ID To Buy a Gun? What Identification Documents Are Required to Purchase a Firearm

What ID is needed to buy a gun? What government-issued documents qualify as a substitute to the National Instant Criminal Background Check (“NICS”) background check? What about a passport? What about vehicle registration? What about a water bill? The Armed Attorneys break down what constitutes sufficient ID for an FFL to transfer a firearm.

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PARTIAL AUTO-TRANSCRIPT
Today we're talking about what id qualifies for purposes of purchasing a firearm the general rule when it comes to what id qualifies to to you know facilitate a purchase yeah what that ffl dealer is going to need are these pieces of information they're going to need your name associated with a photograph so they can verify that you are who you say you are we're also going to need your address and your date of birth right but not all pieces of identification contain all three of those qualifiers right and so what we see is that we need these government issued ids that and some things meet all these requirements like a state-issued driver's license that has all of that information on it every state's driver's license qualifies as an identifying document for you know purchasing a gun essentially but what happens whenever and i think this is coming up because so many people are moving across the country or you know maybe their driver's license hasn't been renewed it's expired and they don't have you know an unexpired government issued id what comes up is do could i fulfill this requirement some other way yeah and you know what's interesting is you can you can do it with a combination of government issued documents that give you all of those things name photo address and date of birth so that might be i mean gosh it might be your handgun license right exactly right but it could be your passport which has your name photo date of birth but not your address and so you could put your passport with let's say your property tax bill yeah right government-issued document exactly um you know it could be that um you know gosh i mean you could bring in your water bill you could bring in vehicle registration vehicle registration right so long as you can make this combination um social security cards are kind of the exception to this because it really doesn't provide any information that really identifies you other than this is your name right yeah there's no photograph associated with it but having that combination of documents and why that that address comes up is because that establish establishes residency for purposes of the gun store figuring out hey can i legally sell to this person that's why that information is so important and then i think an important note to bring up here too is our military folks they may have two states of residence and that brings us to our attorney pro tip of the day about what handgun licenses and permits qualify as a substitute to the background check and it's not all of them no it is not all um these are listed on the atf website i'm going to let you know what they are now but i want you to know ahead of time that many states issue several different kinds of handgun license and permits not all permits that come from these states we're going to tell you about qualify as a bypass for that nick's background check so check out the link to the atf website in the description if you have questions and that is going to give you all the details you need here is that list it is Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Georgia Hawaii Idaho Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi Michigan Montana Nebraska Nevada North Carolina North Dakota Ohio South Carolina South Dakota Texas Utah West Virginia And Wyoming and yes again it has to be re-emphasized because some of these states issue multiple types of licenses and if your state does that then your license or permit may not qualify so make sure to check out those kind of extra qualifications by visiting the atf website

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[michaelperine]

In Nevada, the best ID for purchasing a gun is a CCW. It completely eliminates the necessity for a background check, since one was done to get the Concealed Carry.

[nmr]

You're addressing an important topic here. For me it's a matter of convenience to go ahead and get that state-issued carry license. When you present that to an FFL dealer or a firearms store or sporting goods store to purchase a gun, the background check is already done. It's wonderfully convenient, and I recommend it to everyone, even if you're in a constitutional carry state.

[petesheppard]

In Alabama, a concealed carry permit USED TO substitute for the NICS background check. However, the ATF found discrepancies in some county's BG check procedures, so ruled that a CCL no longer qualified as a substitute for the NICS check.

[DaveL]

Use your TX LTC and DL. that way no NICS

[bananaboat]

Important to know this varies by state. In California, 2 pieces of ID, and in some cases 3 pieces, are required to purchase a handgun.

[bobdavis]

As always, great Attorneys for the 2 A. And great information regarding laws to the 2A. Listen to these Patriots, friends. They won't steer you wring.

