kanch

Hi,
I am Aos pending now and bought gun when I had a F1 student visa. Is that legal or should I get rid of it. I bought it from a gun store.
Please let me know

Just Jenney

A quick google brought up the following result:

http://www.vrolyk.org/guns/alien-laws.html

It's possible that it was illegal for you, as a non-immigrant alien, to even buy the gun to begin with. The link provided in the first section of the above webpage has a very long section on who is and is not permitted to own a gun; but honestly, it was way too long for me to read it. I suggest a thorough reading to be sure you're not currently in possession of the gun illegally already.

~ Jenney

Ap

In article <[email protected]> , member2595
@british_expats.com says...
    >
    > > Hi,
    > > I am Aos pending now and bought gun when I had a F1 student visa. Is
    > > that legal or should I get rid of it. I bought it from a gun store.
    > > Please let me know
    >
    > A quick google brought up the following result:
    >
    > http://www.vrolyk.org/guns/alien-laws.html
    >
    > It's possible that it was illegal for you, as a non-immigrant alien, to
    > even buy the gun to begin with. The link provided in the first section
    > of the above webpage has a very long section on who is and is not
    > permitted to own a gun; but honestly, it was way too long for me to read
    > it. I suggest a thorough reading to be sure you're not currently in
    > possession of the gun illegally already.
    >

Depends on the state statues. I can tell you that legal permament
residents in Texas can have gun permit.

Good link for all states:

http://www.packing.org


AP

Ap

In article <[email protected]> , member30487
@british_expats.com says...
    >
    > Hi,
    > I am Aos pending now and bought gun when I had a F1 student visa. Is
    > that legal or should I get rid of it. I bought it from a gun store.
    > Please let me know
    >
    >
Actually I just noticed that you are asking only about gun possesion. I
owuld check state statues... since eveyr state is diffrent (still
http://www.packing.org is good start). In my opinion (please note that
Im not lawyer) in most states you can have gun at your appartment/home.
Carrying gun is totally diffrent story. Anyway .... check the website
and see your state regulations.

AP

kanch

Hi,
Thank you for the info, yes you are right. it is illegal to buy a gun with an non immigrant visa. But now I am AOS pending, Does that mean I am an immigrant, because immigrnts could own a gun. My state law really does not say anything about it, except that immigrants in my state can get gun permits to carry them. I am a little confused.

Ap

In article <[email protected]> , member30487
@british_expats.com says...
    >
    > > A quick google brought up the following result:
    > >
    > > http://www.vrolyk.org/guns/alien-laws.html
    > >
    > > It's possible that it was illegal for you, as a non-immigrant alien,
    > > to even buy the gun to begin with. The link provided in the first
    > > section of the above webpage has a very long section on who is and is
    > > not permitted to own a gun; but honestly, it was way too long for me
    > > to read it. I suggest a thorough reading to be sure you're not
    > > currently in possession of the gun illegally already.
    > >
    > > ~ Jenney
    >
    > Hi,
    > Thank you for the info, yes you are right. it is illegal to buy a gun
    > with an non immigrant visa. But now I am AOS pending, Does that mean I
    > am an immigrant, because immigrnts could own a gun. My state law really
    > does not say anything about it, except that immigrants in my state can
    > get gun permits to carry them. I am a little confused.
    >

Im not lawyer ... but I think you are NOT permament resident YET ...
your status is something like non-immigrant waitting for permament
residency approval .... at least thats what I think.


AP

MightBe

I believe you are in possession of it illegally, and I am amazed a dealer sold it you. Under no circumstance carry it in your car or on your person at anytime, Nor carry it across a State Line, Depending on your State you may be able to get a Carry Permit when you have your GC.

Katikati

why do you need a gun? We have very good police in America.

They will ask you this, when you go to apply for a gun, and they will run your crime history so if you had some records back home, dont bother.

The question remains:why do you need a gun?

HunterGreen

Whether immigrant's CAN own guns, I'm sure they can, the question I think should be if the MAY own a gun. So far on the smart-aleck part.

My first thought when I hear 'gun' is hunting. You don't say what kind of gun you own and whether you have a hunting license or not. If you are a legal alien (=entered and are in the US legally) and you have a hunting license you are allowed to have a gun and ammo in your possession. I am not certain if that is the same as OWNING a gun. I've been carrying around hunting guns and ammo in tourist status, BUT I had a hunting license. I am also not sure if a hunting license permits you to carry a hand-gun, or if it is restricted to hunting guns. Anyway, just thought I'd reply in case you're talking about wanting to go deer hunting.

Elaine

Katikati

I always find the law unfair when it comes to guns because a gun is a gun is a gun.

They should not discriminate between what gun you want to own and which one you dont.

The guy who killed 6 people somewhere in the mid-west did so with a hunting gun. And guess what, he was an ex-army, sharp shooter guy. There should be uniform gun ownership laws for hunters and non hunters alike because both guns KILL.

HunterGreen

I'm not going to get into a gun-discussion, and I'm really only replying because I don't understand what you're saying - you say you want uniform laws for hunters an non-hunters, but what do you mean?

Legal non-immigrant aliens are allowed to hunt in the US with a hunting license. Immigrant aliens, permanent residents and citizens are allowed to hunt with a hunting license AND are allowed to possess guns and ammo, period.

What are the different gun-ownership laws for hunters and non-hunters here? I don't see it. Note that the law quoted here so far only talks about the possession of guns, not ownership. And like I said, I don't know if the same rules for non-immigrants hold true about ownership. Apparently you do? Just wondering, in light of what you said.

Elaine

HunterGreen

And I just wanted to add that people who want to kill other people with guns don't care if they own the gun legally or not, so unfortunately no matter how much one wants to regulate gun use/possession/ownership, the people that really want to use a firearm against another person will find a way to do so.

Elaine

kanch

thank you for your replies. I bought the gun because I really enjoy target shooting. and my inlaws are total gun fans. in last 4 years I had only used it about 5 times though. it seems like I should not keep this gun. so I think I will trasfer this gun to my wife since she is a USC

Rete

From experience:

Jim crossed the border with his K-1 in '98. He brought with him two long guns. One was an old winchester and don't know the brand of other rifle. No you do not need a permit in the State of New York to own these or to carry them. He was allowed in with them and in turn registered them with the US Government Firearms Agency.

My daughter, on the other hand, bought a gun/pistol in Virginia when there was a serial rapist in her neighborhood. She had to register the gun in Virginia and upon moving to New York State with it, she had to transfer registration with the Police Department. She cannot carry it on her person but can keep it in her home.

Jim bought a new rifle in Wal-Marts this summer. He had to be cleared by the FBI before it could be sold to him but no, he did not have to register it with our local police department.

Rete

NOLA_Dave

Yeah, the laws usually differ for handguns and rifles. It's easier to buy a shotgun, for example, than a pistol. For example, Wal-Mart sells plenty of rifles, but no handguns. That's because the paperwork requirements are different, I believe. A non-USC/GC holder can probably get a hunting rifle no problem, but unless he got it in a back alley, there's no way he could get his hands on a handgun (no dealer would risk losing his liscense to make a couple of extra bucks).