Arkansas Gun Laws: Who Can't Buy?
By: Cassidy Hodges, KNWA-TV, Fayetteville
Updated: December 18, 2012
Since Friday's Connecticut school shooting tragedy, more than 100,000 Americans have petitioned for immediate action by Congress on the issue of gun control.
But what does it even take to get a gun right here in the Natural State?
There's federal protocol setup to prevent felons or illegal aliens from buying guns, but the last line of defense before the sale, is the person behind the counter.
"When we sell a gun, the person doesn't just walk in and say,'Hey I want to buy this gun,'" explains Mike Nease with the Ozark Armory in Springdale.
It's at least a three page process.
"The first thing you have to do is fill out a form, a 44-73, that's just basic information establishing your identity," Nease adds.
Questions like: "Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Are you a fugitive from justice? And some people look at the questions and they laugh and I say, 'You know, you'd be surprised,'" says Nease.
That information goes straight to the FBI, who makes the initial call.
"Either proceed, which means you walk out the door with it, denied, which means you don't get it, or delayed, which they can tie you up for up to 3 business days," Nease further explains.
But the feds don't have the final say on who can buy a pistol.
And at Ozark Armory, handing over a weapon is not something to be taken lightly.
"If something just seems a little off where you just don't feel right about it, then we just don't do it, we just don't do it," says Nease.
That makes the salesperson the first line of defense from guns getting into the wrong hands.
"Usually there's a conversation that takes place.'What are you looking for? What do you want it for? What are you going to do with it?' We do that to determine what their needs are and help them get the right gun, but in the process too, you also figure out what kind of person you're talking to real quick and if becomes apparent that the person you're talking with is a little unstable or has something on their mind, you can act accordingly," Nease says.
And for every sale there's a paper trail, the final documentation before a firearm finds a new home.
Those rules apply for rifles, pistols and semi-automatic guns, but with fully automatic weapons, that's a whole different section of security. You need a special license to sell them, and, if you're in the market for a fully automatic gun, there's a lot more hoops to jump through.
In addition to the FBI background check, you've got to submit fingerprints, and there's an 8-month waiting period before you can ever lay your hands on the gun.
Click here to watch this report.
But what does it even take to get a gun right here in the Natural State?
There's federal protocol setup to prevent felons or illegal aliens from buying guns, but the last line of defense before the sale, is the person behind the counter.
"When we sell a gun, the person doesn't just walk in and say,'Hey I want to buy this gun,'" explains Mike Nease with the Ozark Armory in Springdale.
It's at least a three page process.
"The first thing you have to do is fill out a form, a 44-73, that's just basic information establishing your identity," Nease adds.
Questions like: "Have you ever been convicted of a felony? Are you a fugitive from justice? And some people look at the questions and they laugh and I say, 'You know, you'd be surprised,'" says Nease.
That information goes straight to the FBI, who makes the initial call.
"Either proceed, which means you walk out the door with it, denied, which means you don't get it, or delayed, which they can tie you up for up to 3 business days," Nease further explains.
But the feds don't have the final say on who can buy a pistol.
And at Ozark Armory, handing over a weapon is not something to be taken lightly.
"If something just seems a little off where you just don't feel right about it, then we just don't do it, we just don't do it," says Nease.
That makes the salesperson the first line of defense from guns getting into the wrong hands.
"Usually there's a conversation that takes place.'What are you looking for? What do you want it for? What are you going to do with it?' We do that to determine what their needs are and help them get the right gun, but in the process too, you also figure out what kind of person you're talking to real quick and if becomes apparent that the person you're talking with is a little unstable or has something on their mind, you can act accordingly," Nease says.
And for every sale there's a paper trail, the final documentation before a firearm finds a new home.
Those rules apply for rifles, pistols and semi-automatic guns, but with fully automatic weapons, that's a whole different section of security. You need a special license to sell them, and, if you're in the market for a fully automatic gun, there's a lot more hoops to jump through.
In addition to the FBI background check, you've got to submit fingerprints, and there's an 8-month waiting period before you can ever lay your hands on the gun.
Click here to watch this report.
