Making sense of from 4473

PRSmith · 12-23-2006, 12:51 PM

I wonder is people really read the Federal Forearm licensing form #4473. For example it asks if the perdon has ever been convicting of a felony where as the person was semntenced to 1 year or more in the lockup. So what is a felony?

I live in the most communist state in America (Ohio). In my state if you get 3 or more speeding tickets within a certain time frame.....you can be charged with a felony!

Does anyone find the form to have lots of gray areas or is it just me?

Aught Six · 12-23-2006, 04:18 PM

Form 4473 seems pretty straight forward to me. It's used to help weed out those potential buyers who are legally forbidden from possessing or owning a firearm. There are no gray areas. If you have a criminal record with a felony conviction (which you would certainly be aware of unless convicted in absentia and ignorant of your case), you may not purchase a firearm of any type.

I believe that a felon can sometimes petition a judge towaive thepossession of firearms prohibition, but that's the exception, not the rule.

PRSmith · 12-23-2006, 04:30 PM

I had two gun dealers explain a question to me on he form and they both admitted they didn't know the answer and told me to see an attorney.

The reason I brough this issue up was a good friend of mine was charged with a felony for having 3 speeding tickets in 30 days that occured 9 years ago. He could vote, he could purchase ammuniation. He even got a hunting license. He went to purchase a .22 rifle for his son's birthday and was denied staing he was a convicted felon.

True I think the INTENT of the law was to keep people like Lee Oswald from purchasing weapons...but it seems this law is being misused (typical of gov't).

Ohio is the only state in the country that has a 5th degree felony classification which was pasted by the legistrator to allow local Sheriffs to rid their overcrowded jails and send "felon's" to the state instutions. Just seems a little ridiculas to me.

Persons committing violate crimes should never be allowed access to guns.

Aught Six · 12-23-2006, 04:48 PM

Gun dealers generally are not qualified or licensed to provide legal counsel. In doing so, they themselves could be breaking the law. It's your friend's responsibility to get a lawyer to get his paperwork in order. If he was able to get his voting rights reinstated, it should be possible unless he's going to be charged for attempting to purchase a firearm.

Felonies, whether violent or not, are serious crimes. If your friend was charged with one for speeding three times, he must've been going awfully fast. Reckless driving kills more people than guns in this country, so who's to sayhe'sresponsible enough to take firearm safety seriously. I really don't see much of a problem with Form 4473...

mr-pirk · 12-23-2006, 08:04 PM

PR Smith are you saying that three speeding tickets with in an alloted time period gets one a year or more in jail in Ohio? What would the time period and curcumstances have to be?

If so is this common?

Bias?

Thanks
Mr-Pirk