American gun laws.

M

manta49

New member
It is interesting form a UK perspective everyone thinks that in America the gun laws are the same. And you can just walk into a shop and buy a gun . But some laws in America are tighter than here example there is no restriction on mag cap on handguns here. What is the law when it comes to .22 i bought a 25 round mag for my 10-22 it listed on the package some stats in America that it was not to be sold in.

I put it in this section because the restriction would mainly apply to semi-auto handguns.
 
Laws vary.

I could walk into any gun store in Nebraska and buy any gun not covered by NFA laws, if I had the money and it was in stock.

If I had the NFA paperwork done, I could buy a supressed machinegun..... it'd be a pretty penny, but I could legally do it.
 
In brief (and I know this oversimplifies things a good bit), the ban on magazine capacity was part of the so-called Assault Weapons Ban enacted in 1994, which was a Federal law that applied to all states, and banned the manufacture of new detachable magazines with a capacity of greater than 10 rounds. That law expired in 2004, but some states chose to retain some or all aspects of the Federal law in their state laws. As a result, in my former (thankfully) State of Massachusetts, it remains illegal to possess a magazine with a capacity of greater than 10 rounds unless it was manufactured before the Federal ban took effect, i.e., prior to 1994. A handful of other states have similar regulations.

The magazine ban applied equally to rifles and handguns, and to all calibers. As I recall, the magazine ban for shotguns was greater than 5 rounds (I don't own any shotguns with detachable magazines, so am not as familiar with that part of the law).
 
Our federal gun laws deal mainly with dealer licensing, instant background checks, a form that is filled out, and retained in the dealers records, interstate sales, and fully automatic weapons, suppressors, and destructive devices.
All other gun laws are up to the individual states, and vary greatly. In some states buying any firearm other than full-auto, or suppressed is nearly as easy as buying a can of beans. In other states the red tape, waiting periods, permits, and gun owner I.D. credentials can be such a hassle that some people don't bother trying. Probably the true intended purpose of their laws!
Concealed carry likewise varies between states. From no law against it what so ever, to not being allowed by any civilian citizen (Now only in Illinois!). A permit from your home state, or some that allow non-resident permits is valid in many other states as well. (Again, never in Illinois!).
Our various gun organizations are working hard at a national reciprocity law requiring all states (Except guess who!!!) to honor a valid concealed carry permit from any state.
 
You think the gun laws are convoluted.....take a look at the liquor laws...;)

But yes - the AWB banned new magazines over 10 rounds. Old ones could grandfather in.
You can look back into the for sale forums here and see some offred for sale that were called - "pre-ban".
 
Don't the laws vary from Scotland to England and Wales.

Yes the laws do vary in Scotland England and Wales but not to any great extant. The main difference is in N Ireland which is also part of the UK you can still own handguns. No mag restrictions.
 
Last edited:
It depends a lot on the state. There are a few (very few) states and a couple of cities which have very tight gun laws. Most of us on TFL won't even consider living in them (and we feel sorry for those who do). Most states are very reasonable and a few are exceptionally lenient. In Minnesota, which is pretty middle of the road, anyone over 18 can go in and buy pretty much any rifle they want and there are no restrictions (like in the republic of california that limits magazines to 10 rounds). Buy it and bring it home with you the same day. If your 21, all it takes is a purchase permit (free, comes in about a week, and is good for a year at a time) or your permit to carry (also easily obtained) and you can buy pretty much anything you want any time, no waiting. Guns and ammo are available in discount stores as well as specialized stores. Pretty much if there is a sporting goods counter, there are guns and ammo. :)
Lots of places to shoot too including indoor and outdoor ranges, public county areas, and even shooting on your own property if you have the room for it. I'm setting up my own range on land I have about an hour north of my home. Ahhhhh, life is good here. The labels on the packing that say in some states, what they really mean is in one state. ;-)
 
In Washington State you can easily purchase most anything except a Short barreled Rifle, Short barreled Shotgun and FA. (There are exemptions)

Suppressors are legal with the federal stamp. No magizine restrictions. No license required to openly carry a loaded pistol, rifle or shotgun.

Concealed Pistol License is required for most concealed carry...there are exceptions when it is legal to conceal without a license...all loaded carry BTW, except no loaded long gun carry in a vehicle.
 
Having lived in several European countries & England as well as several states in the United States I've given up on 99% of this topic as both sides seem horribly misinformed about the other.

A lot of "Europeans" (note quotes) think that all of the U.S.A. has one set of (lax) gun laws. Many think you can walk into any gun shop ion the U.S. & just wander out with rifles, pistols, sub-machine guns & silencers, no matter where you are.

Many Americans refer to "European gun laws" again assuming one universal set of consistent laws throughout all of Europe.

Both views are absolutely wrong.

In the U.S. there are federal laws, those affect the whole country. There are State laws, effecting that state only & differing widely.

Then there are local town/county laws.

Its a combination of the 3 that vary depending on where you are that make it so different. In Europe (& including England) each country has it's own laws & those differ as much as the state & local laws do in the U.S.A.

So for the last time.
There are no blanket "European gun laws", nor are there any blanket overall consistent "U.S. gun laws".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top