can't imagine why... it would help to know what the existing laws about

owning and using guns are and what they require you to do

if you wanna have a gun

or several handy so let's dig in shall we

the very first law that touches your guns at least until

the gun touching act of 2014 passes

is the requirement of gun registration every gun manufacturer importer and

dealer has to register every gun they either make import or sell

and ensure that gun has a unique serial number whenever a gun is sold the dealer

has to record the purchaser's name and the gun's serial number

they also have to include whether it was purchased for use by

an agent of a state or local government

but the information collected when the gun was registered can't be used as

evidence in a criminal case

unless it was given falsely it's illegal to buy or sell unregistered gun

this is in part because every time a gun is made imported or sold

you have to pay a tax

the tax is $200 which is the same as it was in 1934

all gun manufacturers importers and dealers must also be licensed and the

license fee ranges from $100 to $500

the law specifically states the registration includes guns

disguised as other objects

and to make sure the people are following the rules the ATF inspects

licensed gun dealers every 12 months

as well as after any crimes involving that dealer's guns

breaking the registration or licensing rules will mean your guns get seized and

you could pay up to $250,000

in fines as an individual

or $500,000 if you're an organization a dealer is someone who

makes a business selling guns

not someone who sells them occasionally or on the side there's a vigorous debate

over whether these amateur sellers should also get a license and file paperwork

no one knows for sure how many guns are sold this way

with estimates ranging from 25%-40% of total sales

some kinds of guns are banned from being sold in the U.S. at all

machine guns are banned this means any gun they can shoot more than once in a

row without having to pull the trigger again

silencers are also banned though both can still be made for export

there are no restrictions on antique firearms which means

anything made in 1898

or before if you can't still readily buy ammo for it there's also the assault

weapons ban which ran from 1994 to 2004 and is being discussed again

it banned 18 types of semiautomatic guns, which means a gun that lets you

shoot multiple times just by pulling the trigger again,

that had specific military features like a telescoping stock

a pistol grip on rifles a bayonet mount

a grenade launcher or a flash suppressor the assault weapons ban also applied to

any ammo clips that let you put more than 10 bullets in the gun at a time

one problem was that it didn't apply to anything made before 1994 so there were

a lot of semiautomatic weapons still floating around for those 10 years

another problem was that most types of guns are semiautomatics so the line between

what was and what wasn't banned was hard to understand and rather blurry

the other major federal gun laws the Brady Bill

which applies to background checks while minors--the age is 21 for handguns

and 18 for everything else--

felons drug addicts and anyone legally decided mentally defective have all been

barred from owning guns since 1968

there wasn't any good way enforcing this the Brady Bill enacted a system of

background checks in 1994

first they were required to be done by law enforcement officers and

then when that was ruled unconstitutional

an instant online system was instituted though

many law enforcement officers still

voluntarily do background checks it also widens the gun ban to legal immigrants

dishonorably discharged soldiers people under restraining orders

people under indictment for a crime where the punishment exceeds 1 year

and people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence the background check

can take up to 3 days

Congress also offers grants to states to

improve their electronic background check systems

now the state level laws vary widely some states recognize the permits

of other states and some don't

states aren't required to spend their own resources and forcing federal gun laws

though some do

generally states will have rules about gun registration and licenses

waiting periods rules on how many guns you can own

and rules about where you can have guns as well as how you can carry them

for example some states limit the number of guns you can buy any one time

particularly handguns some states require you to log a certain number of

shooting hours or even to take a test before you get a gun license

some states banned weapons in certain public places

and some states make it really hard or impossible either carry a gun with you

everywhere you go

called open carry or to carry a gun around secret

call concealed carry most states are less restrictive than the federal

government but some are much more so

you may have heard about the Heller case that went to the Supreme Court

DC had banned handguns altogether and required a trigger lock

on any guns in the house

the Supreme Court struck both of those restrictions down

the really important part was the court held that the Second Amendment does

guarantee an individual right to bear arms

and there you have it