koalabear
~Armed and Fuzzy~
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2001
- Posts
- 101,964
Few restrictions on firearm sales
Buying a gun in much of America can be as simple as forking over the cash, with no background check required. In fact, it can be much more of a hassle to buy a package of cold medication than to purchase a firearm. President Barack Obama and a handful of state legislatures are hoping to change that by pushing for tougher gun laws, which vary dramatically from state to state. In Texas, for example, there is no waiting period and no state gun registration system. Federal law requires that all licensed firearms dealers conduct background checks, but the restriction doesn't apply to private sales and some gun shows.
In the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December that killed 26 people, including 20 children, several recent surveys suggest most Americans favor tighter gun control. Some 92% of people support background checks for all gun buyers, and 91% of households with a gun support such a measure, according to a survey released last month by the independent Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.
Cold medicine
Having a common cold is enough to get you treated like a common criminal. To purchase seemingly innocuous cold medications such as Sudafed, consumers must now show identification and have the purchase logged in a database. It's all because the active ingredient, pseudoephedrine, is the same substance used by chemists to cook up the illegal drug methamphetamine, aka crystal meth. Zyrtec-D and Mucinex-D also contain pseudoephedrine. The 2005 Combat Methamphetamine Act limits the amount a person can buy in a single sale and prohibits the purchase of more than nine grams in a 30-day period.
Booze
An 18-year-old can't legally buy a beer or liquor in the United States, but the same teen can buy a gun in most states if he or she is a resident. The Gun Control Act of 1968, enacted in the wake of the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King, prohibits "licensed gun dealers" from selling handguns and ammunition to people under 21, but the measure has loopholes. Under federal law, an 18-year-old can legally purchase a handgun from a private citizen; the teen can also buy a shotgun or rifle from a licensed dealer, says Mike Campbell, a spokesman at The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A wireless contract
A credit check is usually necessary when buying a cellphone with a two-year contract -- something that's not required when buying a gun. If you want to buy a wireless contract without such a check, many carriers will ask you to hand over an extra $500 as a security deposit. The reason: Companies like AT&T and Verizon Communications sell iPhones for roughly one-third of the original market price and make back that money over the course of a two-year wireless contract. A gun, on the other hand, is a one-off transaction
Puppies
Adopting a pet is not to be taken lightly. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals advises people to be prepared. Prospective pet owners must be 21, bring two forms of identification: a government-issued ID and a proof of address. But, unlike gun buyers, they may also be asked to provide personal references. To make sure that the pet is not going to a dysfunctional home, some organizations, such as the Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Wellington, Fla., also have one of their team members perform a home visit before handing over the pet.
Hunting or fishing license
Federal law requires U.S. citizens to provide their Social Security numbers before buying recreational hunting or fishing licenses. (The same, incidentally, is required for getting a credit card.) As part of federal welfare reform, states can deny hunting and fishing licenses to those who have failed to keep up on their child support -- and having their Social Security number is one way to find a deadbeat parent. Licensed gun dealers must ask for a government-issued identification like a driver's license, but a Social Security number is not needed to buy a gun.
Buying a gun in much of America can be as simple as forking over the cash, with no background check required. In fact, it can be much more of a hassle to buy a package of cold medication than to purchase a firearm. President Barack Obama and a handful of state legislatures are hoping to change that by pushing for tougher gun laws, which vary dramatically from state to state. In Texas, for example, there is no waiting period and no state gun registration system. Federal law requires that all licensed firearms dealers conduct background checks, but the restriction doesn't apply to private sales and some gun shows.
In the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December that killed 26 people, including 20 children, several recent surveys suggest most Americans favor tighter gun control. Some 92% of people support background checks for all gun buyers, and 91% of households with a gun support such a measure, according to a survey released last month by the independent Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn.
Cold medicine
Having a common cold is enough to get you treated like a common criminal. To purchase seemingly innocuous cold medications such as Sudafed, consumers must now show identification and have the purchase logged in a database. It's all because the active ingredient, pseudoephedrine, is the same substance used by chemists to cook up the illegal drug methamphetamine, aka crystal meth. Zyrtec-D and Mucinex-D also contain pseudoephedrine. The 2005 Combat Methamphetamine Act limits the amount a person can buy in a single sale and prohibits the purchase of more than nine grams in a 30-day period.
Booze
An 18-year-old can't legally buy a beer or liquor in the United States, but the same teen can buy a gun in most states if he or she is a resident. The Gun Control Act of 1968, enacted in the wake of the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King, prohibits "licensed gun dealers" from selling handguns and ammunition to people under 21, but the measure has loopholes. Under federal law, an 18-year-old can legally purchase a handgun from a private citizen; the teen can also buy a shotgun or rifle from a licensed dealer, says Mike Campbell, a spokesman at The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A wireless contract
A credit check is usually necessary when buying a cellphone with a two-year contract -- something that's not required when buying a gun. If you want to buy a wireless contract without such a check, many carriers will ask you to hand over an extra $500 as a security deposit. The reason: Companies like AT&T and Verizon Communications sell iPhones for roughly one-third of the original market price and make back that money over the course of a two-year wireless contract. A gun, on the other hand, is a one-off transaction
Puppies
Adopting a pet is not to be taken lightly. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals advises people to be prepared. Prospective pet owners must be 21, bring two forms of identification: a government-issued ID and a proof of address. But, unlike gun buyers, they may also be asked to provide personal references. To make sure that the pet is not going to a dysfunctional home, some organizations, such as the Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Wellington, Fla., also have one of their team members perform a home visit before handing over the pet.
Hunting or fishing license
Federal law requires U.S. citizens to provide their Social Security numbers before buying recreational hunting or fishing licenses. (The same, incidentally, is required for getting a credit card.) As part of federal welfare reform, states can deny hunting and fishing licenses to those who have failed to keep up on their child support -- and having their Social Security number is one way to find a deadbeat parent. Licensed gun dealers must ask for a government-issued identification like a driver's license, but a Social Security number is not needed to buy a gun.
