Gun Laws

In the United States, gun laws endeavor to constrain and control the sales, purchases or possession of firearms. These laws subject any firearm to registration, licensing and other forms of identification requirements. Just like several public policies, gun control is also subject to further federal, state and location legislation.

The United States Congress has passed a number of gun law legislations in its effort to impede violent crimes. The first major legislation which was enacted in 1934, regulated the selling of fully automatic firearms. This was followed in 1938 by a federal law that mandated gun sellers to secure licenses and banned persons who have been convicted of any violent criminal act from purchasing guns. The Gun Control Act of 1968 controlled the importation and sale of guns, added new licensing requirements for gun dealers and revised list of persons banned from purchasing guns to include minors, the mentally incompetent and illegal drug users. Federal legislation in 1986 instituted compulsory penalties when a gun was involved in a federal crime. This same federal legislation also mandated that bullets sold should not be able to penetrate bullet proof clothing. In 1994, legislation banning the manufacture and importation of semi-automatic weapons was passed. The Brady Bill, named after a press aid seriously wounded during an assassination attempt on President Reagan, is considered the broadest law on national gun control. The law provides for a five day holding period before a handgun can be released to purchasers to allow law enforcement authorities to conduct background checks on them. In the same year, Congress approved a ban on specific types of assault weapons. The ban ended in 2004. In addition to these federal laws, there also exists state and local gun control legislations and each state has its own set of laws and policies.

These laws have brought about resistance and anxiety from the citizenry, especially gun advocates. Gun advocates have cited the provisions of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution to support their resistance. The Second Amendment gives the citizenry the right to own arms for their protection.  The National Riffle Association, along with various gun rights groups, contend that gun laws violate the constitutional rights of citizens, especially the law-abiding ones who need to own guns for self defense. They further contend that while Congress was enacted several laws on the sale and ownership of certain types of weapons, none of these laws have categorically reduced the country’s violent crime rate.

Americans are widely divided in the issue on gun control. The anti-gun advocates contend stricter gun laws will lower the rate of violent crimes in the country. They believed the violent shootings in Columbine in 1999, and Virginia Tech in 2007 were because of weak gun laws. On the other hand, gun advocates contend that laws don’t stop violent killings. They believe that even if high powered ammunitions are banned, criminals will still be able to find ways to acquire them.

(Source: Gun Laws)

The Massachusetts gun laws are only meant to regulate the possession and use of weapons within the State. These laws are, therefore, only meant to regulate gun use within the State of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts gun laws are as follows:

The purchase of handguns in the State is only legal if done with a permit. The purchaser is, therefore, supposed to have a permit allowing him to purchases such a weapon. In addition, the owner of a handgun has to possess a valid license for such a weapon. The Massachusetts laws on purchase and possession of handguns are, therefore, very strict, since they require registration and licensing. In addition, it is illegal to carry a handgun without a permit. A handgun is a weapon that can be held and fired with one hand and is, therefore, a very small weapon.

This registration and licensing procedure also applies to other weapons, like shotguns and rifles. Therefore, any transfer of possession of such weapons should only be done to persons who possess the correct permits or licenses. In other words, transfer or sale to persons who do not possess these permits is against the Massachusetts gun laws.

In the State, only residents are allowed to purchase and possess weapons, such that, aliens and non residents are not supposed to possess firearms within the State. The transfer of weapons to such people is, therefore, unlawful.

Dealers or sellers of firearms also have restrictions placed upon them. These dealers are meant to have permits or licenses, which allow them to carry out the sale of such weapons. In addition, it is up to the dealer to find out if the person who is trying to purchase the gun possesses a valid permit to do so. Within seven days of the sale, the dealer is supposed to file a record of the sale with the Criminal History Systems Board. The record is to be handed to the executive director of this board, and it should have all required details about the transferee.

Another restriction that is put on firearms dealers is that, they are supposed to display warning signs in their shops. The sign should inform the public about the illegality of storing guns under poor conditions. The sign is to be to the effect that, “it is unlawful to store or keep a firearm, rifle, shotgun or machine gun in any place unless that weapon is equipped with tamper resistant safety device or is stored or kept in a securely locked container”.

All firearms according to the Massachusetts gun laws are supposed to have identification numbers, which are usually referred to as FID numbers. They are, therefore supposed to have cards, which carry their numbers. These cards are given out by police officers in the respective jurisdictions. However, certain persons are not supposed to be issued with these cards and these are persons who are not meant to possess firearms. These persons include criminal felons, the insane, aliens and minors among others.

