Bill Bachant runs an orphanage.

For guns.

It sounds strange, but it's a concept the Lakeville resident says was much-needed when he launched the business, the Gun Orphanage, just about a year ago.

It goes like this: You have guns that you don't want anymore, or perhaps never wanted at all. Maybe a relative passed away and left you his possessions, or your license expired and you're not interested in being a gun-owner anymore.

Whatever the reason, Bachant and his team will show up at your house — or wherever the guns are kept — take them off your hands, and write you a check.

Bachant, an avid collector who has been in the business for 20 years, is a "class 2" gun manufacturer and wholesaler of guns and parts, and he only sells to other gun dealers.

If you have an unwanted gun, you can drop it off at any police station. But without a license, Bachant notes, "even transporting a gun to the police department is illegal."

"We saw it as a service that the public needed," said Bachant, whose son, Garrett, helps with the gunsmithing.

Bachant says the Lakeville-based program, the logistics for which are completed out of his Tyler Avenue office in East Wareham, has gotten positive feedback from law enforcement.

"We take guns that might end up in the wrong hands and put them in the hands of registered dealers," he explained. "Guns don't end up in the wrong hands."

The money that sellers can get for their guns varies, but he accepts everything from .22 calibers to machine guns.

"I buy everything. Parts, pieces, broken junk," he said. "I really like the history of guns, the mechanics of them, and the machinery. They're all different."

Bachant can't accept loaded guns or ammunition, however.

After the recent national tragedies involving guns, Bachant said his phone has been ringing more than usual.

"We've gotten a lot of people that, if they don't know [a gun] is in a safe place, they want to sell it," he said, noting that widows and family members of gun enthusiasts who have passed away are particularly grateful for the service.

So what kinds of guns has Bachant gotten in his house calls?

A pocket colt pistol from the early 1900s, a Coca-Cola shotgun used in a 1970s promotion with Winchester guns (really!), a Daisy commemorative BB gun (Bachant has never shot his eye out), and an 150-year-old pinfire gun.

"It's an interesting piece of history," Bachant said of the pinfire gun, before adding, "World War II guns are my favorite."

In addition to operating the Gun Orphanage, Bachant owns East Wareham-based Bill Bachant Builders, and he and his son teach gun safety courses.

Safety, Bachant says, is his biggest concern.

"As much as I believe in everyone's right to own a gun," Bachant said, "if you can't store it safely, you shouldn't have it in the house."

For more about the Gun Orphanage, visit www.gunorphanage.com, or call 774-263-3134.