Gunshows: what's the law?

T

tombread

New member
Would someone please educate me on the law concerning gunshow purchases. I've only been to a couple shows, and having a CCW, I was able to leave with my firearms purchases. What must the average bloke do if buying a gunshow long gun? A handgun?
 
As it stands now if you are buying from an "unlicensed dealer", ie private citizen, not a FFL holder, you follow the laws of your state. Ya pays yer dough and ya take the gun. FFL's have to run the instant check.

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Ne Conjuge Nobiscum
"If there be treachery, let there be jehad!"
 
Jim:
So, the guy off the street can go to a gunshow, find a 1911 he fancies, and if it is offered by a private owner, i.e., someone who doesn't have an FFL at risk, walk out of the show with it in a paper bag? (If this is so I have been misstating the law.) Tom
 
I was at a gunshow this weekend, and had a curious encounter. A dealer told me that three rifles, out of approximately a dozen or so, on his table were his "personal" rifles and no paperwork was needed for those particular three. At the risk of looking foolish, is there some sort of paperwork that a dealer does that would constitute a firearm as a "personal" firearm rather than a "stock" item? Does the dealer simply deem it so? I'm mostly curious, but with all the "special investigations" by TV crews and such at gunshows, the last thing we need is more bad media exposure from someone looking for a quick sale. He told me this sort of under his breath, out the side of his mouth, so it just didn't seem "right", and I'd rather get some input here rather than get a dealer riled up at a gun show.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arms reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.
 
DonL. A dealer must, by law, include his personal firearms in his inventory. I read this a long time ago in an AMERICAN RIFLEMAN. I haven't read anything since to change that. To make sure, call the BATF and ask an agent, but I'm pretty sure I am right on that.
Paul B.
 
Paul, thanks for the sanity check. It was my understanding that if a person holds a FFL, then full compliance must take place, whether the firearms are personal or business stock. I'm considering calling the promoter and discussing this with him, and get his input. For law-abiding gun owners to make the most favorable impression these days, it might be up to us to "police our own".

Here in the Detroit area, we've already had our biggest source of gun and knife shows closed down by undercover stings that caught a couple of unscrupulous dealers, the promoter (not the same one who put on the above-mentioned show) got tangled up in lawsuits filed by our city and county against manufacturers and dealers, so our outlets are becoming thinner and thinner. The last thing we need is for some yahoo or jalamo looking to make some "side money" make yet another example to be touted by the media.

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Don LeHue

The pen is mightier than the sword...outside of arms reach. Modify radius accordingly for rifle.
 
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