Quartz
February 13, 2005, 9:23am
1
I had a dream last night and in the dream I was in America - and going to be for a couple of months - and decided to buy a gun.
But are non-citizens actually allowed to buy guns? Are there additional restrictions?
From the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms :
(A15) Q. May foreign visitors and other aliens legally in the United States purchase or possess firearms and ammunition while in the United States?
A. Nonimmigrant aliens generally are prohibited from possessing or receiving (purchasing) firearms and ammunition in the United States.
There are exceptions to this general prohibition. The exceptions are as follows:
nonimmigrant aliens who possess a valid hunting license or permit lawfully issued by a State in the United States;
nonimmigrant aliens entering the United States to participate in a competitive target shooting event or to display firearms at a sports or hunting trade show sponsored by a national, State, or local firearms trade organization devoted to the competitive use or other sporting use of firearms;
certain diplomats;
officials of foreign governments or distinguished foreign visitors so designated by the U.S. State Department;
foreign law enforcement officers of friendly foreign governments entering the United States on official law enforcement business; and
persons who have received a waiver from the prohibition from the U.S. Attorney General.
Significantly, even if a nonimmigrant alien falls within one of these exceptions, the nonimmigrant alien CANNOT purchase a firearm from a Federal firearms licensee (FFL) unless he or she (1) has an alien number or admission number from the Immigration and Naturalization Service AND (2) can provide the FFL with documentation showing that he or she has resided in a State within the United States for 90 days prior to the firearms transaction.
Quartz
February 13, 2005, 5:21pm
3
That’s pretty much a ‘No’ for visitors, then. Thanks.
Many if not most shooting ranges rent guns, if you’re just looking for some trigger time.
Unless Quartz has the same dream again tonight that information is of no use.
But if he does have it again, he can dream of shooting to his heart’s content.
Fortunately, he thought about asking on this board, or else, he would have dreamed he was rotting in a jail tonight.
Well… if dreams were bound by U.S. law, then he still couldn’t rent one either:
IANAL, but I don’t think that renting a gun to use exclusively at a target range would fall under the category of “possessing or receiving (purchasing)”
But then again, I may be wrong.
IANAL either… but in this case, I would think “rent” is buying time to possess a firearm for a period of time. Not only that, what’s he gonna do, rent the gun and not purchase ammo to fire it?
“…and ammunition”
Mk_VII
February 13, 2005, 9:07pm
11
here, 'possession would include even picking it up.
IANAL either, but if that’s not the case there are a great many gun ranges in violation.