Ineligible Persons

• The federal government decides who can or cannot own a gun. This also includes receiving, shipping and transporting of firearms. According to the National Rifle Association, anyone convicted of a crime who received a prison sentence of a year or more, or has a restraining order against him cannot have possession of a gun. Anyone who is an illegal alien or renounced his citizenship is ineligible to own a gun. Dishonorable discharge from the military also takes away the right to own a gun. Other indelible persons are drug users, the mentally ill, and anyone convicted of domestic violence.
  
  

Dealers Purchases

• According to the National Rifle Association, a dealer must meet both state and federal handgun laws and must be federally licensed to sell firearms. To acquire a federal firearms license, a dealer must be 21 years old, not convicted of a violent crime, a citizen of the United States, truthful on the firearm license application and certified that he meets state regulations for dealers. Once a dealer has received a federal firearms license, he is prohibited from selling a rifle or shotgun to anyone under the age of 18 or a handgun to anyone under the age of 21. All sales must be recorded on federal form 4473.
  
  

Sales Between Individuals

• No individual may sell a gun to another person living in another state without first transferring the gun to a licensed dealer in the purchaser's state, according to the National Rifle Association. Inherited handguns are exempt from this law.
  
  

Antiques

• Any firearm made on or before 1898 is considered an antique and is exempt from federal restrictions. However, according to the National Rifle Association, state gun permit laws must be followed and they may put restrictions on the use of antique firearms.
  
  

Shipping

• To ship handguns from state to state, federal law mandates that an individual must ship to a federally licensed dealer within the purchaser's state. The dealer will then distribute the firearm under state law. According to the National Rifle Association, shipping between two non-federally licensed individuals is prohibited. However, a person may ship a rifle or shotgun to himself in care of another person only for the intention of hunting.
  
  

Travel

• According to the National Rifle Association, federal law prohibits the passage of firearms on interstate travel. However, state law may override this if the state allows the transport of firearms during travel. When planning a trip with a firearm, state law must be obeyed even if you are just passing through a state. Before traveling, check each state's firearm laws and make appropriate arrangements to follow them. In case of air travel, federal law prohibits a gun to be brought aboard any plane. State law cannot override this, and it does not matter if the traveler has a concealed license or not.