Havin a gun in a mutli roomate household

allenmd07 · July 20, 2011, 06:28 PM

Hey guys, I live in a duplex style house with three other guys. Im in college right now and Ive known two of my roomates for 5-7 years and the other for 1 year and hes a real trustworthy guy. I want to bring my shotgun from home up and maybe purchase a rifle soon but Im concerned since two of my rommates are known to smoke weed.

Can I lawfully have these guns in my room since I do not do drugs? Is my own room considered my property just like theirs may be their own property or if for some reason if the police came to the door and smelled it and searched would my guns be taken for their drug use? I deff. dont want to have them taken by the cops for my roomates habits when Im a lawbiding citizen.

I trust my roomates in the fact that they wouldnt mess with my guns and I want to exercise my right to own firearms but I just feel sketch having them here. I live on a college street with parties frequently and the police will come on the street every now and then, not for us but some of our neighbors who like to rage.

maestro pistolero · July 20, 2011, 07:04 PM

Have a means to lock it up securely unless it's under your immediate control. This is just common sense. Even if you trust the roommates you have no control over who they invite over when you are not around. A small gun safe from Home Depot can be had for $300, and you can keep other items in it, too. And BOLT IT INTO THE FLOOR in a closet or somewhere discreet.

The first time the police show up because of that smell wafting out of your house, they will have PC to search the house for drugs, and you will have to fight to get your gun back. I guarantee that will cost you more than $300.

chris in va · July 20, 2011, 08:02 PM

Drugs and guns don't mix. Keep a can of bear spray around.

chasep255 · July 20, 2011, 09:19 PM

Well according to the 1968 GCA anyone who is a user of a controlled substance is disqualified from owning guns. The police may take your guns and you will have to get them back in court. As for a safety standpoint you probably don't want any loose guns lying around when your friends are high (or sober for that matter).

mikejonestkd · July 20, 2011, 10:17 PM

I am glad that you trust your friends. question: Do you trust all their friends? How about all the friends of the friends that will come over and be in and out of the house when you are not there? Throw drugs, alcohol and testosterone into the mix and you have a perfect storm for a disaster.

Buy a safe, lock them up and don't tell anyone that you have them.

I'm not trying to be a hard case about it, but I've worked in higher ed for 25 years and have had too much experience with the dangers of what you are proposing.

JustThisGuy · July 21, 2011, 06:46 AM

In my humble opinion Gun Owners have to look at things differently than others do. Every decision we make can have long-term implications on the outcome of the rest of our lives.

There are two kinds of people in the world... Those who make every decision on how it will position them for 20 years from now ... and those who make every decision on how it will position them for Saturday night.

It is very easy to find oneself in a felony charge when drugs are involved. If you live in a home filled with drugs, you have knowledge, a skilled prosecutor can associate you with the drugs no matter what you say.

As said above, it's not so much you, it's not so much your friends, it's your friend's friends. Let's say that a roommate's friend's friend is over (3 degrees of separation all in one room - therefore not separated), and that friend is a drug dealer, and an argument evolves into a fight, into violence, into the police arriving to clean up the injuries. After the violence and before the Police arrive, your roommate's friend's friend dashes off to "stash his stash" in the only clean room in the house - yours.

Now you have a felony charge. Goodbye College, Goodbye $100,000 Legal Defense Costs, Goodbye your Parents House (bond and legal defense), Goodbye Good Job, Goodbye Gun Collection forever.

Just saying... You might want to reconsider your living circumstances if you care about the 20 year thing.

