Hmac wrote:XDM45 wrote:Right now I've never sold a gun, but that doesn't mean I won't in the future. Having given thought to this already, I've established my own personal guidelines for it. Yours will vary, and that's ok, but this is how I will do it when the time comes.....
1) You must have a MN ID that is current and valid.
2) You must have a MN Permit To Carry that is current and valid.
3) The full name and addresses on both items above must match exactly.
4) You must pay cash in full at time of purchase (USD of course).
5) The price is firm. I don't negotiate and play games if I want $500, that's what I ask for. I don't jack the price up and then "come down" to my number.
6) I do not deliver to you and we will meet in a public place where I'll have the item(s) with me.
As for craigslist, I anonymize the email, make them give me a phone number, then I block mine when calling them. If they don't anwser, I leave a message stating I will call back. I know all of this seems really anal, but I've learned my lesson long ago with CL nutjobs. Keep them and most buyers at a distance. As I said, I haven't ever sold a gun, so except for the first three, all the others have always applied to me whenever I've sold stuff on CL or anywhere else locally.
Do you carry a gun when you go to meet these proposed buyers?
Since until recently I have not had a PTC, no.
Now that I have a PTC? Yes, I will... of course....but not for the reason many people are probably thinking of... that I take my gun as a precaution because I think something may happen in a particular situation I'm going into.... IF that's the case, then I shouldn't (and I won't....) go to such a place, meeting, etc. Avoidance, De-escalation, and Escape are more valuable tools than a gun, which is a last resort. Avoidance is the #1 rule. Trust your instincts and avoid situations if at all possible.
I wouldn't and don't carry my gun JUST to go make a sale or buy something... but because I carry as close to 24x7x365 as I can get. Carrying is just part of me going on about my daily business, that's all. My personal belief is that if you pick and choose what places to carry at (when you can legally do so), that may lead more into intent and any good judge, DA, lawyer would ask "If you thought the situation was dangerous, why did you go there? Why did bring a gun when you could have just waited for a different buyer (place, time, location, etc?" If you carry all the time (when you legally can), then no one can say that you picked and chose, expected danger, could have avoided the situation, etc, because you were just going on about your business. I'm not a lawyer, but if I were one, that's how I'd look at it at least (in part).
I do realize it's just not possible to carry due to legal restrictions, you're in the shower, swimming, at work where guns aren't allowed or some such situation; so in those, no, I can't carry, but whenever I can, I do. It's just part of going on about my business like having my car keys and cell phone are. To each their own, but if someone has a PTC, I just don't get why they don't carry when they can.
(I have a relative like that and I don't get it, but to each their own. He says he doesn't want to put his assets at risk, but to me, my greatest asset is my life - and NOT carrying is putting that at risk, but that's how I look at it.)