

It sounds like he has reasons to be concerned about this safety and his property so he needs to take the initiatave to buy his own gun. If some one breaks into his car or house and steals something, you don't want it to be one of your guns.

all great info and suggestions. Thank you all for the help

XD, sell him the gun for a small amount and create a bill of sale, when your neighbor no longer needs the pistol, buy it back from him for the same amount he bought it from you for. lat would take care of the whole "loaning someone a gun" issue.

WildBill wrote:If some one breaks into his car or house and steals something, you don't want it to be one of your guns.

You beat me to it, Bill. That was the first thing that occurred to me... ...what if you loan him your gun, and someone steals it?

I would recommend taking him to a pawn shop and looking for an inexpensive shot gun. I bet you could find something decent for $150- $200.

If he is a close friend and you want to loan him something, I think you are safe. Big word of caution, make sure you give him a trigger lock of some sort incase one of his kids gets a hold of it. You don't want a little kid to hurt himself and be the owner of the gun. If you give him the gun and the trigger lock, you should be protected.

Just something to think about.

karder wrote:I would recommend taking him to a pawn shop and looking for an inexpensive shot gun. I bet you could find something decent for $150- $200.

If he is a close friend and you want to loan him something, I think you are safe. Big word of caution, make sure you give him a trigger lock of some sort incase one of his kids gets a hold of it. You don't want a little kid to hurt himself and be the owner of the gun. If you give him the gun and the trigger lock, you should be protected.

Just something to think about.

I might be more willing to loan the cost of the gun than find out later I'm a player in a string of unfortunate events that began by lending someone my gun.

I wouldn't loan a gun to an untrained person for unsupervised use. I might loan a gun to a friend while we're at the range, or to a really good friend who had his guns stolen/confiscated. Anyone else is welcome to buy their own gun(s) with their own money.

I guess it depends on how well you know him. Ask him point blank if he can legally own a gun.

Selling it to him is a good idea. Loaning the money to buy a gun is another. Taking him shooting and giving him a good safety drill is the best idea if you are considering the first two. You should also Impress on him the idea that using a gun will kill someone and he had better be willing to do it if necessary.

Pump action shotguns are pretty cheap even new. I think you can find Mossberg shotguns pretty cheap. Pistols are not always cheap, but 38 revolvers or used Rugers and such aren't too bad.

MechAg94 wrote:I guess it depends on how well you know him. Ask him point blank if he can legally own a gun.

Selling it to him is a good idea. Loaning the money to buy a gun is another. Taking him shooting and giving him a good safety drill is the best idea if you are considering the first two. You should also Impress on him the idea that using a gun will kill someone and he had better be willing to do it if necessary.

First of all, it would be a real special ocassion for me to loan a gun to anyone out of my sight. After that, I'd advise that special someone that you can kill people with a gun. Do whatever you must to protect you and yours and avoid that final scenario...if at all possible. Dead is a long time and you'll have to live with what you did...or, didn't do...for a long time.