18-21 owning a hand gun?
- Thread starter Norom
- Start date
- Status
ArchAngelCD
Member.
You can own a handgun at those ages but you can't buy one until you're 21.
Look here for a lot of good gun law information by state.
http://www.handgunlaw.us/
Look here for a lot of good gun law information by state.
http://www.handgunlaw.us/
You can buy a handgun when you are age 18-20, but it must be a private sale, no ffl. Unless your state prohibits it with their own laws, so to the OP, yes it is true. I believe that this is the case in most states, but I know this is how it works in Alabama.
Telekinesis
Member
Federally, the minimum age to possess (and purchase) a handgun is 18 (i believe 922(x))even though the minimum age to transfer one through a FFL is 21. Many states also allow those over 18 to possess a handgun, and some will even issue CCWs to those same people even while they're under 21. You will need to look through your own state code though. Look for something along the lines of "who can possess handguns" or "who can not possess handguns" and there will usually be an age limit in there somewhere.
An alternative (though with more chance of error) is to look at OpenCarry.org's "age to OC" map and that usually lines up well with the age to own/possess. It is not 100% accurate though as there are some states that allow you to possess at 18 but not carry until after you reach 21.
An alternative (though with more chance of error) is to look at OpenCarry.org's "age to OC" map and that usually lines up well with the age to own/possess. It is not 100% accurate though as there are some states that allow you to possess at 18 but not carry until after you reach 21.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I'm sorry to say not all local Sheriffs know the laws or may not be willing to tell you if they don't agree with those laws. (but not always) If it's that important to you I would suggest contacting a local attorney who deals with gun laws.
meanmrmustard
Member
Not to thread jack, but I find it odd that our men and women in the Armed Forces are willing to carry small arms to protect our freedom, some of them quite young. But, when they return home, they cannot buy a handgun under age 21? I find that, in a word, ludicrous.
Besides that, most of us were not any more mature at 21 than we were at 18
Besides that, most of us were not any more mature at 21 than we were at 18
To get any respect in United States one must form cohesive groups and vote as a block. Although some small percentage of <21yo Americans can't "tie their own shoes" no alcohol and gun purchase until 21 makes little sense to me. "Big Daddy" isn't going to change military service age because younger folks find "pulling the trigger" a lot easier and lets face it that is what military is all about.
Last edited:
NavyLCDR
member
All you will get is another person's opinion which may or may not reflect what the actual statute is. If he says you have to be 21 to possess or purchase a handgun, and if he is a friend, then it should not be a problem to show you the statute.
Your answer, Norom, BTW is in ORS (Oregon Revised Statutes) 166.250, and the age limit in that statute is 18.
Thank you Navylcdr that's exactly what I was looking for. Also in response to Meanmrmustard I was talking to a gun salesmen in BIG R and he was telling me about how he sold a ruger 10/22 to a marine who was home for a while and the marine goes to buy the ammo for it and he couldn't buy any. This guy's handled 50 cal's before but he can't buy .22 ammo for a 10/22 because he's 20. because that makes sense.
because that makes sense.NavyLCDR
member
Thank you Navylcdr that's exactly what I was looking for. Also in response to Meanmrmustard I was talking to a gun salesmen in BIG R and he was telling me about how he sold a ruger 10/22 to a marine who was home for a while and the marine goes to buy the ammo for it and he couldn't buy any. This guy's handled 50 cal's before but he can't buy .22 ammo for a 10/22 because he's 20.
The salesman was quoting store policy, not Federal law. Federal law stipulates that a licensed dealer cannot sell ammunition INTENDED FOR USE in a handgun to a person <21 years of age. If the ammunition is INTENDED to be used in a rifle, than it can be sold by a licensed dealer to a person >18 years of age.
It all depends on what firearm the buyer INTENDS TO USE the ammo in....not the actual caliber of the ammunition/gun. If the buyer lies to a licensed dealer and says the ammo will be used in a rifle, when they actually intend to use the ammo in a handgun, then the BUYER commits a Federal felony.
The Federal laws for anyone selling handgun ammunition to a person <18 years of age are quite different. That requirement is "ammunition that is suitable for use only in a handgun". I don't know of any caliber that is suitable for use ONLY in a handgun.
bdb benzino
Member
Hello fellow Oregonian! Yes in Oregon it is legal to buy a handgun from a private party or receive one as a gift if you are 18. You can not buy 1 at a store or buy ammunition for it either until you reach 21. A rifle will be legal at a store a 18 though and I believe the rifle ammo will be also.
I hope this helps and good luck !
I hope this helps and good luck !
Lawdawg45
Member
Isn't it ironic that in those restrictive states, that same young man or woman can enlist in the military or National Guard and be trained and equipped with a handgun and M16!
LD
M2 Carbine
member
Gun laws are mostly stupid.
The first web site I was ever on was a British forum owned by a young ex RAF pilot.
Being a American machine gun owner I was considered pretty radical.
One day I tried to explain just how wrong and stupid their British anti gun laws were.
I said,
"The owner of this web sight is a young man that was trusted by your government to fly a armed multimillion dollar jet fighter bomber. Not only that, but your government trusted this man to fly over your country with nuclear weapons on his plane.
But yet your government will not trust this man to have a stinking little 22 pistol."
Isn't that the weirdest thing I really don't understand these laws sometimes I wonder if half the politicians that made these laws were in the military or had some sort of gun background would they have ever made them. I don't think so.
meanmrmustard
Member
^^^i don't get it either. I shouldnt have brought it up, but it flat out makes no sense. If an 18 "kid" is adult enough to lay down his life, let him buy a damn pistol and ammo for himself. He/she has earned that much. I'm not in any way saying that teenagers are of right mind to go waltzing about with weapons, but where is the line drawn? My grandfather was a "kid" when he went to Korea, uncle in Vietnam. They had whisky with their comrades on off hours, hopefully because it may have been that little slice of life that kept them straight. Im inspired by the bravery exemplified daily by our proud men and women in service. Let them have a damn gun!
medalguy
Member
Norom, look at the bios of most of our esteemed Congresspeople and you will find very, very few of them served in this country's armed forces. As time goes by, even fewer will have served. Unfortunately for the country, military service is no longer viewed as something honorable and something that is viewed by the populace in general as a positive thing. Too many people today see military service as something only for the young uneducated and unemployable segments of the population. Too bad.
22-rimfire
Member
I have to dissagree with you medalguy. During the Vietnam years, military service became something akin to what you say for many. But today, this is not true to the majority of people.
Norom, our laws represent an accumulation of stuff and many things get carried forward. I would assume that the 21 year age limit for legally buying a handgun from a FFL dealer relates to the 21 being the previous legal age and hence the age where adult responsibilities and liabilities kick in. It was not so long ago that you could not vote until you turned 21. The original framers of the constitution required you to be a property owner to vote and certainly women could not vote no matter what age they were. But you had to register for the draft at age 18 after the draft was initiated.
Today, it seems that many of our politicians are making felonies out of crimes that were previously misdemenors. This needs to change.
Norom, you can legally purchase a long gun at age 18 from a dealer, but not a handgun. This goes back to when people needed firearms to hunt with for food resources. The issue has always been concealability which is why handguns are 21 versus 18, right or wrong. If you look at crime statistics, more crimes are committed by people under the age of 21. The same reasoning applies to states where there are curfews for driving under a certain age unless you are driving between your residence and work site.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