[sturisa]

In NJ, you first need to obtain a Firearms ID card, followed by a permit to purchase a handgun. You need 2 references from people you know not related to you, who have to complete the form and submit back to the police dept. You then wait about a month before you can pick up the permit from the local PD signed by the police chief. At that point you can go to your local FFL dealer, pick up your gun but not before you complete and sign the ATF 4473 and they run the NICS check, which in NJ is done through the state police. When buying a long gun, all that is needed is the firearms ID card, but the NICS check is still run via the state police. Also in NJ, they almost never issue CCW permits, it is a may issue state, but maybe that will change after the supreme court ruling next spring.

[strongbear]

Ya’ll are fantastic! Thank you very much for your time. Knowledge, and willingness to assist in clarifying the contradictory quagmire of firearm laws Encountered by the average citizen in everyday life.

[earlbaker]

Youngstown Ohio loves 💘Emily and Armed Attorneys!! Let's go Brandon!

[DJGS]

The reason why Brady law applies to LTC, CCW, etc in those states is because they do a full vetting process of you when you submit for a permit. Example, here in Texas when you apply for a LTC, the State of Texas does a full vetting process, meaning Texas reaches out to all 50 states, and sends yours name, address, DOB, social security number, finger prints, etc.., and the response must come back as clear. The NICS system doesn't do this, all the NICS system does is look into the FBI database, looks up your name, address, DOB, your drivers license number, social security number if you provided one, etc, so some times some one can fall through the cracks and be approved for a firearm when they shouldn't be.

Not only that you have to renew your LTC every 5 years here in Texas which is also required by the ATF/FBI. This is why I love people who come into my shop with a Texas LTC. All we have to do is fill out form 4473, pay and walk out. This is one reason why I only charge $5 dollars for a person who has a Texas LTC and does a transfer for through me. No need to wait on the dumb NICS system.

[scottthomas]

In Ohio the FFL has the option to skip the background check with a current concealed handgun license. Some will. Others prefer to run a check on every sale/transfer. They’re just validating the buyer didn’t commit a crime after obtaining the license. It normally takes just a few minutes more.

[rickymckim]

We open carry in Iowa and purchase with a State id now.

[micahmoore]

I posted this comment a couple of times on yalls past videos but no comment back. I would really appreciate yalls input on this.

With regard to 9.04, I came across a Texaschlforum post from December 2006 where the poster was confused about this statute and asked for clarification. A chl instructor and senior member of the forum, username txinvestigator, answered the poster's question with a detailed explanation but his basic premise was that if you would be justified in using force (not deadly force) per 9.31 or 9.41, then you are only justified in threatening force (not deadly force by the production of a firearm). Whereas, if you would be justified in using deadly force per 9.32 or 9.42, then you are justified in threatening deadly force by the production of a firearm; furthermore, if you would be justified in using deadly force and you produce the firearm, as a threat, in an attempt to get the perpetrator to stop the crime(s) laid out in 9.32 or 9.42 that they are committing, or attempting to commit, and the perpetrator flees, then that is not considered the use of deadly force. I would like to get yalls legal take on this.

[GlennJudah]

Thanks again for the useful information!

[georgecrutchfield]

I love you guys. You always have such great information. I got my CCP so that I would not have to pay for a background check everytime that I wanted to buy a gun.

[johnhalpin]

Depends on State Laws some need a Drivers License only, DL and Certificate to purchase, DL and CCW ( CWP) check your state laws

[randysprecher]

Minnesota requires you have either a permit to purchase or conceal carry permit in order to buy any firearm from a FFL. So will need your drivers license and you permit, either one, then the FFL will conduct the NICS check. For either permit, purchase or carry, you will still need a back ground check done by your appropriate Law Enforcement Office, City/County.

[dukenukem]

It annoys me that NM requires a background check when I receive a firearm even though I have a CCW permit. It further annoys me that, in addition to be trusted with a CCW permit, the government also trusts me with TS and SCI clearances, but I still need to jump through hoops for the FBI to receive a firearm…

[opencarry]

From a private party in Idaho, none. 😊
BTW, purchasing a firearm should require nothing but cash as it was before 1968.

[olddirtbiker]

A CCW permit is issued for a period of time (5 years for example) so it is no guarantee that you have recently met the requirements to pass a background check. Perhaps that is why my state (Colorado) is not on the list and requires a background check with each gun purchase?