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Gun Laws

MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT! “THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW ...” (AND THERE IS) 

  • You must be 18 years old to purchase long guns (rifles and shotguns) and 21 years old to purchase handguns. 
  • You must be 18 to purchase rifle or shotgun ammunition and 21 to purchase handgun ammunition. 
  • It is illegal for certain categories of people to ship, transport, receive or possess firearms. These categories include any person: 
    • under indictment for, or convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year. 
    • who is a fugitive. 
    • who is an unlawful user or addicted to any controlled substance. 
    • who is an illegal alien. 
    • who has been dishonorably discharged from the military. 
    • who is subject to a restraining order from harassing, stalking or threatening an intimate partner or child. 
    • who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. 
    • who has been adjudicated mentally defective, or had been committed to any mental institution. 
    • who was a citizen of the United States but has renounced citizenship. 
  • Mail order sales or other transfers of firearms between individuals in different states are illegal.  
  • It is illegal to have, ship or receive a firearm that has its permanent serial number missing or changed. 
  • It is illegal to purchase a firearm with the intent to sell it to an unqualified third party. These are called “strawman” purchases.
    A federal firearms licensee must make an official record of every sale or transfer of all firearms and notify the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) if multiple firearms sales are made to any person in a single transaction. 
  • It is illegal to manufacture or sell ammunition specifically designed to defeat body armor. 
  • Theft of a firearm from a federally licensed dealer is punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years and a fine of $250,000.

Project ChildSafe

Project ChildSafe is the largest, most comprehensive firearm safety education program in the U.S. It was developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry, and is committed to promoting genuine firearm safety through the distribution of safety education messages and free firearm Safety Kits. The kits include a cable-style gun-locking device and a brochure (also available in Spanish) that discusses safe handling and secure storage guidelines to help deter access by unauthorized individuals.

Project ChildSafe is a real firearm safety solution that helps make communities safer. Since 1999, more than 15,000 law enforcement agencies have partnered with the program to distribute more than 37 million firearm safety kits to gun owners in all 50 states and five U.S. territories. Through vital partnerships with elected officials, community leaders, state agencies, businesses, the firearms industry and other stakeholders, Project ChildSafe has helped raise awareness about the safe and responsible ownership of firearms and the importance of storing firearms securely when not in use to help prevent accidents, theft and misuse.

Among Project ChildSafe’s many firearm safety resources are our infographic and fact sheet. Many other are available in the Safety Resources section.

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

Join Project ChildSafe in promoting safe firearm handling and storage education – Make a tax-deductible contribution or become a law enforcement partner or a supporter organization today!

NATIONAL SHOOTING SPORTS FOUNDATION®

Project ChildSafe was developed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms industry. Project ChildSafe is supported through greatly appreciated contributions from diverse public sources to the Project ChildSafe Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

OWN IT? RESPECT IT. SECURE IT.®INITIATIVE

The “Own It? Respect It. Secure It.” initiative is an industry-wide commitment to raise the public’s consciousness on the issue of firearm safety and responsibility and encourage firearms owners to embrace the importance of proper storage. With our collective voice, we are amplifying the following message to gun owners: “Store firearms responsibly.”

Access the “Own It? Respect It. Secure It.” initiative toolkit to get involved in promoting responsible firearms ownership to your customers and in your community.

THE PROJECT CHILDSAFE FOUNDATION

The Project ChildSafe Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit charitable organization. All donations to the organization are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donations can be made online, by phone 203-426-1320 x. 232 or by mail to the Project ChildSafe Foundation Attn: Development Department, 11 Mile Hill Rd., Newtown, CT 06470.

NSSF PROGRAMS AND WEBSITES

Bullet Points newsletter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … nssf.org/bulletpoints 

Don’t Lie for the Other Guy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dontlie.org 

Educational literature/videos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …. nssf.org/education 

Families Afield. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . familiesafield.org 

First Shots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . firstshots.org 

Hunt and Shoot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … . . huntandshoot.org 

Hunting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . nssf.org/hunting 

Hunting Heritage Partnership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . …… . nssf.org/hunting/grants 

National Hunting & Fishing Day. . . . . . . . . . . . … . . . . . . . . . . . . nhfday.org 

Pull The Trigger newsletter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ….. . . . nssf.org/pullthetrigger 

Project ChildSafe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... .. . . . projectchildsafe.org 

Ranges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . nssf.org/ranges 

Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ….. . . . . nssf.org/research 

Retailers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . nssf.org/retailers 

Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . nssf.org/safety 

Shooting ranges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … . . . . . nssf.org/ranges 

SHOT Business Magazine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …… . . shotbusiness.com 

Where To Shoot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . … . . . . wheretoshoot.org 

Wingshooting USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . wingshootingusa.org

 

 

WANT TO KNOW MORE? 

 

Amateur Trapshooting International Defensive 

Association of America Pistol Association 

Shootusa.org IDPA.com 

 

International Hunter National Rifle Association

Education Association NRA.org 

IHEA.com 

 

National Safety Council National Shooting 

NSC.org Sports Foundation 

NSSF.org 

 

National Skeet National Sporting 

Shooting Association Clays Association

NSSA-NSCA.org NSSA-NSCA.org 

 

Single Action United States 

Shooting Society Practical Shooting Association 

sassnet.com USPSA.org 

 

USA Shooting 

USAShooting.org

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