How to Sell a Gun in Louisiana

Sell My Gun - Key Points:

• The minimum age to buy guns from private sellers in Louisiana is 18.
• Private gun sales don’t require background checks in Louisiana.
• Both Louisiana gun shops and pawnbrokers may be interested in buying used guns.
• Sites like the Bayou Shooters forums allow private sellers to post gun sale listings in Louisiana.
• You can quickly sell your gun and get a quote right now with Cash for Arms.

Step 1: Understand Louisiana’s Laws for Private Gun Sales

Private gun sales are legal in Louisiana

You don’t need to be an FFL or Federal Firearms Licensee to sell guns here unless you’re selling guns as a business. If you’re selling only 1 or 2 guns occasionally, you’re safe.

Background checks aren’t required for private gun sales in Louisiana

Only gun sales through FFLs need to undergo them.

Permits to purchase aren’t required for gun sales in Louisiana

The state also doesn’t require gun buyers to show licenses to carry.

Louisiana hasn’t imposed waiting periods for gun sales

You can complete a gun sale in one day within the state without needing to wait.

Gun buyers must be at least 18 in Louisiana

This age minimum applies to people buying from private sellers. For those buying from FFLs, the age minimum is the same for long guns but goes up to 21 for handguns.

Louisiana has a gun law preemption statute

This means local authorities (e.g. municipal ones) can’t regulate firearms and should just follow state and federal law. There are a few exceptions you should note for private gun sales, however. For example, local authorities can levy sales taxes on guns.

Step 2: Prep the Gun for Sale

Sale prep isn’t difficult. It’s just about getting ready for buyers. Here are the two things you need to do to get ready to sell your gun:

• Prepare your gun for inspection by buyers.
• Get a ballpark figure for how much you can expect to get for the gun.

For the first, just unload the gun and go through your usual cleaning routine with it. You may also want to prepare a safe, secure container for its transport ahead of the sale.

For the second, ask around to learn what others have paid or got for guns like yours. You can also check out past sales on GunBroker. Just try to get the average for sold listings with similar guns.

Step 3: Pick a Buyer

Buyer Option 1: Cash for Arms

Cash for Arms is a national FFL that offers some of the best market prices for guns. The perks of selling to us include a fast 3-step process, free appraisal, and multiple payment methods.

Here’s how you can sell your gun to us:

• Send its details on our website.
• Accept our offer and ship us the gun (we pay for this!).
• Get your money the way you want to.

Looking to sell a large amount of guns? Cash for Arms offers liquidation services in Louisiana! Contact our team today to get help from one of our experts.

Buyer Option 2: Louisiana Gun Stores

Most Louisiana gun shops take used guns. They’ll buy them for a portion of their value (starting at about 50%) to resell them.

The perks of selling to a gun store include up-front cash and face-to-face transactions. Here’s how you can sell to one:

• Call gun shops nearby to see who wants to see your gun.
• Bring the unloaded gun to those shops so they can appraise it and make offers.
• Compare offers until you find one you want to sell to.

Buyer Option 3: Louisiana Pawnbrokers

Like gun stores, some pawnbrokers buy used guns to resell for profit. They’re the ones with Type 02 FFLs. Again, you’ll only get a portion of the gun’s market value from them.

You’ll get less from these than you would with a gun store, in most cases. If you can live with that, the perks and process are the same as the ones for gun stores.

Buyer Option 4: Private Parties in Louisiana

Selling guns to private individuals in Louisiana is also possible. These are called private sales and they can often give you the best sale prices.

That’s possibly the main perk of taking this option, along with the chance to set other sale terms yourself. It can be a far more drawn-out and high-effort sale option, though. Here’s how to do it:

• Create a listing of the gun that gives its details like make and model, photos of it, and your asking price.
• Post the listing where local buyers will see it, e.g. the Bayou Shooters forums or Louisiana Sportsman classifieds.
• Wait for inquiries to come in and start negotiating with potential buyers.
• Screen buyers to make sure they’re local by asking for Louisiana-issued ID.
• Check that buyers aren’t on the prohibited persons list (we’ll provide that below).
• Find the buyer with the best offer and sell to him.

Added Tips for Private Gun Sellers in Louisiana

Tip 1: There Are People You Can’t Sell Guns to in Louisiana

Here’s the list of people who are prohibited guns in Louisiana:

• Felony convicts
• People in the US illegally
• Convicts of some domestic violence misdemeanors
• People discharged from the Armed Forces dishonorably
• People who have renounced United States citizenship
• People subject to some court orders concerning domestic violence
• People who are illegally using or addicted to a controlled substance
• People committed to a mental institution or adjudicated as mental defectives
• People convicted of (or found not guilty by reason of insanity) for these crimes:
• • Possession of a firearm while selling or having in possession a controlled substance
  • Felony violations of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law
  • Felony use of weapons or other dangerous objects
  • Possession or manufacture of a bomb
  • Illegal entry of an inhabited dwelling
  • Some kinds of burglary
  • Some violent felonies
  • Sex offenses

Note that for the last item, the prohibition against gun ownership is temporary. If the prohibited person isn’t convicted of a felony for ten years after his sentence, he can own guns again.

Tip 2: For Private Sales, Always Meet in Safe Locations

If you’re doing a private sale, you’ll typically have to meet your buyer face-to-face. For this, you should always choose a public and safe location.

Otherwise, a criminal can try to make off with your gun without paying you. Meeting in a safe public place makes this much harder for questionable buyers.

One good place for private sales is a local gun shop. People in them are used to seeing guns and there are witnesses. Just make sure you let the gun shop know beforehand.

On the flip side, bars aren’t good places for this. It’s generally not allowed to bring guns into Louisiana bars too, even if you have a concealed carry permit.

Tip 3: Double-Check That Your Gun’s Unloaded before Leaving the House with It

This tip applies to both those selling to gun stores and those selling to private buyers. This isn’t just about other people’s safety when handling the gun either. It’s about yours too.

There have been cases of people stealing guns from private sellers after pretending to be interested buyers. The last thing you want is for people like that to use your own weapon against you! Keep the gun for sale stored in a place separate from its ammo too.

Conclusion

That’s how to sell a gun in Louisiana. As you can see, you can pick from a good number of buyers. If you just want a fast and simple sale, think about selling to Cash for Arms.

If there’s anything we’re known for, it’s the ease of the experience we offer sellers. Take a look at our Google Reviews and you’ll see why. We make Louisiana gun sales straightforward and safe, even while providing as good a price as we can to sellers!