questions about unregistered firearms/firearms black market

[rustinpeacepolaris]

does anyone know how/where to buy a gun not from a licenced gun dealer? I'm 19 but as far as i'm aware i need to be at least 21 to buy a gun, also i'm afraid i won't be allowed one because of mental illness. do you think i could get a firearm from someone off the streets?

 

[Takamagahara]

Assuming you're USA. Some states require 21 for all guns. Some states allow for 18 for long guns (rifles, shotguns) and only require 21 for handguns. What state are you in?

Gun control lobbyists like to make a big deal about it but unregistered guns between strangers are very rare in the states. Most illegal activity around guns revolves around people buying it for their friends or not filling out proper transfer paperwork in private sales. Ergo, you would already need to know someone who's really into guns to source one.

Your best bet would be search a gun community forum that's local to your area and seek out someone who might sell to you locally. Maybe if you get lucky, you'll find someone willing to risk the ATF to sell you a gun with shoddy paperwork.

EDIT: Apparently, just google a local gun show in your area and ask around. Depending on your state, guns don't require paperwork between private parties and if you're in a state that requires that kind of paperwork, inevitably there'll be someone there willing to forgo the paperwork. shrug

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Gun control lobbyists like to make a big deal about it but unregistered guns between strangers are very rare in the states

According to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, approximately 6.6 million guns are sold each year in America by unlicensed private sellers. That translates to 40 percent of all U.S. gun sales.

Source: https://www.factcheck.org/2013/03/guns-acquired-without-background-checks/#:~:text=According to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, approximately 6.6,to 40 percent of all U.S. gun sales.


Add it up, and it works out to:

• Roughly 60 percent: the share of gun owners surveyed who did go through a background check when they obtained (through sale or transfer) their latest gun.
• Roughly 40 percent: the share of gun owners who did not.

Source: https://www.thetrace.org/2015/10/private-sale-loophole-background-check-harvard-research/

 

[Stuckinpast28]

yeah pretty much what Takamagahara said, you can try finding someone that works in the shadow (think like street gangs or drugs dealer) just be careful because these guys don't trust easily and will off you if they feel threatened. Not a lot of people are going to risk selling you a gun unless they know how to erase the gun marking and serial numbers.

 

[Takamagahara]

According to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, approximately 6.6 million guns are sold each year in America by unlicensed private sellers. That translates to 40 percent of all U.S. gun sales.

https://www.factcheck.org/2013/03/guns-acquired-without-background-checks/#:~:text=According to Mayors Against Illegal Guns, approximately 6.6,to 40 percent of all U.S. gun sales.

Look, I'm not gonna get into a debate about statistics, and I don't want to derail the thread. If you happen to know an answer to OP's question, I invite you to contribute and tell them where they can obtain a gun illegally. But I've also tried to source guns illegally before I realized I was eligible to buy them legally, and all I know is my definitive experience.

But here's a quote from the exact article you linked me, emphasis mine:

But that figure is based on an analysis of a nearly two-decade-old survey of less than 300 people that essentially asked participants whether they thought the guns they had acquired — and not necessarily purchased — came from a federally licensed dealer. And one of the authors of the report often cited as a source for the claim — Philip Cook of Duke University — told our friends at Politifact.com that he has "no idea" whether the "very old number" applies today or not. Even Vice President Joe Biden acknowledged that the statistic may not be accurate in a speech at a mayoral conference on Jan. 17. Biden prefaced his claim that "about 40 percent of the people who buy guns today do so outside the … background check system" by saying that "because of the lack of the ability of federal agencies to be able to even keep records, we can't say with absolute certainty what I'm about to say is correct."

...

