Law. Handgun sale to 18 yr old.

[vujade]

I'm a bit perplexed by this.  From what I've been reading, FFL/dealer cannot sell an 18 year old (under 21) a handgun but can a rifle/shotgun.  A private party however can sell to said 18 year old.   Also, a rifle/shotgun is much more powerful than a handgun.  Why is an 18 year old allowed to purchase a rifle/shotgun from a dealer but not a handgun.  Why is a non dealer able to sell when a dealer isn't (to an 18 year old).  Why the difference?!

Second point: at 18, you can join the military and would carry a handgun as part of work.  However, when you go home (still under 21), you can't buy the same handgun to protect your own family?! 

What's the sense in that?  This started when I started researching.  I have a handgun for sale and and 18 year old offered to purchase it.   

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Federal law in this area distinguishes between long guns (rifles and shotguns) and handguns, and between gun possession and gun sales.  Federal law also distinguishes between licensed and unlicensed gun sellers.

Minimum Age for Gun Sales and Transfers:  

Under federal law –	Handguns	Long Guns (Rifles and Shotguns)
Licensed firearms dealers	Dealers may not sell or deliver a handgun or ammunition for a handgun to any person the dealer has reasonable cause to believe is under age 21.8	Dealers may not sell or deliver a long gun, or ammunition for a long gun, to any person the dealer has reasonable cause to believe is under age 18.9
Unlicensed persons	Unlicensed persons may not sell, deliver or otherwise transfer a handgun or handgun ammunition to any person the transferor has reasonable cause to believe is  under age 18, with certain exceptions*.10	Unlicensed persons may sell, deliver, or otherwise transfer a long gun or long gun ammunition to a person of any age.

 

 

[joe4vol]

This is what happens when politicians that don't have any common sense write laws. But what can we do? We elect these people to make our laws. 

[DaveTN]

FFL’s are bound by Federal law primarily and state law. A private gun sale is primarily controlled by state law.

The difference in state laws, and handguns aren’t generally used for hunting would be my guess as why they did it on Federal law. But that’s just a WAG, you would have to ask them. Nothing keeps an 18 year old from having a handgun (unless its state law); it’s just the FFL’s can’t transfer it to them.

As someone who joined the military at 17 during the Vietnam War; you won’t get any argument from me on how crazy it is; but it’s the law.

You can sell an 18 year old resident of this state a gun; it’s legal. I choose not to. One reason is I have a C&R. And while I fully understand it’s not a license to sell, I just don’t want the possibility of any issues”. The other reason is I don’t want to risk parents coming back on me for selling junior a gun. But that’s just my personal opinion, and it may be different if I personally knew the person and knew it was okay.