Umon M. lives in Minnesota. During a recent Thanksgiving weekend, Umon traveled from Minnesota to Tennessee to visit friends.
He brought with him a newly acquired pistol that he purchased from a Scheels store in Minnesota.
While in Tennessee, Umon and his friends decided to go target shooting.
Unfortunately, the group was shooting in an area where it wasn’t legal for them to do so.
A police officer told them they couldn’t shoot, and he asked if he could run checks on their guns.
Everyone in the group said that would be fine.
But when the officer ran Umon’s weapon it came back as being reported stolen, and the officer placed Umon in handcuffs.
“I hate to do it, but what I’m going to do right now is I’m just going to detain you,” the officer said.
Umon did everything right, complied with the officer, and explained he had legally purchased the gun from Scheels in Minnesota.
For the next hour, Umon remained handcuffed while the officer worked to figure out if the gun was legally purchased.
Eventually, Umon was released by police after he found paperwork proving he purchased the gun from Scheels.
Scheels also confirmed that Umon had legally purchased the gun from them.
However, the police did confiscate the gun that day.
According to a media report in Minnesota, Umon wasn’t the only person who bought a gun from Scheels that had been reported stolen.
In Umon’s case, the gun he legally purchased was originally stolen in 2013 in Arizona.
After the gun was stolen, another man legally purchased it from Scheels.
A few years later, he went back to Scheels and traded the gun in for another firearm.
Umon then purchased the gun and took it with him on his trip to Tennessee.
As a result of the incident, Umon sued Scheels.
But a judge dismissed the case after Scheels lawyers argued that the store had no way to know if the firearm was stolen as Scheels doesn’t have a database to trace firearms.
Now, a lot of gun owners buy, sell, and trade firearms with gun shops.
But the process of trading in a firearm varies depending on where you go.
So, here are a few things to keep in mind if you plan on trading in a firearm so you can get the most on your trade-in.
Condition is everything:
The biggest key to the value of any firearm is condition.
To maintain the value of a firearm it should be well-maintained, cleaned, and functional.
This will make it less likely that parts are worn out or missing.
If you have a gun that is in bad condition, it’s worth getting it repaired or cleaned before trying to trade it in.
Accessories:
When you get a new firearm, you might not save the box or extra accessories that come with the gun.
You probably already have plenty of gun parts and don’t need more.
But these are things that will help with trade-in value.
Items like boxes, manuals, and extra magazines can increase the trade-in value of a firearm.
It will also show the firearms dealer that you have taken care of the firearm and the items that come with it.
If you don’t have these items, it just means that you might get a little less of the value.
Shop around:
The current state of society will play a big role in the supply and demand of firearms.
During the pandemic, demand was high and guns were hard to find.
Right now, many gun owners are happy with the incoming President-elect and not a lot of people are rushing to buy guns.
If you wait until there’s more demand, you may get more value on a trade-in.
Also, if you are looking to trade in a gun for another gun that store might be willing to haggle since you will be buying something as well.
If you are looking to move on from a gun, you will get more money by selling it yourself.
But that comes with its own hassles.
So, if you want an easier process, you can trade in the gun and get a new one at the same time.
But get different quotes to make sure they are all in the same ballpark.
And once you do get that firearm that you’re searching for, you want to keep it safe and sound – especially from the grubby mitts of the gun grabber contingency.
