Giving a Firearm as a Gift? Some Reminders From NSSF
The holidays are just around the corner. As hunters, shooters, collectors or just plain plinkers, it’s a natural instinct to want to share our enjoyment of firearms with others. What better way to do that than to make a gift of a firearm to a family member, close friend or relative?
The first thing to remember if you’re thinking about giving someone a gun is that . . . it’s a gun! You already know that ownership of a firearm brings with it some serious legal and ethical obligations that other consumer products don’t. So let’s look at some questions you may have about giving a firearm as a gift.
The first question you have to ask is whether the intended recipient can legally own the firearm where he or she lives. With more than 20,000 different gun laws on the books, even the kinds of firearms that law-abiding citizens can own vary from place to place; for example, juveniles (under age 18), generally speaking, are precluded by law from possessing a handgun. Check out the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) website for an overview of local laws and, whatever you do, don’t forget that you can never under any circumstances transfer a firearm to someone you know — or have reasonable cause to believe — legally can’t own one. That’s a federal felony, so be careful. Continue reading
Have a Safe and Happy Memorial Day 2015
Memorial Day isn’t just about shoe sales, beer and brats. Formerly known as Decoration Day until its official name change in 1967, Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those who have died while in service to the nation. Read more about the history of the holiday here.
Although Memorial Day, for many, does mean a three day weekend, time spent with family and friends, a fishing trip or a cookout, big sales and big parties, take some time out from the festivities to remember why you get that long weekend and why you get to enjoy the freedoms that we have.
While it sometimes sounds trite, freedom is truly not free. The freedoms that we enjoy in this county were bought and paid for with the blood of the men and women that we honor this weekend.
Stay safe, GunLink-ers.
The 2014 Gift Buying Guide for Firearms Enthusiasts
You had all year to shop. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday have all come and gone. Now December is upon us and you still haven’t finished your holiday shopping for the firearms enthusiasts in your life. With the 2015 GunLink Holiday Gift Buying Guide, you will have to come up with another excuse than forgetting a gift to avoid visiting your in laws for Christmas.
The Gift of Gun Rights
One easy, and always appreciated, gift for any hard-to-shop-for gun lover is an NRA membership. It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year by helping to protect our Second Amendment rights. Membership comes with other benefits as well, such as a choice of publications sure to satisfy any shooter, including American Rifleman, American Hunter, and America’s 1st Freedom. Membership also gets you in to the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, which is always a great experience for any firearms enthusiast. Click here to save $10 on an annual NRA membership for that special someone (or yourself).
Something EVERY Shooter Needs
If you know what kind of firearms your recipient owns and enjoys shooting, Continue reading
Happy New Year 2014 From the GunLink Family
To all of the GunLink readers, followers, visitors fans, friends and +1ers, thanks for a great 2013 and here’s hoping for an even better 2014. We met and talked to new people, made new friends, learned new stuff and we hope to see all of that continue in the new year.
There is a supposedly-Chinese curse that says “May you live in interesting times” and, as far as our Second Amendment rights go, we certainly are. 2013 saw a number of 2A gains as well as some losses and renewed pushes for gun control fueled by anti-gun zealots desperately trying to “not let a tragedy go to waste.” While you’re making your new years resolutions, consider adding something to your list to help protect the right to keep and bear arms. Whether it’s organizing a local group for grassroots action, contacting your representatives using a tool like POPVOX, or supporting pro-2A businesses and avoiding anti-2A businesses, many small steps put together equals a lot of progress.
Don’t forget that 2014 starts off with a bang for firearms enthusiasts. At SHOT Show, the big trade show for the shooting, hunting and outdoor industries in January, the latest and greatest technology from all the big companies will be on display and GunLink will be there to cover it for you (note that SHOT is industry-only). If you’re the outdoors type, you’ll have an opportunity to see some new gadgets and gizmos for yourself at the Great American Outdoor Show in February. Then, in April, you’ll have a chance to connect with other RKBA supporters at the NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits, where you can see some of what you missed at SHOT.
