The Privacy of Gun Trusts

Q: Do I have to share details about my gun collection with a gun trust attorney if I use a lawyer to prepare a gun trust?

No. Although it can be helpful to consult with an attorney about specific firearms in order to properly prepare and include instructions in the trust documents about the disposition or unique care certain items require, gun trust grantors are not required to disclose all or even one of the items to a lawyer. Our gun trust attorney prepares and reviews trust documents and can assist with the application for the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF). The gun owner is required to complete Schedule A, an inventory of the firearms, which accompanies the trust documents and Form 4 when submitted to the ATF. Firearms owners can list NFA items on the Schedule with no mandate imposing an attorney’s review. Our firm can complete this for you, but it is not required. The ATF, of course, will review all materials. Compare gun trusts here.

Gun trusts offer an attractive level of privacy in addition to their estate planning benefits. Some folks may use a corporation or limited liability company (LLC) to manage their firearms, but neither of these options offer privacy on par with gun trusts.

If you are concerned about privacy issues, our gun trust attorney can discuss more with you. We practice in North Carolina, Florida and Tennessee. We also have a network of gun trust law firms across the country we can connect you with through the GunDocx® legal group.