American Gun Laws

[medic-rod]

Some states Arizona for one you don't even need anything to carry concealed. I live in Nevada all we need do is be over 21 not a criminal and do the federal form. In Clark county (Vegas) they have a "Blue Card" that you must have to show the gun is regestered to You.

 

[brickeyee]

all i can say is...WOW !!! You are luckiest people.

It is not luck.

It was paid for with with treasure and blood.

Over and over.

 

[Midwest]

Montenegrin

Before the 1968 Gun Control Act, people used to be able to purchase long guns and pistols through the mail. In addition, hardware stores and even gas stations sold firearms without background checks. But then there were very few states that allowed conceal carry with a permit.

While we can not order through the mail anymore (unless we are a licensed dealer or licensed collector). Many States now allow conceal carry with a permit.

So while we lost rights in the 1968 Gun Control Act, we also gained some new rights that were only dreamed about years ago.

Some states, like my State; Kentucky... allows open carry without a permit and we can have our loaded pistol in the glove compartment, center console or any compartment in the car without needing a permit.

 

[exavid]

Every day when I wake up I give thanks for the luck to have been born in the USA. I don't like some of the directions the US government is tending toward but have great expectations that we will right our course before long. To me the second amendment that allows citizens is a canary in the coal mine. The way the second amendment is being honored by the government both Federal and State tells us a lot about our freedoms overall.
Montenegrin, you sound like a person who would make a good American, I sincerely hope that you are able to join us here.

 

[General Geoff]

I know that in America you can buy black powder cap and ball revolver without any registration or so.Now,I have a question.Can you carry replica black powder percussion revolver concealed or open without permit issued?I know that in some states you can open carry all weapons without permit,but so far I know only Arizona allows you to carry both concealed and open without permit.

From a pragmatic point of view, most states' carry permits/licenses are fairly easy to obtain, and carrying a more modern smokeless powder weapon is preferable to carrying a black powder piece for various safety and practical reasons. That's not to say that Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Alaska, and Vermont aren't great places to live as well; just that Constitutional Carry (that's what some of us call carry without a license or permit) shouldn't make you discount all the other states. If you're serious about immigrating, do more research on the states you're most interested in, and we can fill you in on the specifics of any one state you hone in on.


As has been mentioned, our freedoms were not born of luck; they were born of the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers. "The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of Patriots and Tyrants." America might have the current international reputation of being full of fat, lazy, complacent and arrogant fools, but trust me when I say there are those of us who appreciate and do our best to carry on our rich history and culture of freedom.

Good luck to you in your quest to join our ranks of freedom loving people.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

I know that in America you can buy black powder cap and ball revolver without any registration or so.Now,I have a question.Can you carry replica black powder percussion revolver concealed or open without permit issued?I know that in some states you can open carry all weapons without permit,but so far I know only Arizona allows you to carry both concealed and open without permit.

I am not a lawyer (and you should allways consult one before making decisions with serious legal penalties), but what I can recall of the Black powder laws go like this:

with the execption of more restrictive states (CA, MA) you can buy Blackpowder guns(non-cartridge types) through the mail because they are not considered modern firearms. Carrying them, however, would require a permit in most states... While the Federal Gov doesn't consider them firearms for the purpose of sale, the States(which write the carry laws)mostly consider them deadly weapons when you are carrying them.

However, you will find it easy to get a carry permit in many parts of the US (and wont need a permit in a few). You may also find that you do not need to carry in many parts of the country. you still can carry, and being mindfull of personal safety is a good idea, but most of the US is acctually pretty safe and a pleasant place to live.

As the son of an immigrant, I wish you luck on your journey.

 

[Montenegrin]

As has been mentioned, our freedoms were not born of luck; they were born of the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers.

But you have freedoms,my ancestors fought 500 years against terror of Ottoman Empire,and we haven't got any freedoms.

 

[General Geoff]

Perhaps it is merely because our country is so young (from a historical standpoint), and that the circumstances surrounding our nation's founding are still fresh in the public ethos. I don't know how much you know about American history, but the "Shot Heard Round the World," as it is popularly known, happened at the Battle of Lexington & Concord in 1775, which was the result of a culmination of resistance by the American colonists against British disarmament. The very words were uttered by the British officer prior to the fighting, "Lay down your arms, you damned rebels!"

In other words, forced disarmament by the government was the final catalyst to our Revolutionary War.


edit; after reading about some of Montenegro's history, I would make a semi-educated guess that rule under Socialist Yugoslavia is probably what created most of your existing gun laws (or at least began them).

 

[Montenegrin]

I heard about that ''shot heared round the world'' (79 men made it,right?)
Your guess is right.Our current gun laws are a little bit worse than your Washington D.C laws.That's why you sometimes hear that in D.C they have ''communist gun laws''.
And I'm surprised to see that somebody even heared a word about my country.One American said me:''Montenegro?Wow man is this in Syberia?''

 

[General Geoff]

I must apologize for the tendency of Americans to be geopolitically ignorant of other countries; I myself was not fully aware of the exact geographical location of Montenegro until I started reading this thread two days ago. I just knew it was in Southern Europe somewhere. I may have known previously from geography study in school, but simply forgot.

 

[Quiet]

with the execption of more restrictive states (CA, MA) you can buy Blackpowder guns(non-cartridge types) through the mail because they are not considered modern firearms.

It is 100% legal to mail order blackpowder guns in CA.

 

[mortablunt]

I heard about that ''shot heared round the world'' (79 men made it,right?)

One man had to be the first to pull the trigger.

Your guess is right.Our current gun laws are a little bit worse than your Washington D.C laws.That's why you sometimes hear that in D.C they have ''communist gun laws''.

