So you've decided to purchase a gun.....
congratulations! Before you proceed, there are a
few things that you need to be aware of. No matter what you are
planning to buy or where you are planning to buy it, you should
review the contents of this page before you go through with your
actual purchase. The purpose of the information on this page
is quite simple. It's designed to keep everything regarding
your gun purchase on the favorable side of all applicable
state and federal laws and to keep you out of
jail! The laws governing the purchase of a firearm
should be well known to you before you go through with your
purchase. Why? If you don't know what the laws are,
then how are you going to be sure that you do not break any of
them? So please take a few minutes to read the following and
check out some of the links and refences below.
As a federally licensed firearms dealer, I am
responsible under federal law for determining the legality of any
firearm transaction (18 USC 921-930 & 27 CFR Part 178).
That means that before transferring any firearm, I must first
establish the identity, place of residence and age of the buyer to
insure individuals meet the requirements under applicable state and
federal laws.
In an effort to comply with all state and
federal laws, and in order to go the extra mile in determining the
legality of any firearms transaction, when you come in to pick up
your firearm, you can expect the following:
1) Age Restrictions
- You must be at least 18 years of age to purchase long guns and
ammunition for them. You must be at least 21 years of age to
purchase hand guns or ammunition for them. You must be able
to prove your age. NO EXCEPTIONS!
2) Eligibility to
Purchase - Under fedaral law, persons are
prohibited from acquiring firearms if they (1) have been convicted,
or are under indictment for a felony; (2) are fugitives from
justice; (3) are unlawful users of, or addicted to, any controlled
substance; (4) have been adjudicated as mental defectives or have
been involuntarily committed to a mental institution; (5) are
illegal aliens, or aliens admitted to the U.S. under a nonimmigrant
visa; (6) have been dishonorably discharged from the military; (7)
have renounced their U.S. citizenship; (8) are subject to certain
domestic violence restraining orders; or (9) have been convicted of
a domestic violence misdemeanor.
3) "Straw Purchase"
Warning - You must be purchasing the firearm for
yourself and for your own use. IT IS ILLEGAL FOR AN
INDIVIDUAL TO HAVE ANOTHER PERSON BUY HIM OR HER A
FIREARM. This is called a "Straw Purchase" and it is
illegal. See additional information under the ATF Form 4473
section on this page.
4) NV Driver's
License - bring your current NV Driver's License with
your current address shown on it. Be prepared to have a copy
of your driver's license made and retained. You must be a
resident of the state of Nevada in order to purchase a gun!
5) ATF Form 4473 -
be prepared to properly and legibly fill out an ATF Form 4473 for your purchase. If you have purchased
firearms in the past, you are familiar with this form. If you
have never purchased a gun, this will be new to you. You may
want to familiarize yourself with the form and the questions that
will be asked of you. Feel free to contact me in advance if
you have any questions about the information required to properly
complete the Form 4473. As a special nore regarding Form 4473 and the legality of your purchase, section 9(a) of the form
makes it clear that by law, the individual filling out the
ATF Form 4473
transaction record must be purchasing the
firtearm for himself or herself or as a gift. That individual
must be the one actually paying for the gun. All statements
made on the ATF Form 4473 must be truthful. Providing false information is
a federal felony and a conviction can result in a 10-year prison
term and a fine of up to $ 250,000 for both the purchaser and any
"straw purchase" involved in the transaction.
6) NICS Background
Check - in accordance with the Brady Act, Public Law
103-159, be prepared to have a formal criminal history / background
check performed on you through the National Instant Ciminal
Background Check System (NICS). This
check will be based upon the information you give and show at the
time of actual purchase. The charge for this check is $25,
whether you pass or fail! If you do not have a clean criminal
record, don't even bother trying to purchase a gun. It's a
felony!
7) NV CCW Permit
Holders - If you are a holder of a current NV CCW
permit (Concealed Weapons Permit), you can no longer use this
permit to avoid the formal background check and the $25 fee for
it. You can use your permit as a valid form of ID, but as of
October 23, 2005 it no longer can be used to avoid an on-site
background check (see deatils of the October 13, 2005 letter on this
issue).
8) Notice to Nonimmigrant
Aliens - please follow this
link to special regulations by the
AFT regarding firearms and ammunition.
For additional information regarding
state and federal laws governing firearms purchases, please check
the following resources:
1) National Sports Shooting
Foundation
11 Mile Hill Road
Newton, CT 06470
(203) 426-1320
www.nssf.org
2) ATF Hotline
(1-800-ATF-GUNS)
3) BATF Website
(www.atf.gov)
4) Gunlaws.com
(www.gunlaws.com/index.htm)