(Source: state gun laws)

There are various gun laws, which have been framed for those people who buy guns or possess weapons. So, before investing your money and purchasing guns or any type of similar weapon, it is very important for you to learn about those various gun laws. You should have all the required information on various gun laws in your country or the state where you live. These gun laws can greatly vary from one state to another. Gun laws can also differ from one country to another. There are various gun laws, which one should also keep in mind while buying one or possessing one. In the United States, there are different gun laws in different states. Missouri is one such state, which has some flexible as well as strict gun laws framed for its citizens. Some of its gun laws have been stated below along with their categories.

Missouri Gun laws related to rifles, shotguns and handguns:

In Missouri, the citizens do not need any permit to purchase any types of rifles, handguns and shotguns. This implies that the registration of these guns does not require any type of permit in the state. Licensing of the owners, who possess such weapons is allowed by the law in Missouri. However, if somebody is found carrying a rifle or a shotgun, then the law has alright to prosecute them for defying the laws. You have to have a permit to carry a handgun with you for any purpose.

Missouri state requirements for purchase of guns:

·        A person who recklessly lease, sell, loan, deliver or give away a firearm or ammunitions to an intoxicated person is considered as an offender according to the Missouri gun laws.

·        According to the Missouri gun laws, you do not need any special state permit for purchasing any kinds of handguns, rifles or shotguns.

·        Missouri gun laws do not give the permit on selling, delivering, leasing, giving away or loaning of guns or any other types of dangerous weapons to people less than eighteen years of age without their guardian’s consent or of their custodial parents.

·        There are people in the Missouri, who are not lawfully entitled for possessing any kinds of guns. So, it will be considered illegal if somebody is found selling, delivering, leasing out, giving away, or loaning these types of people with a firearm or any type of ammunition knowingly to such people.

Gun laws related to possession:

·        You do not need any type of state licensing in Missouri for possessing a handgun, rifle, or shotgun.

·        Possessing a loaded firearm is a felony according to the Missouri gun laws if one is intoxicated.

·        It is also unlawful to possess firearms for anyone, convicted for a dangerous felony or confined for in attempting to commit any type of dangerous felony for a five year period.

·        Possessing an unloaded firearm will be considered as a misdemeanor, if a person is intoxicated.

These are some of the Missouri gun laws, which people of Missouri have to follow in their state.

(Source: state gun law)

In USA, the possession and usage of guns is controlled by the Gun laws, which is not the same for all the states and changes from one state to another. National Firearms Act is a part of Gun laws which was constituted on June 26, 1934.

The National Firearms Act of USA has within itself various laws like imposing of excise tax in the manufacture of firearms, transfer of certain firearms and its registration. These are the major issues that are looked upon by the act.

This act was specifically introduced for the reason that in the past there were no different type of guns and its variety was limited from simple hand guns to shot guns. But with the advancement in technology, the usage and the variety of guns have vastly increased. Hence to regularize the use of it and to restrict the use of some of the most advanced firearms, the new Gun law National Firearms Act was introduced.

The regulation of the firearms under the firearms act is done in many different categories. The major categories include machine guns, short-barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, suppressors and destructive devices. Each of the type of firearms or guns is put into any one of these categories and for each category a specific set of rule is introduced.

Guns that fire more than one cartridge at an instant come under the category of machine guns. The rifle with the length of 16 to 26 inches comes under short-barreled rifle category. The next category of short barreled shotguns consists of rifles at least of the length of 18 inches.

The excise duty tax that is imposed by the law of National Firearms Act is applicable to three major people. One is the importer; second one is the manufacturer or the dealer and third is the local dealer. They have to pay the Special Occupation Tax according to the firearms act. The individual owner is not included here.

But when an individual want to purchase the machine guns then he had to undergo a set of procedures. First he has to apply for getting permission to use gun for his personal purpose and safety. Then a set of background verification check will be done and if the person is found eligible, without any past case of violence then he will be allowed to by the gun and will be given the permit too.

Few things are put under the category of criminal conduct under the firearms act. These include the entry of importer, manufacturer or dealer into the business without proper registration and payment of special occupation tax. Also, if the individual possess any firearm without a proper permit, it is considered to be illegal and is a punishable offense. The punishment or penalty may include imprisonment for 10 years or this may be reduced to five years along with the payment of $100,000 as penalty.

These are certain features that the National Firearms act includes and this may be changed according to gun laws of each of the state.

(Source: Gun Laws)