U can get Gun Liciences over here, shotguns , and rifles and stuff

Time for yocal country hunting and shooting expert to chime in here.

Ok. First off if you want a firearm there is next to no point moving anywhere other than a reasonably rural location. Police and government do NOT want firearms being distributed into large cities and populated areas period. If you live in a city your chances of owning a firearm are slim, and if you do you will recieve no end of hassel. A person sees you taking a rifle shaped  case to your car in a city and you will be swarmed with police because people are scared of those things over here.

So you've ruled out the city. You live in a rural area a reasonanble commute to the town or city your going to be working in doing whatever you want. Your chances of owning a firearm are significantly increased now. First off as you havn't been a british citizen for any length of time there may be a basic period of time before you are eligable to apply (to stop terrorists just getting guns) Shotgun license is easy to apply for. You fill out the form (who you are, why you want a shotgun, what are you going to do with it - eg join clay pigeon shooting club) and have your identification signed off by upstanding member of the community and then you are subject to an inspection. An officer from the armed policing unit will come to inspect where you are going to keep your weapon (it MUST be locked in a gun safe - hidden with the key also hidden or on your person at all times) So long as you meet the required saftey standards and the shotguns you are buying are legal (ie not sawn off shotguns or some pump action shotguns) you will be granted a license. The license entitles you to more than one shotgun but i can't remember how many you can have. You can now shoot and hunt rabbits, small birds, foxes (there is a certain list of creatures) on private land with the permission of the owner so farms or large land owners. You can also go to shooting ranges to shoot clays, skeet.

If you want to own a handgun or a rifle you apply for a license each time individually for each weapon. There are alot more restrictions on the types of firearms you can own and the scheme to apply is more thourough and they want real reasons why you want these weapons. Rifles can be got slightly more easily if they are low caliber because you can still play the hunting card but handguns and larger caliber rifles really will only be granted if you can provide proof of firing ranges you will be able to shoot at etc..

I think the main difference is over in America weapons/firearms are a hobby and an interest. Here in the UK firearms are mainly a rural tool, on the farm we use shotguns, air rifles and a small caliber .177 rifle for putting down some livestock and for reducing populations of rats and rabbits and foxes. We also have an annual pheasant shoot which is good fun. However in England weapons belong in rural life, don't expect to be granted firearms license's for many handguns and rifles because we simply don't facilitate the hobby of shooting, yes there are some gun ranges but not many and since you wont be a farm or large land owner its rare that until you make friends with local land owners you would have anywhere to shoot. In rural areas clay pigeon shooting is popular and i go to one all the time however you don't have to have your own shotgun to go. I take my own out of personal preference.

So basically the hobby of shooting is limited and really would only require you to maybe own one or two weapons but wouldn't facilitate a collection unless you lived right next to a local gun range or owned alot of land or had permission from the land owner to shoot. Also licenses are renewed depending on weapon type every couple of years which means another inspection and a check of whether your still using your weapon for its intended purpose.

Wow , Even i didnt no most of that , im a essex sorta boy , id rather live in a rural area , instead of this busy Over populated area . Sounds Great Dude 

And now:  Buying a firearm in Georgia.
Rifles and Shotguns:  They run a very quick check to ensure you are not a felon, retard, or psycho.  You leave same day with said weapon.  No follow up's, No licensing.

Handguns/Pistols:  Same background check, except purchaser must be 21 years of age.  Generally, you leave same day with said weapon.  No follow up's, though a CWP is required if you wish to carry the weapon in a concealed manner in public.

A CWP can be obtained with a simple application and after the saame background check is run and a magistrate court judge approves it you just have to renew it every 5 years or so.

Fully Automatic Weapons and Large Caliber Semi-Auto:  These are the big toys,  I've seen unrestricted 240b's on the market.  These require a FFL (Federal Firearms License)   The process is slightly more in depth and can take up to 2 weeks.

buzzzzzzz try again. destructive devices, fully automatic and/or weapons greater than .50cal do not require a FFL they require a class 3 Federal tax permit for each item purchased. For example a silenced full auto MP5 would require 2 permits one for the full auto weapon and one for the silenecer. They used to be $200 a piece.

Class 3 permit applications require the endorsemnet of a chief law enforcement officer in your city or county of residence. Depending on where you live you may not have a chief law  enforcement officer willing to endorse your application.

