Don't Lie Campaign

Convicted felons, minors, persons determined by a court of law to be "mentally defective" and certain others are prohibited by law from buying a firearm. 

The following classes of persons are prohibited by federal law from possessing, receiving, shipping, or transporting firearms or ammunition: 

• Those convicted of crimes punishable by imprisonment for over one year, except state misdemeanors punishable by two years or less.
• Fugitives from justice.
• Unlawful users of certain depressant, narcotic or stimulant drugs.
• Those adjudicated as mental defectives or incompetents, or those committed to any mental institution.
• Illegal aliens.
• Persons who have renounced their citizenship.
• Those persons dishonorably discharged from the Armed Forces.
• Persons less than 18 years of age for the purchase of a shotgun or rifle.
• Persons less than 21 years of age for the purchase of a firearm that is other than a shotgun or rifle.
• Persons subject to a court order that restrains such persons from harassing, stalking or threatening an intimate partner.
• Persons convicted in any court of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.
• Persons under indictment for a crime punishable by imprisonment for more than one year are ineligible to receive, transport or ship any firearm or ammunition.

If a friend or relative asks you to lie to the federal government or to a federally licensed firearms retailer to try to buy a gun for him/her, don't do it! It's not worth 10 years in jail. Whatever you do, Don't Lie for the Other Guy! 

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 40 percent of criminals obtain their firearms from friends or family and another 40 percent obtain their firearms from illegal sources on the street. 

Understanding the importance of cooperating with law enforcement, the firearms industry through the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) -- the industry's trade association -- has for more than a decade partnered with the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to assist law enforcement in educating firearms retailers to be better able to identify and deter illegal straw purchases and to raise public awareness that straw purchasing is a serious crime. 

What is the process of buying a gun? 

Before a licensed firearms retailer can sell a firearm, the purchaser must complete, under penalty of perjury, a Firearms Transaction Record (Form 4473). Once the form is completed, and before any firearm is transferred, the purchaser must pass a mandatory background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is run by the FBI. Once the purchaser passes the background check establishing that he/she is not a prohibited person, the firearm may be transferred. In some states the state police conduct the background check. 

Federal law requires a licensed retailer to report (Form 3310.4) multiple sales of handguns (more than one handgun to the same purchaser within a five-day period) to ATF and local law enforcement by the close of business. 

Federal law prohibits the sale of handguns across state lines. For example, a New York resident cannot purchase a handgun in New Jersey.