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The youngest of my sisters is the executor of my parents and my older sisters estates. As she's been going thru their belongings she's found several old handguns and a pistol grip shotgun. According to her, most look like they are at least 20-25 years old and she's found an Italian pistol that my father must have brought back from WWII. She's asking me if she needs to register them? If so how, since she has no idea who they were bought from or when? Also, could she carry any of these pistols in her vehichle when traveling? She is concerned because she's heard that if she's stopped, and the pistol she has in her vehicle is not registered, it will be taken by the police. And she's afraid she'll be put in jail as well. My understanding, is a person in Texas can travel with a handgun in the glove box. But I'm not sure how to address her questions. Help??

She has heard wrong.

There is no firearm registration required in Texas.

Welcome to the forum Pete! Glad to have you with us!

There is NO gun registration in Texas, except for those weapons that fall under the auspices of the National Firearms Act(mainly fully automatic weapons, silencers, short barreled shotguns & rifles).

I assume you are in Texas, so no registration is needed, EXCEPT maybe for the pistol gripped shotgun. My area of expertise does not extend to that type gun.

If you could more fully describe the type/kind of guns you have, maybe we could give a better answer.

I'll try to get a better description from her on the pistols. I met her on Thursday on my way to Big Bend and just got a chance to post this question, today. Yes, I'm in Texas. She knows I got my CHL in March and thought she'd ask me about these weapons. But I thought I'd get better information from you folks with a lot more experience.

Also, could she carry any of these pistols in her vehichle when traveling?

Yes, loaded and concealed (not necessarily in the glovebox), unless she is under 21 or has a felony on record.

TX CHL 1997
CO CHP 2005

As far as the shotgun, barrel length and overall length is what matters. 18" barrel and if I remember right it's 26" overall. Someone correct me if that's wrong or has changed.

pistolpete1 wrote:I'll try to get a better description from her on the pistols. I met her on Thursday on my way to Big Bend and just got a chance to post this question, today. Yes, I'm in Texas. She knows I got my CHL in March and thought she'd ask me about these weapons. But I thought I'd get better information from you folks with a lot more experience.

Check your PM inbox.

nothings changed. Pistols gripped shotguns are not an issue.

If the firearms are old and she intends to carry in her car under the MPA it would probably be a good idea to have someone check them out to ensure they are safe to operate (shoot). Also some ammo on the market today is not safe for older guns (+P).

Thanks folks, great information. I'll share this with my sister. And I've already asked her to get these weapons thoroughly checked out before she tries to use them. I really don't know yet, what she has, only that she tells me they're very old. Again, thanks.

pistolpete1 wrote:Thanks folks, great information. I'll share this with my sister. And I've already asked her to get these weapons thoroughly checked out before she tries to use them. I really don't know yet, what she has, only that she tells me they're very old. Again, thanks.

Some very good advice above. And welcome to the Forum.

The older the guns are, the less likely they should be fired...or even "cleaned up." I'll hasten to add that, to me, a circa 1980 firearm is far from "old."

Once you know exactly what she has, do some Google-fu, particularly on that WWII handgun. Certain makes, models, issue dates, and serial numbers of historic firearms can be quite valuable to collectors. But an innocent attempt at buff and polish to make them look better can have a deleterious effect on value. And firing them certainly would. Better to leave them exactly as-found until you know what you have; just store them in a humidity-protected environment in the meantime, and that might be as simple as a drawer with a couple of large silica gell packets tossed in (available for cheap at places like Gander Mountain and Academy).

The items that are 20-25 years old probably can be made completely serviceable by a good gunsmith...and that may be as simple and inexpensive as replacing a spring or two and giving 'em a good cleaning.

WWII era items and earlier might be worth some money. You can probably find out online if they aren't of significant value, but to fully understand if they are you'll need to consult a knowledgeable collector. Depending on where you are in Texas, there may be collectors' associations you can contact to try to arrange for an honest appraisal. Don't want to get your hopes up, but I think it's worth determining if the older firearms have any intrinsic collector's value.

Seriously, some of them may be worth a ton of money. Please make sure you have some trusted dealer examine them.

I personally actually created a list of items, after I pass on, my heir would be able to determine the values for those items.

rdcrags wrote:

Also, could she carry any of these pistols in her vehichle when traveling?

Yes, loaded and concealed (not necessarily in the glovebox), unless she is under 21 or has a felony on record.

TX CHL 1997
CO CHP 2005

The age requirement is specifically to the purchase of firearms, nothing to do with age for possessing/carrying. In fact Texas has a law that allows Active Duty Military to get a CHL at the age of 18.