Buy them now.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Patel starts quietly adding registered Democrats to NICS (federal background check database). Even worse would be them making Dems get a “delay” response instead of a “deny” or “proceed”.
A delay is supposed to be used when more research is required, and happens for things like having a common name (e.g. “John Smith” or “Jose Sanchez”). When you get a NICS delay, the gun can’t be sold, at that time. You can sell a gun on a delay after 72 hours if it doesn’tcome back as a deny, but most chains have a policy to wait for a proceed. The thing is, lots of times the proceed takes more than 30 days, at which point the background check is invalid. They’re only good for 30 days from the initial request, not the response.
Why is a delay worse than a deny? You can’t appeal a delay or research why it happened. Since you aren’t actually on the prohibited persons list, you can’t be removed from it.
I have a Smith and Wesson AR-15 and Glock 19. No CPL. I don’t carry.
I would prefer never to kill anyone, but if shit goes down I’m taking some Nazis with me.
It sucks that you can’t buy a gun if you have a medical marijuana permit in the US.
That makes no sense.
But you CAN apparently if you have drunk driving license plates.
Never wanted to have a gun in the house until this month. Now it’s all I think about for the next large purchase I need to make. I’m not looking forward to the shopping experience.
I went through this about 3 years ago.
I’d recommend a shotgun as your first / home defense weapon. I went with a KSG because it’s kinda absurdist. You’ll need a rifle too so I’d look at an AR-15 or AK47 but I lean AR since parts are probably available for it next door to where you are.
I carry an Sig P365XL as my daily.
As long as you don’t have a common name, the buying process will be as simple as showing some ID and paying like you would for any other purchase.
Honestly, it’s not as bad as you think, most of the time. Most larger gun stores aren’t going to have employees that go off on political shit. If you go to a chain store, like a Cabella’s/Bass Pro Shops, employees are usually told to avoid any political shit. If you go into a small store in a small town, then yeah, it’s probably going to be pretty bad. If you’re an obviously marginalized person (non-white, esp. younger and in a non-white-mainstream subculture, LGBTQ+, obviously non-Christian, etc.), then you’re probably going to have a less-than-optimal experience. If you’re a woman, you’re probably going to have male employees trying to convince you to buy tiny pocket guns or things in bright colors.
If you aren’t already familiar with guns, I would recommend taking a basic intro class at a store in a larger city. Assuming that you’re talking about a carry gun, 99% of the time the correct firearm is going to be a Glock 19 MOS with a good red dot sight, like a Holosun EPS or 509-series, or the Lead and Steel ‘Pandora’ PB-3. I’ve heard really positive things about the Phlster Enigma holsters, but haven’t had a chance to get one yet. I’d also strongly suggest spending a lot of time in dry-fire exercises, and I’d suggest taking up IDPA competitions as well; the best gun in the world isn’t going to help if you don’t actually train with it.
Please remember: a firearm is not a magic talisman, any more than a fire extinguisher is. Simply having it doesn’t help; you need to carry it regularly, and you need to know how to use it.
As other people have said, please consider getting a good locking container for your firearm if you have children around, roommates, or the like. What you ideally want is something that’s certified with the Underwriters Lab (UL) as a ‘residential security container’ (I think that’s UL 1037; other UL standards you might see are for fire resistance). Most gun “safes” do not meet the requirements of insurance companies to be considered burglary resistant; a true burglary-resistant gun safe will easily cost >$5k. (By which I mean a safe that’s rated as TL-15, TL-30X6, TRTL-30X6, etc.) Mechanical locks–esp. Sargent & Greenleaf–are more reliable than electronic locks, but slower to open.
Glocks are junk.
What looking through a red dot looks like. It makes aiming easier than iron sights
G19 MOS
I try to go to my local gun range about once every month or two.
I use ammoseek.com to look for cheap training ammo.
Range time is ideal, but it gets expensive. Here’s some dry fire exercises.
Buy a good safe at the same time. Do not put that off.
Agreed. Get one that bolts to the floor if you’re in a place where you can bolt things to the floor. Don’t settle for a Pelican case or a lockbox, those don’t deter theft, it just makes it so you’re out a gun and a lockbox.
Its not bad at all.
If y’all didn’t figure that out in the first Trump Presidency, don’t know what to tell you. The largest gun buying demographic the past many years has been black, women and LGBT.
But can you use that gun and expect to remain free? The new environment appears to be a manifestation of that principle “… in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, and out-groups whom the law binds, but does not protect.”
As in: if you (justifiably) use that weapon in self-defense, will the US ‘justice’ system as it is today properly see it as self-defense, or railroad you into prison (or worse)?
If I were in the USA today, that would be my very real fear. The courts are packed with ultra-conservative, Christian nationalists and there may be no protection for those who seek it there.
K, if you’re worried that the justice system will persecute you while being persecuted, then what does it matter? Are you hoping for someone else to save you while you’re being loaded into a cattle car?
I bought a gun for the first time the day after the concession speech went out. The best time to plant a tree…
Fuck it, buy 2 :)
But seriously, buy a lot of ammo and practice.
I should buy another gun.
A bigger gun.
