[smgreen]

I own a welding business in Southern Texas, and I was contemplating taking in firearms for trade. Some of my clients have expressed the desire to trade, rather than pay cash/credit. Being a huge collector/buyer of firearms, the concept of trading my services for them is of a high interest to me. As the economy gets worse, a lot of my more frequent clients are hurting for money, but EVERYONE in this state seems to own guns. I'm NOT wishing to sell guns; I merely want to trade my services as a welder for firearms, when the opportunity presents itself amongst a select few customers.

My first question is this: Is this "legal" and do I need any special type of permit or license to do this? Breaking any state/federal laws is a deal breaker for me. I want to be in full compliance of the law.

My second question is this: Is there any way to shield myself, in the off chance that a firearm is stolen or has been used in the commission of a crime? It's not my intent to accept any stolen property. Like I said, I want to be in full compliance of the law, both on the state and federal level.

Any help is very much appreciated!