so gun laws and gun control have been in the news a lot lately
can't imagine why... it would help to know what the existing laws about
owning and using guns are and what they require you to do
if you wanna have a gun
or several handy so let's dig in shall we
the very first law that touches your guns at least until
the gun touching act of 2014 passes
is the requirement of gun registration every gun manufacturer importer and
dealer has to register every gun they either make import or sell
and ensure that gun has a unique serial number whenever a gun is sold the dealer
has to record the purchaser's name and the gun's serial number
they also have to include whether it was purchased for use by
an agent of a state or local government
but the information collected when the gun was registered can't be used as
evidence in a criminal case
unless it was given falsely it's illegal to buy or sell unregistered gun
this is in part because every time a gun is made imported or sold
you have to pay a tax
the tax is $200 which is the same as it was in 1934
all gun manufacturers importers and dealers must also be licensed and the
license fee ranges from $100 to $500
the law specifically states the registration includes guns
disguised as other objects
and to make sure the people are following the rules the ATF inspects
licensed gun dealers every 12 months
as well as after any crimes involving that dealer's guns
breaking the registration or licensing rules will mean your guns get seized and
you could pay up to $250,000
in fines as an individual
or $500,000 if you're an organization a dealer is someone who
makes a business selling guns
not someone who sells them occasionally or on the side there's a vigorous debate
over whether these amateur sellers should also get a license and file paperwork
no one knows for sure how many guns are sold this way
with estimates ranging from 25%-40% of total sales
some kinds of guns are banned from being sold in the U.S. at all
machine guns are banned this means any gun they can shoot more than once in a
row without having to pull the trigger again
silencers are also banned though both can still be made for export
there are no restrictions on antique firearms which means
anything made in 1898
or before if you can't still readily buy ammo for it there's also the assault
weapons ban which ran from 1994 to 2004 and is being discussed again
it banned 18 types of semiautomatic guns, which means a gun that lets you
shoot multiple times just by pulling the trigger again,
that had specific military features like a telescoping stock
a pistol grip on rifles a bayonet mount
a grenade launcher or a flash suppressor the assault weapons ban also applied to
any ammo clips that let you put more than 10 bullets in the gun at a time
one problem was that it didn't apply to anything made before 1994 so there were
a lot of semiautomatic weapons still floating around for those 10 years
another problem was that most types of guns are semiautomatics so the line between
what was and what wasn't banned was hard to understand and rather blurry
the other major federal gun laws the Brady Bill
which applies to background checks while minors--the age is 21 for handguns
and 18 for everything else--
felons drug addicts and anyone legally decided mentally defective have all been
barred from owning guns since 1968
there wasn't any good way enforcing this the Brady Bill enacted a system of
background checks in 1994
first they were required to be done by law enforcement officers and
then when that was ruled unconstitutional
an instant online system was instituted though
many law enforcement officers still
voluntarily do background checks it also widens the gun ban to legal immigrants
dishonorably discharged soldiers people under restraining orders
people under indictment for a crime where the punishment exceeds 1 year
and people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence the background check
can take up to 3 days
Congress also offers grants to states to
improve their electronic background check systems
now the state level laws vary widely some states recognize the permits
of other states and some don't
states aren't required to spend their own resources and forcing federal gun laws
though some do
generally states will have rules about gun registration and licenses
waiting periods rules on how many guns you can own
and rules about where you can have guns as well as how you can carry them
for example some states limit the number of guns you can buy any one time
particularly handguns some states require you to log a certain number of
shooting hours or even to take a test before you get a gun license
some states banned weapons in certain public places
and some states make it really hard or impossible either carry a gun with you
everywhere you go
called open carry or to carry a gun around secret
call concealed carry most states are less restrictive than the federal
government but some are much more so
you may have heard about the Heller case that went to the Supreme Court
DC had banned handguns altogether and required a trigger lock
on any guns in the house
the Supreme Court struck both of those restrictions down
the really important part was the court held that the Second Amendment does
guarantee an individual right to bear arms
and there you have it