As an example Tulsa County requires that you own your own home, have a monitored alarm system and a gunsafe to store said items in before you can present your application for endorsement. The County sherrif is the only one who will sign in Tulsa or current Chief of police who was a former chief of police will not endorse class 3 applications.

And yes it is legal for state, county and municipal governments to place further restrictions on Class 3 device ownership.

A Federal Firearms License is what a retailer must posess to sell firearms.

Link to title 2 NFA weapons act.

http://www.recguns.com/Sources/IIF1.html

Good Resource,  though The Brady site is a little easier to understand and use.

I also have made a slightly error. Amendments to the law made owning a handgun of any sort illegal unless it was for the purpose of reenactment or was a collectors item, both of which can't be fully functioning.

Also i forgot to add that you can have air rifles and pistols with no license (not sure how long thats guna last) so long as they dont exceed 12 psi.

Tel,
If you come over here as a foreign student living in a major city the authorities wont let you get your hands on anything more dangerous than a pea-shooter, sounds draconian but its just the way it is here. Firearms, as well as being illegal in most cases, have a very negative image in this country, and that also rubs-off on any individual with a healthy interest in the subject.
If you were to find yourself over here you may be able to find a gun or shooting club, where if you were able to convince the governing committee that are responsible, familiar and comfortable with firearms they may, under strict supervision and in the correct surroundings let you pop a few rounds off but unfortunately that really is the best you can hope for.

Oy!!

I'm probably leaning towards some quality time in the middle of nowhere in north carolina

If you test well then you're in luck.  But I can tell you, the bar exam will cause you more stress than you can possibly imagine.  Get this: in Missouri, they post the results on-line. . .aphabetically.  So instantly, everyone you graduated with knows if you passed or failed.  The day the results come out, they post them up at like 1:00 p.m.  I was ready to puke scrolling down to see if my name was on the list.  Before I got the the "d's" my friends all started calling to congratulate me, so I knew I had passed.  But the weeks before that, I was sure I had failed.  It is so. . .freakin'. . . hard. 

Quote from: spcterry on September 30, 2007, 03:24:15 PM
I'm not really worried about the Bar or any other test.  I do incrdibly well on tests.
Like I said the biggest problem I can foresee is the firearms issue,  i don't want to give up my firearms.
I requested information from Hull University on everything from the law school to acquiring the appropriate visa, so I'll give it more thought when  that gets here.

Yeah,  I've heard the BAR sucks.   I know a guy who just took it his 3rd time and finally passed..............of course he did miserably on the LSAT and only got into a crappy law school because he had a REALLY good reference.

Actually Tel, after thinking about it you have an advantage. I am sure the few gun-enthusiasts that there are left here in the UK would enjoy an evenings  talk and discusion with an American citizen on the subject of guns, gun law and army life over in the USA. I have no real interest in guns myself but I could listen to a talk on the subject from someone like you. Honestly mate if you get over here you could be on to something...........just keep 10% for me for giving you the idea.

 
Hmmmmm, i could come over after some of the advanced shooting courses at blackwater and do shooting lessons

Quote from: spcterry on October 01, 2007, 01:55:04 PM
Yeah,  I've heard the BAR sucks.   I know a guy who just took it his 3rd time and finally passed..............of course he did miserably on the LSAT and only got into a crappy law school because he had a REALLY good reference.

A dude I finished undergrad with just past the bar after 5 (!) attempts.  I've been practicing for what. . . seven years. . . and he finally finished.  I don't know if I would have had the heart to keep trying.  Luckily, I passed the first time.  I'll never, ever do that test again. 

After the third don't they make you wait like 2 years?

No.  That would be a little harsh, don't you think?  I think as long as you got the time and the money, they got the honey. 

I dunno after 3 tries, I think you should have to carry your ass back to law school.

That wouldn't do much good.  I think I had to take 96 hours to get my J.D.  That is not that much less than undergrad.  But even with all those classes, I learned more in 3 months of studying for the bar.  You'll have to take a prep course that is 8 hours a day for three weeks to get ready, and study at night after that.  It is like drinking from a fire hose.  If you take the prep course before each attempt, and you still have multiple failures. . . no amount of classes are going to help.  You either don't have the knack for it, or you're not studying the right way.