According to a recent survey, about 32% of Americans own at least one gun. Additionally, about 42% of people live in a house with a gun in it.
If you already own a gun yourself or live in a home with someone who owns one, you might not need help buying a gun right now. But if you don’t have a gun in your house at the moment and want to change that, you should learn how to purchase a gun successfully.
In this day and age, you might be able to buy a firearm on the internet if you would like. You can go through the process of buying a gun online without having to jump through too many hoops while doing it.
But before you buy a gun online, you should make sure you know what you’re doing. Here are several things you should look at prior to making a gun purchase on the internet.
Start by Finding a Local Gun Dealer With a Federal Firearms License
One of the first things you should know about buying a gun online is that you cannot have it shipped directly to your home. Instead, you’re going to need to have it sent to a gun dealer in your area who has a Federal Firearms License, or an FFL.
With this in mind, you should start the process of buying a gun online by finding a local gun dealer who will be capable of helping you. You should speak with a few gun dealers in your area and figure out which one seems like they’ll be your best option.
Make Sure You’re OK With Doing Business With a Local Gun Dealer
It would be wonderful if local gun dealers with FFLs would accept the guns that you buy online and just give them to you without charging you anything. But that is, of course, not how things work.
A local gun dealer with an FFL is going to expect something in return for helping you with buying a gun online. They’re going to charge you a dealer’s fee for working with you to help secure a gun you bought online.
You’ll need to be sure that you’re OK with paying a fee to work with a local gun dealer. Each one will have a different pricing system, so you should try to find one that isn’t going to break the bank.
Search for the Gun You Want to Buy Online
Once you know which local gun dealer you want to help you secure a gun you bought online, you can begin the process of actually buying a gun on the internet. You’ll be able to see some great options when you visit this page.
Ideally, you should decide which type of gun you would like to purchase prior to shopping around for it. But you can also shop to see what different guns will bring to the table. It’ll enable you to locate one that you’ll love in the end.
Contact an Online Gun Store About Buying a Gun
After you find a firearm that you want to buy, you should contact the online gun store that is selling it and let them know you’d like to purchase it. They’ll respond by asking you which local gun dealer you would like to use.
If you haven’t been able to secure the services of a local gun dealer, they might also be able to point you in the right direction. But whatever the case, they won’t be able to send you the gun that you would like to buy without shipping it to a gun dealer.
Arrange to Have a Firearm Shipped to Your Local Gun Dealer
When you let an online gun shop know which local gun dealer will be accepting a firearm on your behalf, they can get to work on shipping it. They’ll confirm which firearm you want and package it up properly so that it can be shipped.
All you’ll need to do to make this part of the process happen is connect your local gun dealer with your online gun store. They’ll need to touch base about shipping the gun that you’ll be buying.
Pick Up the Firearm You Purchased Online From Your Local Gun Dealer
As long as everything else goes according to plan, you shouldn’t have to wait too long to get your hands on the gun you’re buying. It’ll be shipped to your local gun dealer so that you can pick it up.
You will, however, need to make sure you bring a few key items along when you go to get your gun. You’ll need to have your ID with you. You’ll also need your gun license/permit.
Additionally, you’ll have to inspect a gun before you take ownership of it and go through a background check. This part of the process can be a little time-consuming, but it will enable you to finish buying a gun online successfully.
Buying a Gun Online Will Be Easy When You Follow These Steps
Buying a gun online used to be pretty much impossible to do without breaking—or, at the very least, bending—the law. But in this day and age, it’s possible to purchase a gun over the internet in no time at all while staying within the limits of the law.
Take each of the steps that we’ve listed here to go through with buying a gun on the internet. You might be surprised to see how simple it can be to do it.
Get more great advice on buying guns by checking out some of our other blog articles.