Anybody else watch "American Guns"?

[pipoman]

I just watched last weeks episode..."Sturgis S&W; 1898 Krag-Jorgensen". If you haven't seen it, it is about a gun dealer in Colorado who also has a custom gun making business..making guns from scratch, customizing guns, and engraving/finishes.

A biker friend of the owner's came in wanting a "Sturgis gun". He said he is from California. And he wanted the owner, who was also going to Sturgis, to deliver the gun to him there.

He bought a S&W 686 plus, had a trigger job done, the barrel and cylinder chamfered, and engraving done. The owner took the finished gun to South Dakota and delivered it to the guy from Cali.

This seems like a firearms violation, as I understand the law. The only explanation I could think of was that the owner was going to ultimately mail the gun to an FFL in Cali for the guy to pick up...they sure played it like the guy picked up the gun in SD..

Am I mistaken? Is this legal?

[Reasonable_Argument]

1. Not sure how this is legal

Unless the person taking possession of the weapon has an FFL license. You CAN transfer handguns across state lines but they must go through a licensed dealer.

[Rincewind]

2. So, the biker guy

bought a gun, from a gun dealer, and you wonder if he bought it from a gun dealer?

[Reasonable_Argument]

3. Doesn't work that way

If you want to buy a handgun from a dealer, or private seller, in another state it must be shipped to an FFL in your state. Unless, of course, you have an FFL license in your state. Then you can take possession of the weapon. Despite what many on here would have you believe, there are quite a few laws that dictate how weapons are transferred.

[shadowrider]

4. Agreed, I don't know how this can be legal, but it is a TV show. I'm sure approval was

given somewhere for this to be done, unless the next episode is him getting arrested.

[Reasonable_Argument]

5. It's what always amuses me

When gun control advocates say we don't have enough gun laws. If you look at federal, state, and local ordinances we have thousands of varying gun laws. This place you can carry, this place you can't, this place your weapon can have these features, this place it can't, this state has a preemption rule for firearms laws, this state doesn't, this place you can have this ammunition, this place you can't, and on and on and on. The entire reason the federal Firearms Owner Protection Act was passed was to try and prevent otherwise law abiding gun owners from inadvertently becomming felons due to the patchwork of thousands of firearms laws in this country. The only reason gun control advocates get away with that talking point is that they know most people will never look into the issue and those that do quickly question their motives and are shunned. Some people will never be happy until the last firearm owner is either disarmed or in prison and that is why they must be fought at every opportunity.

[shadowrider]

6. Yea. It's confusing. When I drive up the coast, I go from having to keep it in a "locked"

compartment (Center console is considered such), to being able to have it anywhere (I usually tuck it into the drivers side door), to a "locked compartment", to having it unloaded with ammunition separate from the weapon, back to a "locked compartment", etc. I stop at each welcome center for the state I just entered and move sh*t around to comply with the local laws.

It's a headache.

[pipoman]

10. It would be nice if there was some sort of

intranational preemption..but alas, that would likely be as impossible as a federal law dictating intrastate commerce between two private citizens of the same state (the fabled "gun show loophole&quot ....commerce clause, and all that..

[pipoman]

9. I have purchased several guns this way

usually through online auctions. I guess I was mainly wondering if I had been mistaken all this time or if there had been a change in the law...apparently not. Thx.

[safeinOhio]

7. All those shows are just that "shows".

I'm sure actual transfer took place in a legal place according to the law. From pickers to gun shows to any reality teevee show, guess what, they are all staged to look real.

[pipoman]

8. Yeah, I realize that..

it just surprises me that they don't explain how they are doing this in compliance.

[krispos42]

11. If I had to guess...

...the purchaser tried the gun out in SoDak. Examined the fit and finish, probably fired the gun a few times, made sure it was made to his specs, etc. Then, after Sturgis, the dealer brought the S&W back to Colorado and mailed it to an FFL in California.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

12. This would be...

...my guess as well.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

13. I'm not a resident of South Dakota

Can I walk into a gun shop in Sturgis and buy a revolver after getting through the NICS procedure? Can I drive home with it? Is it legally mine?

When I get home, do I have to go through another FFL, or is the Sturgis FFL enough?

[oneshooter]

14. You can pay for it there, including shipping.

But it must be shipped to a FFL dealer in your state of residence. There you will pay a fee, fill out the required documentation, get a Federal BG check and if all is right take possession of your firearm.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

17. Thanks to all for replies

I've bought long guns in other states, never a handgun. This is good info. I've been tempted to buy a 1911 from a FFL at Camp Perry (Ohio), but now I know I'd have to get another dealer involved.

[pipoman]

15. No

If you are from a state other than SD you can buy a gun in SD, but the FFL dealer must mail it to another FFL dealer in your home state, where you must go to pick it up subject to the laws of the state you live...you can buy a gun from a private resident, but the resident has to take it to a FFL or at least ship it to a FFL in your state.

[alabama_for_obama]

16. Depends.

If it is a long gun, probably. There is no federal law prohibiting you from purchasing a long gun out of state, but you must do it from an FFL in that state. Some state laws prohibit non FFL's from other states from purchasing in their state. In this case, you would need to have it shipped to an FFL in your state, or a state that didn't have such laws. I'm pretty sure also that it is illegal on a federal level to sell a gun to someone who cannot legally posses said gun. So it would probably be illegal to sell a semi-auto long gun that holds more than the legal maximum capacity to a resident of NJ.

When buying a pistol across state lines, it is always required that it be shipped to an FFL in your state of residence. Guessing the same for NFA items.

[MicaelS]

18. Tivo'd the show, but haven't watched it.

What is a "Sturgis Gun"? A bunch of custom engraving commemorating Sturgis?

[pipoman]

20. pretty much..silly, eh?o

[jeepnstein]

19. So much Herp and Derp on that show it's unbelievable.

I cannot stand to watch more than the time it takes to find the remote and switch over to Ancient Aliens or "Fat Guys Driving Slowly on Snowy Roads" or whatever that show is called.

I want less "reality" on my TV and more documentaries on important stuff like Bigfoot, Aliens, and stuff.

[pipoman]

21. yeah..if they ever get political

I'll probably be done...as it is I watch to see the builds..