[mikemass]

Heres the full story. I have been in the market to purchase a .45. My dad offered to give me his Smith and Wesson 1911 .45 So I accepted. One problem. It is an unregistered firearm. He has not fired it since the late 80's.

The question is, can I transport an unregistered firearm to a gun range to have it checked out? How do I go about registering a handgun? Do I need to take it to a police station?

Sorry if these are stupid questions. But I, nor my family qualify as "gun" people. (Yet!)

[dunerunner]

Move to a different State. Never post this type of information in an open forum that can be and is searched.

Oh, welcome to the FTF!

[freefall]

Was S&W making 1911s in the late 80s? Has it really been that long? I thought they were relative noobs. I must be older than I think.

[USEBOTHHANDS]

before you take it back to your home state, MAKE SURE you have researched the law inside and out before you get into a debacle and lose your firearm, possibly your liberty to purchase/own future firearms, and maybe even your freedom (for a time being).

your best bet would be to contact the NRA (first), and then, maybe, your state police for information about handgun laws.

[zebramochaman]

In Maryland there is no requirement to register your firearm. If you want to transfer ownership from your father to you, you and your father can go to one of the MSP barracks and do the transfer for $10.
Transporting the pistol to and from a range or a gunsmith is perfectly legal. The gun must be unloaded and kept in a case.