Buying My First Rifle

[JohnDaniels2006]

I'm looking to by my first rifle (actually, first gun) and I'm sort of confused about the laws and the like.

First things first: I'm a resident of NY - I go to school in PA, and want to become a resident here because I believe NY to be a tyrannical state. But, anyways, for now, I'm a resident of NY, and I'm wondering about being able to bring my rifle back and forth.

I'm leaning heavily towards the Ruger mini 14, due to not being able to afford the AR-15, and also questions of reliability. I've done a lot of research, but I still know relatively nothing :P

Anyways, so I'm wondering a few things:

1) Do I need any sort of ID to buy a mini 14 in PA?
b) Do I need to be a resident of PA to buy a rifle here?

2) If I do buy a rifle here, the mini 14 specifically, can I bring that back to NY with me, or is it considered an assault weapon (ie, I'm 99% I wouldn't be allowed to bring the AR-15 back with me - Here's the NRA info on NY

I had more questions but I can't remember them now, will post again later in the thread though

Thanks
(I guess these questions are probably asked frequently here, so I hope this isn't too redundant for you all - I expect this thread will turn into me asking a lot more pretty basic questions about ammo, safety, and other things, once we get these basic legality questions sorted out)

[imperialism2024]

As for #1:

Unless the rifle has a short enough barrel to classify it as a "firearm" (UFA-speak for "handgun"), then you can purchase a rifle from any FFL in Pennsylvania with your NY ID.

You cannot, however, purchase a rifle in a face-to-face private transfer.

Now, many FFLs will not sell you a rifle if it is not legal in your home state. So that defers to your question #2, for which I do not have an answer.


As a caution, you also may find FFLs who will not sell a gun to someone from out of state, under the mistaken belief that it is illegal.

[gf45acp]

Welcome to the forum.

I will leave the legal to those who know better than I.

I do, however, have a Mini 14. I have had it for about 25 years. Great gun.
Never a problem that could not be traced to bad cheap mags.

Good luck!

[Seventy4Blazer]

your best bet would to become a PA resident. this will also make school cost less next semester. then you can purchase all the firearms you like. (provided you are 21) no waiting periods, and all you need is your valid PA DL.

you can build an AR-15 for as much as a MINI-14 will cost. many have done it. many on here in your area will be more than happy to help you. it is worth it. i find if you purchase what you want the first time it will cost less in the long run.

as for taking either one back to NY.. .im not sure. if an AR is illegal than i imagine a mini is too. they are along the same lines of each other...

good luck!

[mpoppel41]

i love my mini! got it back in the 80's

[JohnDaniels2006]

As for #1:

Unless the rifle has a short enough barrel to classify it as a "firearm" (UFA-speak for "handgun"), then you can purchase a rifle from any FFL in Pennsylvania with your NY ID.

You cannot, however, purchase a rifle in a face-to-face private transfer.

Now, many FFLs will not sell you a rifle if it is not legal in your home state. So that defers to your question #2, for which I do not have an answer.


As a caution, you also may find FFLs who will not sell a gun to someone from out of state, under the mistaken belief that it is illegal.

Thanks for the response - What do you mean by 'face-to-face private transfer'? As in, a friend of mine has the gun I want, so I buy it from him?

I do, however, have a Mini 14. I have had it for about 25 years. Great gun.
Never a problem that could not be traced to bad cheap mags.

Good to hear, thanks for the welcome.

Good luck!

your best bet would to become a PA resident. this will also make school cost less next semester. then you can purchase all the firearms you like. (provided you are 21) no waiting periods, and all you need is your valid PA DL.

Yeah, definitely going to become a resident - handgun is my next buy, so I need it for that, at least. Handgun was going to be my first purchase, but I'm worried about the new congress and president banning assault rifles.

As for building my own, basically entirely out of the question - I haven't even held a rifle in over 10 years, and I know absolutely nothing about them. I'd rather put down the $700 and buy one already made :P

[imperialism2024]

Thanks for the response - What do you mean by 'face-to-face private transfer'? As in, a friend of mine has the gun I want, so I buy it from him?

Yup, if you are a resident of Pennsylvania, as long as you have no reason to believe that the buyer is a prohibited person, and the buyer is also a resident of Pennsylvania, you can sell a long gun (rifle or shotgun) without making it "official". Out of the trunk of your car, if you'd like.

Basically, Pennsylvania makes no distinction between "assault weapons" and other long guns. As long as it's not so short as to be an NFA-regulated SBR or SBS, a .22 single-shot rifle is the same as a tacticooled AR-15 in the eyes of the law.

And just a side note... try to use the right lingo for "assault weapon" and "assault rifle". An "assault weapon" is any gun that looks or sounds scary to non-testicled individuals, and is primarily a political term. An "assault rifle" is generally a select-fire or full-auto carbine of intermediate rifle caliber. While both are legal to own in Pennsylvania, the latter must comply with NFA rules.

[JohnDaniels2006]

Yup, if you are a resident of Pennsylvania, as long as you have no reason to believe that the buyer is a prohibited person, and the buyer is also a resident of Pennsylvania, you can sell a long gun (rifle or shotgun) without making it "official". Out of the trunk of your car, if you'd like.

What if I were to purchase it off of gunbroker.com (is that a reliable trading place, by the way?) from someone out of state - would it be legal for me to have it in PA?

[imperialism2024]

What if I were to purchase it off of gunbroker.com (is that a reliable trading place, by the way?) from someone out of state - would it be legal for me to have it in PA?

Oof, that's a tough one. I'm gonna leave that one for the FFLs to answer (they should be around soon).

AFAIK, if it's legal for you to possess in NY, you should be able to have a long gun shipped to a local PA FFL from whom you can pick up the gun. But IANAL and could very well be wrong on that.

Now, regardless of how you get the gun transferred to yourself, it's legal to possess. There's no registration or licenses to possess, if that's what you're asking.

And, GunBroker works well as long as you use common sense and read the sellers' fine print

[goon]

What if I were to purchase it off of gunbroker.com (is that a reliable trading place, by the way?) from someone out of state - would it be legal for me to have it in PA?

Yep.
If you buy through gunbroker from someone in another state you'll still have to have the rifle transferred to you by an FFL in PA (or NY).
It will still have to go through the same process as it would if you just walked in to Wally's World of Weapons and bought it there.

But you'll have to find a knowledgeable FFL to deal with too.
Find the FFL first and if at all possible, buy the rifle from him.
Good FFL's can be hard to come by.
And whatever you do, don't ask the police for clarification on gun laws.