That's still pretty bad, but not too horrible internationally. It looks like a gunny's paradise next to the UK, Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand (why does that always fail spell check?), Australia, Russia, and many other places. Also, we in the gun community will refer to states with more restrictive gun laws as the "People's Republic of <insert state here>, or the "PR<insert state abbreviation here>.

And I'm surprised to see that somebody even heared a word about my country.One American said me:''Montenegro?Wow man is this in Syberia?''

You spelled Syberia incorrectly. The word is Siberia. The last I heard of Montenegro, was about the 1870 Gasser revolver. I do know where Montenegro is, directly east of Italy, in the Balkans, with Albania to the south, and Bosnia to the north.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I learned about Montenegro from Geoffrey Boothroyd's "The Handgun" .

Tennessee had an Application for Permission to Purchase a Handgun that had to be signed off by the Chief of Police or the County Sheriff depending in whether the gun shop was in the city or the county. That was replaced by the Tennessee Instant Check System as part of the background check for the Federal 4473 transaction form. So the Brady Law actually liberalised Tennessee handgun purchase. The only thing now that request a CLEO sign-off is purchase of federally regulated NFA firearms (machineguns, silencers, short barrel shotguns (SBS), short barrel rifles (SBR), or any other concealable weapon not a conventional pistol or revolver (AOW).

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Can you carry replica black powder percussion revolver concealed or open without permit issued?

In Tennessee, carry of anything with intent to use as a weapon of offense or defense is considered "going armed". You can get a permit to carry a handgun for self defense, and that frankly applies to carrying a cap'n'ball revolver for defense as well as a modern handgun. If you have a handgun carry permit, you can legally carry a rifle with loaded magazine in a vehicle as long as the chamber is empty.

The state constitution states "That the people have the right to keep and bear arms for their common defense; but the Legislature shall have the power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime." State supreme court rulings and state attorney general opinions interpret Section 26 to mean regulation cannot and should not interfere with the common lawful uses of firearms, including defense of the home and hunting, but should only be aimed at criminal behavior. It is an absolute right to have a gun in the home or place of business for self-defense, and the protection of "common defense" -- self defense or militia service -- does not deny or unprotect other traditional uses of guns--hunting, protecting livestock from predators, etc. State law also recognizes that guns may be owned as curios, ornaments or keepsakes (collector's items) with no intent to use them as weapons.

 

[brickeyee]

But you have freedoms,my ancestors fought 500 years against terror of Ottoman Empire,and we haven't got any freedoms.

Maybe we fight better and take better advantage of the outcome.

 

[hermannr]

Montenegrin: I have known about Montenegro since reading a series of books called "Studdard's Travels" (printed in 1902) over 50 years ago. I still want to go visit your country and see how it has changed from before WWI and present. Studdard painted (in words) a very nice picture of a very independent country in the late 1800's early 1900's.

 

[mortablunt]

Maybe we fight better and take better advantage of the outcome.

Note: Back then, generous individual rights meant the right to not be murdered over your choice of church, a trial that wasn't 100% rigged, and not being tortured. The ideas of strong personal liberties backed by an individual RKBA didn't emerge until much later, and even today it's a rather uncommon principle.

 

[Cosmoline]

Not necessarily. Our friend in Montenegro can verify it, but here's one interesting tidbit about that nation in connection with firearms:

by edict of the King, every adult male carried a pistol and dagger with him in public at all times! The connection with Russia predated the Three-Line-Rifle, as the Montenegrins had adopted the Berdan II in the 1895. The Berdan II was issued alongside the Model 1873 Werndl, 20,000 of which had been procured from Steyr during the late 1880s. In the early 1890s, Montenegro received additional rifles from Greece in the form of the Steyr produced Model 1874 Greek Gras rifles.

http://mosinnagant.net/global mosin nagants/serbmosin.asp

So it sounds like the current anti-gun stance may have much shallower roots, in Communist and Euro-zone sources. Back in the day things were apparently quite different.

 

[armoredman]

But you have freedoms,my ancestors fought 500 years against terror of Ottoman Empire,and we haven't got any freedoms.

We had the Founding Fathers who wanted not to change from one set of masters to a new set, but to become masters of our own destiny. By and large we still are, even though many things our government does today would cause Mr Jefferson and Mr Franklin to suffer a massive heart attack.

 

[Ben86]

By and large we still are, even though many things our government does today would cause Mr Jefferson and Mr Franklin to suffer a massive heart attack.

Very true. It seems to me we have failed to maintain the liberty we once had. Hopefully that will change soon and we can once again have a country with a limited government that would make them proud.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

Puerto Rico does have some pretty oppressive gun laws.

Midwest,
Have you ever been to Puerto-Rico? I have to travel there for my job from time to time.
Even the Gated Communities there have iron bars over all their windows.
Where I stay is gated and it is still a mile from the gates and fences until I get to my hotel in Dorado, PR. Every store or shop on the way has iron bars over every window. They actually do need to be strick.

 

[Midwest]

No I have never been to Puerto-Rico. If the people had the right to protect themselves like people do in most of the States in the Union...perhaps there might be less need for iron bars. Perhaps if people were allowed to carry crime might come down.

If the criminals know that the owner or the potential victim can and will use deadly force to protect themselves and their family and property, the criminals would go elsewhere or at least think twice before attempting to cause harm or break ins.

Free people should not have to live behind iron bars.

 

[mortablunt]

But Puerto Rico isn't exactly free or a state; it's a Territory, a colony of sorts. It's in our interest to keep it down and subjugated. Therefore, we place in arms controls.