357 Python · July 21, 2011, 08:26 AM

Is your name on the lease? Are their names on the lease as well? If yours is the only name on the lease you may be able to legally evict them for drug use, check with an attorney first. If this is not possible at the end of the lease try to find a place of your own (easier said than done I know). The idea is to get as far away from their drug use as you can. This way if there is an arrest there you are not caught up in it. Once you get away from the drug use then keeping a gun may not be much of an issue.

silentargus · July 21, 2011, 11:51 AM

Agreed... whether or not you think US drug laws make sense, living in a household with known drug users is asking for trouble if you've got guns. Even if you don't, there is still criminal activity going on in that house and you are aware of it. No matter how careful your friends are with their drug use, all it takes is one slip-up... or one person with a grudge to report them, and you're suddenly caught up in a drug bust. Nobody's going to be administering drug tests until after the arrests are made- being clean yourself offers no protection from the immediate consequences of your friends' activities. You do not want to be the "armed suspect" in that house when/if the balloon goes up.

Your best bet would be to find another place to live. If your friends ask why, explain your reasoning to them. You cannot realistically expect that they will abandon their habits just so you can keep guns in the house. Realize that if you ask them to get rid of the drugs, they will see that as a selfish request on your part. The only responsible course of action is to put some distance between yourself and the drugs- and then make it clear that when your friends come over, they are to leave their illicit substances behind.

t4terrific · July 21, 2011, 12:07 PM

DTA! Don't never trust nobody!

Since you've put your self in a position where you have no security, or privacy, you should never have a firearm left in your "home", unless it is in your direct posession. No matter how much you trust dirtbags, they are still dirtbags. Their dirtbag friends are still dirtbags. You are making bad decisions, and now you want to arm you felonious friends.

My suggestion would be to find a way to guarantee those roomates are never able to take posession of the shotgun you currently own. If that means leaving it with mommy, so be it. Wait to buy a rifle until you have a secured home, free of roommates in general (especially dope smokers). Wait to take posession of any firearm until you have developed to the point to where you are responsible and disciplined enough to make responsible decisions yourself.

ClayInTx · July 21, 2011, 12:33 PM

I don’t believe drugs should be illegal because Prohibition II is worse than Prohibition I ever was.

However,
the law is the law and you can’t fight the law.

You’re in a bad situation whether you want to have your guns there, or not. You’re in a bad situation—period.

Guilt by association will nab your butt—BIGTIME.

Old Grump · July 21, 2011, 01:07 PM

Weed
Stupid
Cops involved

Headlines will read drug ring busted, arsenal confiscated.

Leave the guns home unless you get new room mates and the house is thoroughly cleaned first so their habit doesn't bite you in the Gluteus Maximus.

chasep255 · July 21, 2011, 01:13 PM

I would like to add the from a legal standpoint drugs and guns are always a bad idea. However I would say being around guns and using something legal like alcohol or saliva is much worse than weed. Most people can still drive when high.

Webleymkv · July 21, 2011, 01:20 PM

I'd suggest finding a different place to live. Whether you have firearms in the house or not, rooming with known drug users (particularly if they use drugs in the house) is a good way to get yourself into trouble later.

JerryM · July 21, 2011, 02:00 PM

Many a person has gotten in trouble as a result of being sure their friends or roommates were trustworthy. I would not make that assumption when it came to guns.

Regards,
Jerry

hermannr · July 21, 2011, 04:55 PM

IMHO: If you are in college, you do not need to associate with anyone that could potentially ruin your whole lifetime.

If you like your firearms, ditch the dopers, at least until what they are doing becomes a legal activity. They will drag you in, whether you want or not.

I am not saying you will become a "user", I mean when your residence gets raided, the police will not make any differentiation between you and them...it's called "guilt by association", and could cost you your college education to clear your record...not worth the trouble...

JerryM · July 21, 2011, 05:25 PM

Hermannr is absolutely correct.
I personally knew a young man, J, whose best friend after high school began to deal with weed. J did not use or engage in the dealing. However, one night a guy came it to settle a score with J's friend, and killed J and another innocent friend in the process.

Stay away from people who do such things as the roommates. It may save you and your parents a lot of grief.

Dirt rubs off on all those who are around it, and you will not be immune.

Regards,
Jerry

jimbob86 · July 21, 2011, 05:30 PM

Quote:

I want to bring my shotgun from home up and maybe purchase a rifle soon but Im concerned since two of my rommates are known to smoke weed.