Both of those statements were based on a single 1994 telephone survey on private gun ownership conducted by the Police Foundation and funded by the Justice Department. The survey asked the 251 participants who had acquired guns in the previous two years, "Was the person you acquired this gun from a licensed firearm dealer?" The answer choices were "yes," "probably was/think so," "probably not," "no/definitely not," "don't know" and refuse to report. Cook and Ludwig found that 64.3 percent of those surveyed (Table 3.14) said that they had purchased or traded for a gun that came from a licensed dealer or "probably" did. The 40 percent figure comes from assuming that the remaining 35.7 percent — which has been rounded up — did not.

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Look, I'm not gonna get into a debate about statistics, and I don't want to derail the thread.

You didn't provide even one iota of evidence or source as to where your claim of "(sale of ) unregistered guns between strangers are very rare in states". Nothing. Nothing at all to back that claim up. I'm not going to get into a debate with you, either, but just making claims "off the cuff", frankly, doesn't cut it. I've been to countless gun shows and I can tell you for as fact that there are MANY non-FFL sellers at these shows and there is NO LACK of business at their booths.

 

[Takamagahara]

You didn't provide even one iota of evidence or source as to where your claim of "(sale of ) unregistered guns between strangers are very rare in states". Nothing. Nothing at all to back that claim up. I'm not going to get into a debate with you, either, but just making claims "off the cuff", frankly, doesn't cut it. I've been to countless gun shows and I can tell you for as fact that there are MANY non-FFL sellers at these shows and there is NO LACK of business at their booths.

You know what, I'm willing to admit I was just dead wrong on this. Call it spending too long living in Commiefornia where the DOJ gets all anal about the paperwork. I'd tried to circumvent the DOJ and always got the shpiel about going through an FFL and filing private party paperwork, so I guess I projected.

Depends entirely on what state OP is in. I'm sure they can just ask around at a gun show and go home with a gun that day.

 

[Andro_USYD]

asap.fail gives U a list of black markets but they don't often sell guns and if they do they're very high priced. But why would U want a gun? Is it a CTB thing?

 

[locked*n*loaded]

Call it spending too long living in Commiefornia

That I feel very sorry for you about. Not entirely, though, because Cali has some very good points, but I digress. The real truth is that no one actually knows the number of firearms that exchange hands between unregistered sellers. Even if it were half of the *estimated* 40% of the total sales, which is, most likely, very "liberalized" I will admit, that would still put the number at around the 3 million mark. I have purchased many guns myself from private sellers, not because I couldn't pass a background check, but because I got a better deal. I've purchased plenty from licensed dealers, too, over the years.

We are good.

 

[Nephis]

In general personal experiences only barely matter within it's limit no matter how experienced, to put it plainly OP, simply make sure to check your particular state laws on gun control and look into some local gun shows and just ask around for some private sellers people who'd be willing to sell their personal gun at a cheaper rate or something of that nature, believe me gun nuts will get it, you want a cheaper price on your "first gun" and getting a used gun is just the way to do that, after all you only need the gun to fire ONCE.

~For you I hope, peace

 

[rustinpeacepolaris]

Assuming you're USA. Some states require 21 for all guns. Some states allow for 18 for long guns (rifles, shotguns) and only require 21 for handguns. What state are you in?

Gun control lobbyists like to make a big deal about it but unregistered guns between strangers are very rare in the states. Most illegal activity around guns revolves around people buying it for their friends or not filling out proper transfer paperwork in private sales. Ergo, you would already need to know someone who's really into guns to source one.

Your best bet would be search a gun community forum that's local to your area and seek out someone who might sell to you locally. Maybe if you get lucky, you'll find someone willing to risk the ATF to sell you a gun with shoddy paperwork.

EDIT: Apparently, just google a local gun show in your area and ask around. Depending on your state, guns don't require paperwork between private parties and if you're in a state that requires that kind of paperwork, inevitably there'll be someone there willing to forgo the paperwork. shrug

Florida, and thanks ill look into it

asap.fail gives U a list of black markets but they don't often sell guns and if they do they're very high priced. But why would U want a gun? Is it a CTB thing?

yeah