It’s a raw deal if you ask me. For the purposes of this law you are treated like a felon. If you were still in the military it would have cost you your career. Worse, it’s an ex post facto law so for people who have ever been convicted of an act of domestic violence it applies to them as well. The stories are myriad of people who get int a fight, have their spouse call the police, sober up the next day and try to withdraw the complaint, only to find that the DA pursues DV cases with vigor and it cannot be withdrawn. The Lautenberg Amendment has real teeth, and in so many cases the punishment does not fit the crime.
One other thing: if you do not answer the questions on the BATFE Form 4473 honestly you will be a felon, and they won’t have to prove a thing except that the signature on the form is yours. I suggest you see an attorney about it before you try to purchase one. You may be able to get the record expunged or the conviction vacated. If it’s been years and you have no other incidents it may work out. It also depends upon how hard-ass the DA is.
Good luck to you. I mean that.
EDIT: If this happened in Kentucky, give this a look. It may be easier than you think.
Wouldn’t do any good to not answer honestly anyway, since the records check WILL find anything there is to find in your history, however remote.
When I applied for my license, the initial check by the local police turned up an FID issued to me way back in the early 1980s that I had not listed on the application because I’d never used it and had totally forgotten about it.
I started out this fall with a Ruger Mark III 22/45, a nice starter gun but a bitch to break down for cleaning. After lucking into a Colt Woodsman Match Target First Series (made in 1938) I wound up trading in the Ruger on a CZ Lux rifle, a real honey of a tack driver. I’ll probably never move up from .22 caliber since I haven’t enjoyed shooting any of the heavier-caliber guns I’ve been offered a try of, but even if you want a bigger bang for your buck, Oakminster and Bumbazine are right about that being good to have.
Damn shame about the blot on your record; hopefully you can find a way to resolve the issue.
Well…shit. I am wondering if I should even bother trying now. Perhaps since I have nothing to lose I should inquire about buying an AR-15 instead, ask how to convert it to full auto, mention that I feel the need to kill everyone in sight and that I own hand grenades and see what happens…
I will probably get approved (IT’S NOT A HANDGUN!)
Guns can still be bought from private individuals in many places. I see them in my newspapers classifieds all the time. They’re usually older guns that someone inherited and doesn’t want.
Depending on your location a permit may or may not be required to have a gun at home. The rules vary tremendously depending on where you live. I know in my state Felons can’t own guns or even go hunting.
This is true enough, but there is one caveat. If the OP is turned down on the basis of the NICS record, that will create a red flag in that record. Even if his right to possess a firearm is restored, that red flag will pop up and probably create more problems.
Don’t do it until you know for sure what your status is WRT your previous problems. If it’s this important to you, talk to a lawyer who can tell you what you can do about it.
When it comes to semi-automatic handguns, I like the idea of being able to fix them myself. Many gun manufacturers make it nearly impossible for you to fix a gun yourself because they (purposely) do not sell spare parts such as springs and screws. You are forced to send your gun back to the manufacturer, which is a real pain in the ass. One example is Springfield.
There are only three semi-automatic handguns you can buy wherein you can purchase any spare part:
Glock
Smith & Wesson M&P
1911
So I am biased toward these three, obviously.
You can’t go wrong with a Glock. Fantastic gun.
The S&W M&Ps are similar to a Glocks, with one advantage and one disadvantage. On a S&W M&P, the distance between the sight axis and the barrel axis is smaller, which (IMO) makes it a better shooting gun vs. the Glock. However, the finish on a S&W M&P is inferior to the finish on a Glock. The finish on a Glock is ultra-durable.
Resist the urge to get a handgun in a penis-enhancing caliber such as .45 ACP. Unless you’re independently wealthy, you won’t practice with it because it will be too damn expensive too shoot.
Regardless of what caliber you decide to buy (9 mm, .380, etc.), you also need a .22 handgun. Look at the Walther P22.
Buy at least a half-a-dozen magazines for each handgun you own.
Crap, just saw this. Sorry to hear that, FGIE. That damn Lautenberg Amendment needs to rescinded. :mad:
As I said, I have a P22 (in OD). It’s fun, but not my first choice. It’s too light for me, with its polymer frame. It feels like a toy in my hand. It’s not as accurate as my Ruger Mk.II. The Ruger is the right weight, and it points better and is more accurate than the Walther. (Incidentally, I like ‘common’ guns; so my Ruger is the basic model with the 4" barrel and fixed sights.) The only problem with the Ruger is that it (mine) does not like Remington ammo, which it often fails to eject. As I said, a tech at Ruger told me that the pistol’s chamber is tighter than most .22s. It’s also a pain to put back together after you’ve taken it apart. The Walther digests any ammo, and it’s easy to strip. But I prefer the Ruger.
