runequester
Swordsman
- Joined
- 29 Apr 2018
- Messages
- 474
Since I have lived in the US for quite some time, I thought I'd share a few general pointers of value to games set in the US as regards firearms.
Please note a few things up top:
A: This is not about politics. For the benefit of the forum and to avoid arguments, I am not going to respond to questions that are specifically about the politics or philosophy of guns, why a given law is the way it is or what the law should be. Fair?
B: American laws are a complicated mush. This is JUST for playing a silly game with dice, not actual advice for if you travel to the states. Fair?
With that, here's a few things I did not know when we were teenagers and playing games set in the US (like Werewolf at the time):
1: Firearms can be purchased in a number of ways, with gun stores or private sales being the most common. They are not cheap. A decent handgun can easily cost you 600 dollars or more and rare historical firearms can easily sell in the thousands. Right now, an auction site I checked has a WW1 era Mauser rifle for 3000 dollars.
Ammunition prices can vary: About 50 cents for 9mm handgun rounds is not that unusual.
2: Purchasing through an actual retailer requires background checks to make sure you are not a felon. Private sales often bypass these checks. Criminals either get weapons privately or have one person purchase the weapon and then give it to them. You can of course also steal the gun (since you are a criminal).
If your character needs to acquire firearms but have a criminal record already, they will have to be clandestine.
3: US laws are a confusing mush. Federal laws apply everywhere, while states can have additional laws. For example, in my state you cannot carry a concealed firearm in any location that primarily sells alcohol (for obvious reasons!). If your game is set in a specific state, look up what laws may apply, particularly regarding concealed carry (the legal permit to carry a handgun concealed under your clothes).
You may even find cities with their own rules that are different from the state they are in. For example for a game set in Chicago, you would have to abide by gun laws for the US, Illinois AND Chicago.
4: BROADLY SPEAKING an individual in the US is able to purchase and own firearms. Restrictions often apply to things like: Automatic firearms, silencers, explosive devices. You can obtain these things with particular licenses and permits but they are expensive to obtain and the difficulty varies by state.
Many automatic firearms (such as assault rifles) are sold in "civilian" configurations with semi-auto only. They can often be illegally converted to fully automatic.
Legal immigrants are generally allowed to own guns as well but may have to prove residency for 6 months.
5: Carrying a firearm in public is NOT common, contrary to what you see in movies. In rural states during hunting season, seeing someone with a rifle isn't unusual when going to a gas station or similar. It is not generally illegal to carry a firearm however, but private businesses may prohibit and in most states many locations are forbidden by state law (government and educational buildings are typical).
6: Concealed carry usually requires a permit, but varies by state. In many states it is "will issue" meaning unless there is a legal reason to prohibit a specific person, the permit will be issued if you apply for it.
7: It used to be that major store chains sold some firearms (typically hunting weapons) in their sporting goods section. This is less common these days.
8: There used to be a ban on "large capacity magazines" at the federal level, but this has expired. A few states do ban these. For example in Colorado, you cannot legally purchase or own magazines with a capacity exceeding 15 rounds.
9: For historical periods, things were wild. For example owning machine guns were absolutely legal until 1934 (if I remember correctly). All those gangster movies with Thompsons and BAR's everywhere? You could buy that stuff.
I hope that helps for more realistic campaigns if you are into this stuff.
If you have questions, please ask but bear in mind the stipulation that I will not answer any question that is explaining why something is this way, why this or that way would be better or regarding the politics of it.
I have some general gun-nerd knowledge as well, if you have more general questions about firearms, historical popularities, when particular things show up etc.
Please note a few things up top:
A: This is not about politics. For the benefit of the forum and to avoid arguments, I am not going to respond to questions that are specifically about the politics or philosophy of guns, why a given law is the way it is or what the law should be. Fair?
B: American laws are a complicated mush. This is JUST for playing a silly game with dice, not actual advice for if you travel to the states. Fair?
With that, here's a few things I did not know when we were teenagers and playing games set in the US (like Werewolf at the time):
1: Firearms can be purchased in a number of ways, with gun stores or private sales being the most common. They are not cheap. A decent handgun can easily cost you 600 dollars or more and rare historical firearms can easily sell in the thousands. Right now, an auction site I checked has a WW1 era Mauser rifle for 3000 dollars.
Ammunition prices can vary: About 50 cents for 9mm handgun rounds is not that unusual.
2: Purchasing through an actual retailer requires background checks to make sure you are not a felon. Private sales often bypass these checks. Criminals either get weapons privately or have one person purchase the weapon and then give it to them. You can of course also steal the gun (since you are a criminal).
If your character needs to acquire firearms but have a criminal record already, they will have to be clandestine.
3: US laws are a confusing mush. Federal laws apply everywhere, while states can have additional laws. For example, in my state you cannot carry a concealed firearm in any location that primarily sells alcohol (for obvious reasons!). If your game is set in a specific state, look up what laws may apply, particularly regarding concealed carry (the legal permit to carry a handgun concealed under your clothes).
You may even find cities with their own rules that are different from the state they are in. For example for a game set in Chicago, you would have to abide by gun laws for the US, Illinois AND Chicago.
4: BROADLY SPEAKING an individual in the US is able to purchase and own firearms. Restrictions often apply to things like: Automatic firearms, silencers, explosive devices. You can obtain these things with particular licenses and permits but they are expensive to obtain and the difficulty varies by state.
Many automatic firearms (such as assault rifles) are sold in "civilian" configurations with semi-auto only. They can often be illegally converted to fully automatic.
Legal immigrants are generally allowed to own guns as well but may have to prove residency for 6 months.
5: Carrying a firearm in public is NOT common, contrary to what you see in movies. In rural states during hunting season, seeing someone with a rifle isn't unusual when going to a gas station or similar. It is not generally illegal to carry a firearm however, but private businesses may prohibit and in most states many locations are forbidden by state law (government and educational buildings are typical).
6: Concealed carry usually requires a permit, but varies by state. In many states it is "will issue" meaning unless there is a legal reason to prohibit a specific person, the permit will be issued if you apply for it.
7: It used to be that major store chains sold some firearms (typically hunting weapons) in their sporting goods section. This is less common these days.
8: There used to be a ban on "large capacity magazines" at the federal level, but this has expired. A few states do ban these. For example in Colorado, you cannot legally purchase or own magazines with a capacity exceeding 15 rounds.
9: For historical periods, things were wild. For example owning machine guns were absolutely legal until 1934 (if I remember correctly). All those gangster movies with Thompsons and BAR's everywhere? You could buy that stuff.
I hope that helps for more realistic campaigns if you are into this stuff.
If you have questions, please ask but bear in mind the stipulation that I will not answer any question that is explaining why something is this way, why this or that way would be better or regarding the politics of it.
I have some general gun-nerd knowledge as well, if you have more general questions about firearms, historical popularities, when particular things show up etc.
Of course, the more of them the merrier.
