Federal Firearms License

Gun permits

In most cases gun permits are different than a gun license. Normally a permit is issued so you can actually buy the handgun.

The gun license is used in certain instances when carrying either concealed or in your car.

What exactly are gun permits?

In the majority of states gun permits are issued to allow
you to purchase handguns for the protection of your home,
business or property, to use in target shooting, hunting or
collecting.

The best place to start is to apply in person to the police
department in your city to get your firearms permit. Also
there is usually required criminal background checks and
some state laws require a 3-day waiting period by licensed
dealers.

Federal law also prohibits gun dealers and those with a
federal firearms license from selling handguns to anyone
under 21 and selling rifles or shotguns to anyone under 18.

Something else to know is that many states have laws
governing the transportation of firearms. When traveling
you must be aware of these laws and comply with the legal
requirements. A huge warning if your in the North East.

Massachusetts has enacted one of the most restrictive gun
laws in the nation, which imposes a mandatory one-year jail
sentence for anyone illegally possessing a firearm, loaded
or unloaded, "on his person or under his control in a
vehicle.

Carrying a handgun in public may not be for everyone, but it
is a right that government ought to respect.

Gun locks may not be as safe as you think

Gun locks--sometimes called "trigger locks"--are devices attached to your gun's trigger that keep the gun from firing. Their intention is to protect children from firing guns accidentally, and they're quite popular. In the United States, the President distributed over 20 million gun locks to households all over the country as part of Project Gunsafe, a new project meant to lessen the danger of guns in households with young children. It sounds like a good program--but this is undoubtedly a case of good intentions gone awry. Gun locks are simply not good protection for your guns, and they may do more harm than good. Here's why.

Accidental gun deaths are more rare than most people think. There are a lot of heartbreaking ads out there that show kids talking about the time they were playing with Daddy's gun and accidentally shot someone. These tragic occurrences do happen from time to time, and when they do, they're widely publicized. Much more well-publicized than more common tragedies--hundreds more children die every year in car accidents, residential fires, and even in bathtubs than as a result of accidental gun firings. In fact, between 1995 and 1999 in the U.S., only about nine children were reported to have died this way.