I do have an unknown number of magazines for my Beretta. At least six, I think. But I in actual shooting, I’ve never needed more than two. Fewer magazines means you have to take the time to load them more often, thus making it a little cheaper to shoot.
I like the Walther P22 because it’s so small and light. But I agree… it’s not an “ultra-reliable, top-quality” gun. Some call it a piece of junk. I certainly wouldn’t trust my life with it. But it’s still fun to shoot.
I don’t know jack about guns, but I’m following all the gun threads closely since I’ve always wanted to go target shooting at a range with a handgun* and maybe buy one for myself someday.** Just the other day I was looking at the website for a local shop and they are advertising a Walther P22 they got in with a serial number of 0070BAD.
I wasn’t aware that you could rent guns at the shops, I’m glad to see how easy it is to do that. It seems that most shops just allow you to pay an extra few dollars and you have access to all the guns they have to rent, you just have to buy the ammo (do they sell them in lots less then a case?). I really don’t have any intention of keeping a gun anywhere on the first floor of my house so my concern was that after buying it and using it a few times it would just sit, locked up, in my basement and rust…out of sight, out of mind.
*My dad got a 9mm when I was 14 and told me he would take me shooting when I turned 16…I’m 31 and still haven’t shot that 9mm. Though he has offered to take me hunting and sport (clay) shooting plenty of times, but shotguns and running around in the forest at 5am haven’t really struck my fancy.
**I’m actually taking a CCW class next weekend and then sending in my application for CCW permit. Not that that I have any intention to CC and I was planning to do it even before I had the slightest inclination of getting a gun. It was more of a ‘just in case’ thing. For a few bucks I’m covered should I ever find my self in possession of a gun…for a few bucks I’m covered should I ever find myself in trouble with the law (not that I’m ever in trouble with the law) and they find a knife or box cutter on me and make a big deal out of it. OTOH, sometimes I wonder if I walk out of work with a box cutter on me that a CCW license might make a cop think it’s a weapon when they might otherwise have not thought anything of it.
Walther p22 is made from zamak. I don’t do zinc guns. Durability just isn’t there. Neither is longevity. I’ve seen, and owned through inheritance, zamak guns that got crumbly just sitting in a drawer. If Walther made the same gun using aluminum and/or steel, I’d be interested.
That’s not any big help. We rightfully get pissed off when gun-control people say it, yet here it is in all its glory. Thanks very much.
.45 ACP is expensive, but it’s not such a premium that someone shopping one should be overly concerned about it. It’s also a very common caliber, favored by a large contingent of shooters. God, you’d think we were talking about a Desert Eagle or something.
No center fire pistol of any caliber need be attempted until the .22 is mastered. If you can’t put the bullets where you want them from the .22, moving up to something more powerful and expensive will not magically make you competent. Quite the contrary, as the .22 is easy to control and is fired from some very accurate pistols. What happens, though, is that huge groups fired from a Ruger or Browning .22 rub the shooter’s nose in his lack of skill. Huge groups fired from a larger caliber can easily be rationalized as “combat accuracy.”.
Even after competency is attained, the majority of practice should still be with the .22 pistol. If you can use one ergonomically similar to your center fire piece, so much the better. Dry fire and air guns are also useful for developing and maintaining skill.
I own guns in everything from .17hmr up through .45-70 and 7.62x54R. None of them influence the size of my genitals. Seeing a pro-gun poster bring up that particular idiocy was a disappointment.
Wanna buy an un-fired Shiloh Sharps to go with it?
A question about recoil: How big is ‘too big’? A former cowerker and I took a lunch break one day at an indoor range. I had my Ruger Blackhawk .45LC, and he had a .38 Special. He complained my Ruger had too much recoil. I thought it was fine.
Recoil is at least somewhat subjective, though how well a gun is fitted to the shooter does play a role. Muzzle blast also seems to be part of the perceived recoil.
My most unpleasant gun is a 70’s vintage TC Contender in .30-30. The grips were designed by Steve Herret, who absolutely should have known better. It’s really loud. The grips don’t fit anybody’s hand. There is a lot of muzzle flip. I’ve taken deer with it in the past, but haven’t even fired it in years. Range time is too precious to waste on it.
:dubious: Dude, the U.S. Army gave me a 1911A1 to hump around for 6 years. It’s the handgun I have the most familiarity with, both mechanically as well as trigger-time.
And the ammo cost isn’t any worse than 9mm or .357. I get plenty of practice with my 1911, along with lots of other people at various ranges shooting XDs and other non-1911 .45ACP.
45 ACP is an *awesome *round. I was simply opining that a new shooter probably shouldn’t start with it. I have seen it happen a couple times… new shooter goes out to buy his first handgun, wants a “big” caliber because it’s big, gets a .45, and ends up never shooting it.
That damn Lautenberg Amendment needs to rescinded. :mad:
