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This may come as a cautionary tale to some. A shooting friend of mine contracted an initial bout of cancer a few years ago, and he gave me a letter to be opened in the event of his death, which happened a couple of weeks ago. The letter gave me permission to dispose of his shotguns, which were stored at his house. The letter also explained that the key to the gun cabinet was in a separate safe, and his wife had access to the key in this safe. The letter also contained a copy of his shotgun certificate. I was not sure of the legality of his action (I thought that nobody was allowed to have access to the gun cabinet keys?), and so contacted BASC who were very helpful. They stressed that Police Firearms Departments could possibly be 'difficult', and I was advised to take a note of any conversations with them that occurred, and to also note the name of any personnel that I spoke with. I duly spoke with the relevant Firearms Department, and I was told that the guns had to be disposed of within 72 hours of a persons death. I was 'authorised' to take the guns to a local gunsmith and dispose of them asap. So, I contacted the grieving widow, who understandably was still in shock, and took the guns to the nearest gun shop. The guns in question were an inexpensive Turkish s/auto, and a well-known o/u of reputable make. The gun shop understandably did not want to sell the guns on a commission basis, taking space in the gun racks until sold. So, I was offered the grand total of £200 for the guns, and that was it. I obtained the relevant documentation to be sent to the police. I went from the shop to see the widow, and gave her the money. I then went back home, and wrote a letter to the police advising what I had done, enclosing copies of the documents and the shotgun certificate. I then rang the police explaining what I had done - "Great, can you also obtain a copy of the death certificate?". When I queried this, as the guns were now 'off the street', I was told that I had to get a copy of the death certificate 'As closure'...... This I later did, somewhat unnecessarily upsetting the widow again. As I said at the start, the above may come as a shock to some, and I was very fortunate that the guns were not worth a great deal. Any comments would be appreciated.