You will be known by the company you keep.

Find new roommates or new rooms.

**Aguila Blanca** · July 21, 2011, 06:32 PM

Do ... not ... have ... guns ... with ... roommates.

You THINK you can trust them.

You are wrong.

And then, as has already been mentioned, there's the completely unknown and uncontrollable factor of the friends of the roommates, and the friends of friends of the roommates, who may be in the apartment at any time, whether or not you are at home. Even if they DON'T know you own guns, it wouldn't be the first time a "friend-of-a-friend" decided to rip off his pal's roomie. And if they DO know you have guns ... well, all young men like to play with guns, and more so if zoomed, so it won't be safe anywhere on the premises.

Marlin009 · July 21, 2011, 07:07 PM

Ah yes, to be in college again.

With guns.

Hmmm, probably not a good idea given the situation you have.

The legal question "can I have these" and the property issue would depend on your age and where you live.

You're getting more fatherly/friendly advice about the big picture and it's pretty spot on. You have some choices to make and they're not all about your living arrangement. Us "old" guys have the benefit of hindsight, we didn't want to hear it when we were in college (or that age) either.

As your roommate would say "dude, you need to move".

Glenn E. Meyer · July 21, 2011, 08:25 PM

That says it all. We cannot condone you continuing to live with people who break the law.

Closed.

July 20, 2011, 06:28 PM	#1
allenmd07 Junior Member Join Date: July 16, 2011 Posts: 1	Havin a gun in a mutli roomate household Hey guys, I live in a duplex style house with three other guys. Im in college right now and Ive known two of my roomates for 5-7 years and the other for 1 year and hes a real trustworthy guy. I want to bring my shotgun from home up and maybe purchase a rifle soon but Im concerned since two of my rommates are known to smoke weed. Can I lawfully have these guns in my room since I do not do drugs? Is my own room considered my property just like theirs may be their own property or if for some reason if the police came to the door and smelled it and searched would my guns be taken for their drug use? I deff. dont want to have them taken by the cops for my roomates habits when Im a lawbiding citizen. I trust my roomates in the fact that they wouldnt mess with my guns and I want to exercise my right to own firearms but I just feel sketch having them here. I live on a college street with parties frequently and the police will come on the street every now and then, not for us but some of our neighbors who like to rage. Last edited by allenmd07; July 20, 2011 at 06:33 PM.

July 20, 2011, 10:17 PM	#5
mikejonestkd Senior Member Join Date: January 3, 2006 Location: Brockport, NY Posts: 3,716	I am glad that you trust your friends. question: Do you trust all their friends? How about all the friends of the friends that will come over and be in and out of the house when you are not there? Throw drugs, alcohol and testosterone into the mix and you have a perfect storm for a disaster. Buy a safe, lock them up and don't tell anyone that you have them. I'm not trying to be a hard case about it, but I've worked in higher ed for 25 years and have had too much experience with the dangers of what you are proposing. __________________ You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

July 21, 2011, 06:46 AM	#6
JustThisGuy Senior Member Join Date: December 29, 2010 Posts: 311	In my humble opinion Gun Owners have to look at things differently than others do. Every decision we make can have long-term implications on the outcome of the rest of our lives. There are two kinds of people in the world... Those who make every decision on how it will position them for 20 years from now ... and those who make every decision on how it will position them for Saturday night. It is very easy to find oneself in a felony charge when drugs are involved. If you live in a home filled with drugs, you have knowledge, a skilled prosecutor can associate you with the drugs no matter what you say. As said above, it's not so much you, it's not so much your friends, it's your friend's friends. Let's say that a roommate's friend's friend is over (3 degrees of separation all in one room - therefore not separated), and that friend is a drug dealer, and an argument evolves into a fight, into violence, into the police arriving to clean up the injuries. After the violence and before the Police arrive, your roommate's friend's friend dashes off to "stash his stash" in the only clean room in the house - yours. Now you have a felony charge. Goodbye College, Goodbye $100,000 Legal Defense Costs, Goodbye your Parents House (bond and legal defense), Goodbye Good Job, Goodbye Gun Collection forever. Just saying... You might want to reconsider your living circumstances if you care about the 20 year thing. __________________ JustThisGuy Mediocrity dominates over excellence in all things... except excellence.

