• halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    From my understanding as a general citizen, who owns several firearms but purchased them all from stores, and has done some research but not a lot…

    A license is not required for most firearms and many/most states don’t require registering firearms at all. Unless you’re getting into things that require special federal licenses.

    Gun shows are a massive loophole in existing background check requirements for purchasing from stores, because sales there are instead classified as private sales. Even if you’re purchasing from a business at the show. And private sales aren’t required to run background checks. No expectation for an individual selling a firearm to have to pay to run a check on who they are selling to, so no requirement for private sales.

    • misanthropy@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      You’re wrong. Dealers operating even temp at a gun show are required to do a NICS background check before the sale by law. I’ve been to numerous ones, never been sold to without one.

      The only way they’re a loophole is you can meet private citizens there to buy and sell with because yes, private sales are legal. Anyone smart selling private doesn’t do it without seeing a WCL and getting a picture of it.

    • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      OK so if I understand you correctly, at a gun show, you can buy a gun as if it was a piece of candy! No check, no registration no nothing. I’m sorry if it’s a stupid question, but this seems pretty crazy to me.

      • FireTower@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I replied to the other guy but checks are required on all sales from a dealer. They are not required, under federal law, in sales from your average joe. But some states have tighter restrictions.

        The location being a gun show has no relevance on the legal status under fed law for these transactions.

    • FireTower@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Gun shows are a massive loophole in existing background check requirements for purchasing from stores, because sales there are instead classified as private sales.

      Not all sales at a gun show are private sales. Specifically those from a FFL (Federal Firearms Licenced Dealer). The federal law when first enacted specifically excluded private transfer for commerce clause reasons.

      Even if you’re purchasing from a business at the show.

      As mentioned above this is inaccurate. If you buy a firearm from a dealer at a gun show sans background check both you and the dealer have committed a crime.

      And private sales aren’t required to run background checks.

      This is true of actual private sales on the federal level. But several states have further restrictions requiring them.