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Waaaaay different scenario. In the ADCO case, "The 70yr old further stated that the 37yr old wanted a gun, but was afraid that she couldn’t get one because she had a history of being in a mental institution..  A buyer asking to sell you a gun and disclosing a disqualifier is very different than a random FTF sale.

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I don't ask for anything because I no longer sell FtF.

The few FtF transactions I did perform here in PA I always did a bill of sale and asked to see their PA concealed carry permit.  It being legal or not, I am not just going to hand over a weapon thats traceable back to me to someone I only know off the internet.  

Eventually I just got to busy to deal with arranging a meetup with someone and also realized I didn't want the potential hassle of an AFT visit should something happen with that weapon, and of course in the back of my mind there were always worries about some type of liability (lawsuit, etc.) should something happen so these days I just sell online and use a local FFL to ship out the gun.

I'm sure all of that will rustle some jimmies here..but whatever.  My guns, my rules.

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Unless its somebody I am good personal friends, a direct family member, etc. I don't do face to face firearm sales.  

While I am not super concerned about criminal liability and prosecution given the State laws in Texas are pretty much non-existent and meeting the Federal legal burden is also extremely low, there is real potential civil liability issues if something goes wrong with a firearm you sell (dealer or individual).  If you sell a firearm FTF and that individual takes it home and kills themselves or uses it to rob and kill somebody you may very well end up getting sued by the deceased/victims family.  (especially if the sale through no fault of your own was "technically" found to be an illegal  transfer because the buyer misrepresented to you their age, their State of residence, or their prohibited status due to mental health issues and/or criminal background, etc.)

Outside of the civil liability concern specific for firearms, there is also the pain in the ass factor and just overall general sales risk issue with any anonymous and/or cash FTF style direct sales transaction.

I also don't sell firearms FTF for the same reason I don't sell used tools on eBay, or used furniture on Craiglist, or sell vehicles Autotrader, or anything on the EE here anymore,  etc.

In my personal experience with direct sales to the general public, the consumer buyer pool at this point is so tainted  with outright scammers, folks trying change the terms of the deal after initial agreement, folks asking you to do something illegal, claims there is something is wrong with the item once they get it home, never register the vehicle in their name, and/or the risk of getting robbed during a cash transaction in a parking lot,  etc. is just not worth the trouble to me anymore.

Whatever haircut I take on the sales price to pass that item through a commercial dealer (be that an FFL for a gun, Carmax for a vehicle, a Pawnshop for a tool, or just donating items to Goodwill for stuff with limited value) its totally worth it to not have to deal with the general public and the risk/PITA factor direct sales have become now a days.

I wish that wasn't the case but its the world we all live in now.

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Don't forget the anal swab! You can't be too careful these days...

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Wow! Very sorry to hear that. Maybe the "general public" is way different in TX than here in WI but, IMO, people are about the same everywhere. I sell things on a regular basis, and I can't remember EVER having the type of problems that you describe. And I work in rough areas at times. No problems with the people there either. I can't imagine going through life having to worry about the things you describe.

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I ask them if they're legally able to purchase and to see the cash.

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When making the deal online, I tell people I need to see a carry permit.  I don't actually need to see it, and don't ask for it at the deal, it just helps buyers self select.  

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Money

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The few times I've done it, I asked to see a DL and copied the name and DL number with state for my records. Never asked for anything else. No DoB or SSN or address or anything. Let the buyer see what I was keeping and let them know that it would be destroyed after a year.

Nothing to do with legal and I never pretended it was. Just a CYA in case the cops came to me asking why something papered to me was found at a crime scene. I figured if the cops had that little bit, they could figure out the rest.

Nobody ever balked, and I never got any visits from the cops.



ETA: And all those records were destroyed as promised.