July 21, 2011, 12:07 PM	#9
t4terrific Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2009 Posts: 307	DTA! Don't never trust nobody! Since you've put your self in a position where you have no security, or privacy, you should never have a firearm left in your "home", unless it is in your direct posession. No matter how much you trust dirtbags, they are still dirtbags. Their dirtbag friends are still dirtbags. You are making bad decisions, and now you want to arm you felonious friends. My suggestion would be to find a way to guarantee those roomates are never able to take posession of the shotgun you currently own. If that means leaving it with mommy, so be it. Wait to buy a rifle until you have a secured home, free of roommates in general (especially dope smokers). Wait to take posession of any firearm until you have developed to the point to where you are responsible and disciplined enough to make responsible decisions yourself. Last edited by t4terrific; July 21, 2011 at 12:16 PM.

July 21, 2011, 12:33 PM	#10
ClayInTx Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 1,066	I don’t believe drugs should be illegal because Prohibition II is worse than Prohibition I ever was. However, the law is the law and you can’t fight the law. You’re in a bad situation whether you want to have your guns there, or not. You’re in a bad situation—period. Guilt by association will nab your butt—BIGTIME. __________________ . No people should have to fear the will of their government; all governments should have to fear the will of their people.

July 20, 2011, 07:04 PM	#2
maestro pistolero Senior Member Join Date: August 16, 2007 Posts: 2,153	Have a means to lock it up securely unless it's under your immediate control. This is just common sense. Even if you trust the roommates you have no control over who they invite over when you are not around. A small gun safe from Home Depot can be had for $300, and you can keep other items in it, too. And BOLT IT INTO THE FLOOR in a closet or somewhere discreet. The first time the police show up because of that smell wafting out of your house, they will have PC to search the house for drugs, and you will have to fight to get your gun back. I guarantee that will cost you more than $300.

July 20, 2011, 08:02 PM	#3
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Drugs and guns don't mix. Keep a can of bear spray around.

July 20, 2011, 09:19 PM	#4
chasep255 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 727	Well according to the 1968 GCA anyone who is a user of a controlled substance is disqualified from owning guns. The police may take your guns and you will have to get them back in court. As for a safety standpoint you probably don't want any loose guns lying around when your friends are high (or sober for that matter).

July 21, 2011, 08:26 AM	#7
357 Python Senior Member Join Date: June 7, 2007 Location: Charlottesville, VA Posts: 941	Is your name on the lease? Are their names on the lease as well? If yours is the only name on the lease you may be able to legally evict them for drug use, check with an attorney first. If this is not possible at the end of the lease try to find a place of your own (easier said than done I know). The idea is to get as far away from their drug use as you can. This way if there is an arrest there you are not caught up in it. Once you get away from the drug use then keeping a gun may not be much of an issue.

July 21, 2011, 11:51 AM	#8
silentargus Senior Member Join Date: August 17, 2010 Posts: 146	Agreed... whether or not you think US drug laws make sense, living in a household with known drug users is asking for trouble if you've got guns. Even if you don't, there is still criminal activity going on in that house and you are aware of it. No matter how careful your friends are with their drug use, all it takes is one slip-up... or one person with a grudge to report them, and you're suddenly caught up in a drug bust. Nobody's going to be administering drug tests until after the arrests are made- being clean yourself offers no protection from the immediate consequences of your friends' activities. You do not want to be the "armed suspect" in that house when/if the balloon goes up. Your best bet would be to find another place to live. If your friends ask why, explain your reasoning to them. You cannot realistically expect that they will abandon their habits just so you can keep guns in the house. Realize that if you ask them to get rid of the drugs, they will see that as a selfish request on your part. The only responsible course of action is to put some distance between yourself and the drugs- and then make it clear that when your friends come over, they are to leave their illicit substances behind.