Have a safe, happy and prosperous 2014, GunLink-ers!
ATF Promotes A Safe New Year’s Celebration, Warns Against Celebratory Gunfire
We here at GunLink hope that you have had a wonderful holiday season so far and wish you all the best in the new year. We love our Second Amendment rights around here and we know that you do to, so we want you to have a safe 2014, starting with your NYE celebration. If you choose to ring in the new year by exercising those rights over the next few days, we hope that you do so intelligently: no booze with your guns, no shooting in the air and always following the rules for gun safety. The ATF has issued the following release warning against celebratory gunfire:
Special Agent in Charge Christopher Shaefer, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Atlanta Field Division, wishes everyone a happy New Year’s and is encouraging the public to celebrate the arrival of the New Year responsibly and safely.
ATF wants you to know that celebratory gunfire is not only unsafe; it may be against the law. Discharging a firearm into the air may lead to charges under Georgia state law or federal charges if that person is prohibited from possessing a firearm. ATF will continue to support state and local law enforcement agencies by conducting ballistics testing on shell casings recovered if celebratory random shooting is suspected. ATF will also aggressively pursue any Federal charges applicable to help deter these irresponsible and dangerous incidents.
“ATF wants you to know that you can enjoy the festivities without placing the public in danger. We don’t want to see the New Year ruined by a senseless tragedy as a result of someone shooting a gun in the air,” said Shaefer.
ATF established the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) as a tool to help law enforcement combat violent firearms related crime. Through the use of this program, ATF administers automated ballistic imaging technology for NIBIN Partners: Federal, State and local law enforcement, forensic science, and attorney agencies in the United States. Partners use this technology to acquire digital images of the markings made on spent ammunition recovered from a crime scene or a crime gun test fire and then compare those images (in a matter of hours) against earlier NIBIN entries.
If residents observe anyone criminally misusing a firearm, they are urged to contact their local police department immediately, or call ATF at 1-800-ATF-GUNS (800 283-4867).
ATF is the lead federal law enforcement agency with jurisdiction in violent crimes involving firearms and regulation of the firearms industry. More information on ATF can be found at www.atf.gov.
The GunLink Holiday Gift Buying Guide
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The holiday season is upon us and with it comes the tradition of gift giving. Black Friday is coming right up and, with ammo still scarce and firearm prices still high, shopping for the firearms enthusiast in your life might seem like a daunting task, but fear not. Whether it’s going under a tree, into a stocking, around a Festivus pole or elsewhere, GunLink is here to make it easy to find the right gift. While you’re at it, go ahead and pick up something for yourself. You deserve it. And if you are going gun shopping on Black Friday, don’t forget about the extended Black Friday NICS background check hours.
The Gift That Keeps On Giving
We’ll start off with the easy stuff. How about the gift of the Second Amendment? Gifting a membership to RKBA organizations or making a charitable donation is easy, affordable and beneficial to us all. In addition to helping defend 2A rights, membership in some organizations (e.g. NRA) includes extra benefits like magazines, firearms insurance and more. Memberships can generally be purchased online, so you don’t even have to get dressed to go shopping for them. Save $10 on NRA memberships here. The offer is good on new memberships as well as renewals, so you can get one for the whole family, even if they’re already members. There are plenty of other great organizations as well, such as GOA, JPFO (bonus points for ironic Christmas gifting), SAF, The Firearms Coalition and more, so you have plenty of choices.
Something to Hold On To
Looking for something more tangible? Maybe something… wearable? Something to make a Second Amendment statement? Check out some of the slick shirts from Infringed Apparel. A USMC veteran-owned company, Infringed Apparel offers a selection of great no-bones-about-it pro-gun gear. As their mission statement says, they’re “taking this fight directly to the liars who are attacking our US Constitution.” It might not be wearing your heart on your sleeve, but it’s wearing your love of the Constitution on your chest. You can also find more RKBA gear such as shirts, iPhone cases, mugs and more in the GunLink Store.
Firearms enthusiasts love getting new gear and Continue reading
