Anyone done this through SilencerCo? Seems like all the info is there? Any advice is appreciated as I'm trying to head down the road to putting a Trust in place.
Thank you-

Don't get a Trust. Just apply for a NFA item without one. After all this is the United States of America, Right?

Super idea Einstein! And helpful!

I wrote my own trust but I would not say it was 'free'. It took me a lot of time to read through all the pertinent codes and review trusts that were filed with the county clerk and part of the public record.

What that got me is a trust that is specific to what I wanted to do, and have happen after I pass. It's more detailed than the basic trusts that are fill in the blank.

The next step I need to take is write instructions for what needs to happen if something happens to me. The trust dictates who my stuff goes to but doesn't spell out exactly how that happens. There's no need to clutter up the trust with that amount of detail but it will be helpful to have it written out and with the trust.

I have not seen the more expensive trust options so I can't comment on what you get for the money other than a bunch of pages. I have looked at a few of the basic trusts and they are all fairly similar.

Why don't you just ask a reputable Class 3 Dealer what is best or suggestions? The dealer I am working with told me I have a very good trust, so I have to trust his opinion because he is in the business. You can get a simple trust by a law group for $99.00. That not expensive when you start talking about the price of an NFA item and a tax stamp.
Or I suppose you can do a lot of reading, make your own summary and hope for the best. It may or may not work.

Ask a class 3 dealer? Unless they are a lawyer they can't really tell you that you have a good trust or not. They can compare it to others that have come before yours but that's about it. The last can I bought is still in jail, the dealer was super confused because my trust has a schedule B and he didn't know what to do with it. So I had to explain to him how it worked.

I'm far from 'hoping for the best' and wondering if it will work or not. I wrote it to work, it does work. If I had paid for it to be done it would be several hundred dollars, not the $99 quickie.

My trust I send in doesn't even have a schedule "a" attached. I attach that to the original and update it as inventory grows. Pantel, who did my SBR, mentioned there was no schedule "A". I said yup, and he was like "OKAY, good luck". Got my Stamp back 133 days later, no problems.

Mine is a very simple 6 page trust that has worked for me, and a lot of my friends for many NFA items. Granted, I am probably not as protected as others, but for what I need, it's perfect.

Isn't this the definition of "hoping for the best"?



Agreed, this is not expensive. For me it's not a matter of trying to save $99, but rather it is to understand the document, tailor it to my family's needs, and to simply DIY if it is reasonable to do so.
For a lot of people there is a satisfaction in understanding the process and then DIY. Other folks don't want to spend the time, and choose to spend the money. It's a fair choce for sure. I don't insult them for choosing that way. I don't see anyone insulting them for choosing that way.



There's always a comment like the end of this quote tossed out on the DIY questions... Why?
I certainly will not be hoping for the best if I write up a trust myself. I'll have confidence based on my reading and other peoples' completed and functioning trusts. A trust will meet the requirements of being a trust (researchable) or not.

It seems to me that there are 2 major benefits to talking with a good lawyer about a trust...
1. You'll have the lawyer's experience in adding things to the trust beyond the researchable minimum requirements.
2. You'll have someone to defend you in case there is an error in your trust. (So even spendy trusts have errors?)

These are valuable, I don't doubt it. My question for a few pages here has been - what are the most common errors in an NFA trust? How often are the mistakes made, and how much work/time/money goes in to repairing them?
Certainly, it is tempting to go the open-my-wallet route, but I'm trying to learn here. I might go that route- but asking a few questions first. I'll understand my trust whether I pay $1000 for it or type it up and get it notarized myself.

When I first joined this thread with my questions I was asking about the differences between different levels of purchased trusts including the cheapies. I wasn't sure if the cheap trusts were the same as the templates that are available "out there."

It was simple curiosity and trying to learn. The next big mystery I have is trying to figure out why a few people get so angry and insulting about this particular topic. This is not the first thread about NFA trusts to get sandy. (Maybe the sandiness is not about trusts?)

Mysteries are fun!

Mike, I don't think you're going to get a good answer to the question, "Is a free/cheap trust as good as an expensive trust," or any question similar to that. Two reasons:

1) The question is too generic. There are many free/cheap trusts, and there are many expensive trusts. I doubt that a general statement would always be accurate.

2) There are very few lawyers here, and even fewer that have a good working knowledge of the common firearms trusts out there.

If you're serious about getting a good and detailed answer, you'll probably need to take some free/cheap trusts to a good lawyer and get his/her opinion on them. And of course, once you do that you've just turned it into an expensive trust . . . .

+1

Everyone's situation is different. I have a few friends that have done the $99/bronze route and it works fine for them. My situation was a little more complicated and I felt comfortable writing it myself. I won't say my trust is better than there's, it just works better for me the way I want it to. The main difference with mine is that I added a schedule B that dictates who gets what. If you only have one beneficiary it doesn't matter but if you have multiple items going to multiple beneficiaries it makes sense to spell it out the way I did. Saves them trying to figure out how to split an SBR three ways.

I don't know how to answer the question of what the most common errors are. Most of the problems I've heard of with wills and other estate planning devices usually involve not updating them (say if a trustee or beneficiary passes away) or changing them improperly. My Dad was working on a will that the deceased had changed by drawing lines through things he didn't want anymore and writing in the margins. I would have thought it obvious that wills shouldn't be changed that way but apparently not.

Well to be very honest with you, I am not sure who you buy your NFA items with. I would wonder about that business if they did not have some sort of working knowledge about trusts, if they are selling NFA/Class 3 items. The dealer I am currently working with is very reputable and has knowledge about the business he is doing. That speaks volumes if you have to explain the process to the dealer.
Do you go to the Doctor and explain what you plan of treatment should be and what medications you should take?
Personally I do not sell trusts, and to be honest I am new to NFA/Class 3 items. I took advice and invested in a document to make this process easier, that’s all. Also, My Son’s name is on my trust so all my firearms and registered items will go to him.
I am the kind of guy that when I get a brake job done on my car, I do not go with the cheap brake pads to save a few $$. I spend more money, not to just say I like to just throw around the cash, but there is something to be said that an investment made where it is important, it will pay off in the end.

I'm the kind of guy that does his own brake jobs.

Not because I'm cheap but because I want to make sure it's done right and I can do it faster than taking it to a shop.

Precisely the reason to utilize advantages of living in this great country by protecting hard earned assets within the confines of a trust.

Gun Trusts
Consider a Gun Trust despite the ATF Rule 41F Law.
There are several options available to obtain a NFA item with or without a trust.

Bronze Edition Gun Trust ($97)

http://nwgunlawgroup.com/gun-trusts/bronze-gun-trust/

I do not sell trusts, I do not get a kickback or compensation for any suggestions, nor do I in any way profit for sharing any information. Nor am I an expert with Gun trusts or NFA items in the least.

Man, I read it as they were offering a trust for $10. Only a $10 discount is less enticing.