July 21, 2011, 01:07 PM	#11
Old Grump Member in memoriam Join Date: April 9, 2009 Location: Blue River Wisconsin, in Posts: 3,144	Weed Stupid Cops involved Headlines will read drug ring busted, arsenal confiscated. Leave the guns home unless you get new room mates and the house is thoroughly cleaned first so their habit doesn't bite you in the Gluteus Maximus. __________________ Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern will, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters. --Daniel Webster--

July 21, 2011, 01:13 PM	#12
chasep255 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2009 Location: NJ Posts: 727	I would like to add the from a legal standpoint drugs and guns are always a bad idea. However I would say being around guns and using something legal like alcohol or saliva is much worse than weed. Most people can still drive when high.

July 21, 2011, 01:20 PM	#13
Webleymkv Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 10,446	I'd suggest finding a different place to live. Whether you have firearms in the house or not, rooming with known drug users (particularly if they use drugs in the house) is a good way to get yourself into trouble later.

July 21, 2011, 02:00 PM	#14
JerryM Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 1999 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,889	Many a person has gotten in trouble as a result of being sure their friends or roommates were trustworthy. I would not make that assumption when it came to guns. Regards, Jerry __________________ Ecclesiastes 12:13 ¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

July 21, 2011, 04:55 PM	#15
hermannr Senior Member Join Date: March 24, 2011 Posts: 730	IMHO: If you are in college, you do not need to associate with anyone that could potentially ruin your whole lifetime. If you like your firearms, ditch the dopers, at least until what they are doing becomes a legal activity. They will drag you in, whether you want or not. I am not saying you will become a "user", I mean when your residence gets raided, the police will not make any differentiation between you and them...it's called "guilt by association", and could cost you your college education to clear your record...not worth the trouble...

July 21, 2011, 05:25 PM	#16
JerryM Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 1999 Location: New Mexico Posts: 1,889	Hermannr is absolutely correct. I personally knew a young man, J, whose best friend after high school began to deal with weed. J did not use or engage in the dealing. However, one night a guy came it to settle a score with J's friend, and killed J and another innocent friend in the process. Stay away from people who do such things as the roommates. It may save you and your parents a lot of grief. Dirt rubs off on all those who are around it, and you will not be immune. Regards, Jerry __________________ Ecclesiastes 12:13 ¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

July 21, 2011, 06:32 PM	#18
Aguila Blanca Staff Join Date: September 25, 2008 Location: CONUS Posts: 18,468	Do ... not ... have ... guns ... with ... roommates. You THINK you can trust them. You are wrong. And then, as has already been mentioned, there's the completely unknown and uncontrollable factor of the friends of the roommates, and the friends of friends of the roommates, who may be in the apartment at any time, whether or not you are at home. Even if they DON'T know you own guns, it wouldn't be the first time a "friend-of-a-friend" decided to rip off his pal's roomie. And if they DO know you have guns ... well, all young men like to play with guns, and more so if zoomed, so it won't be safe anywhere on the premises.

July 21, 2011, 07:07 PM	#19
Marlin009 Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 187	Ah yes, to be in college again. With guns. Hmmm, probably not a good idea given the situation you have. The legal question "can I have these" and the property issue would depend on your age and where you live. You're getting more fatherly/friendly advice about the big picture and it's pretty spot on. You have some choices to make and they're not all about your living arrangement. Us "old" guys have the benefit of hindsight, we didn't want to hear it when we were in college (or that age) either. As your roommate would say "dude, you need to move".

July 21, 2011, 08:25 PM	#20
Glenn E. Meyer Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2000 Posts: 20,064	That says it all. We cannot condone you continuing to live with people who break the law. Closed. __________________ NRA, TSRA, IDPA, NTI, Polite Soc. - Aux Armes, Citoyens