18th birthday gift

My 18th birthday is in 7 days and i know at 18 i can own a handgun and OC but i don't have any guns at the moment, but my great grandpa told me he would buy me one for my birthday and i just wanted to know exactly how to go about doing this. can i go to the gun shop with him and pick out the one i want and he buy it and give it to me on my birthday?

GrubKiller said:

My 18th birthday is in 7 days and i know at 18 i can own a handgun and OC but i don't have any guns at the moment, but my great grandpa told me he would buy me one for my birthday and i just wanted to know exactly how to go about doing this. can i go to the gun shop with him and pick out the one i want and he buy it and give it to me on my birthday?

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No, it is a gift and you have to accept what you get. Of course you can go. Most FFLs will tell you something along the lines of they can't hand a handgun to anyone under 21. So you have to ask to see it, the FFL hands it to someone over 21 and then they hand the firearm to you. Remember, buying a gun for someone who can't legally own a handgun IS ILLEGAL, but that shouldn't apply to you. Because you can own a handgun at 18 (in Kentucky) but you can't buy it from an FFL holder at that age. You can buy it in any person to person sale, it can be gifted to you, you just can't buy it from an FFL.

In my opinion it is perfectly legal for your grandpa to buy you a handgun as a gift after you turn eighteen. It is also my opinion that if the dealer notices that you appear to be the the one that will receive the gun instead of the one Paying for it they will become suspicious of a straw purchase and may deny the purchase.

mellio said:

In my opinion it is perfectly legal for your grandpa to buy you a handgun as a gift after you turn eighteen. It is also my opinion that if the dealer notices that you appear to be the the one that will receive the gun instead of the one Paying for it they will become suspicious of a straw purchase and may deny the purchase.

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Yea, maybe in Louisville. But in ashland that has never happened to me. I had a handgun when I was 16 (thanks mom) that they sold to her knowing it was going to be mine.

I know many dealers that will not even sell to a spouse if they know the gun is for the other person. They are so scared about a possible straw purchase (which only applies if the other person is prohibited from owning), that they will deny the sale. So be careful what information you share with the dealer.

Get a Hi-Point .45ACP.

It may be cheap, bulky, and ugly; but its like the AK-47 of the pistol world, and I've put nearly a thousand rounds through my Hi-Point with no actual problems. Meaning, reliable, get it wet and dirty and it still fires.

I was wrong in my generalization; I apologize. I just read the long version. However, I was right about the part important to this thread. Here is the relevant quote for this thread:

BATF said:

Where a person purchases a firearm with the intent of making a gift of the firearm to another person, the person making the purchase is indeed the true purchaser. There is no straw purchaser in these instances. In the above example, if Mr. Jones had bought a firearm with his own money to give to Mr. Smith as a birthday present, Mr. Jones could lawfully have completed Form 4473.

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(page 164 of this BATF document: http://www.atf.gov/publications/download/p/atf-p-5300-4.pdf; the first paragraphs confirm that unprohibited persons can still perform a "straw purchase.")

My statement above stands that I know many dealers that will absolutely refuse the sale if they believe it is a gift for someone else, including a spouse. So, still, be careful with what information you share with the dealer.

Thanks guys he said since hes getting it for my birthday he wanted to buy a quality one that would last me if i take care of it and said i can get one that cost up to $500 and ill probably get a 9mm for the cheaper ammo costs a pawn shop by me has a beretta 92 im pretty sure they wanted 499 for it but what other guns are around the same price?

GrubKiller said:

Thanks guys he said since hes getting it for my birthday he wanted to buy a quality one that would last me if i take care of it and said i can get one that cost up to $500 and ill probably get a 9mm for the cheaper ammo costs a pawn shop by me has a beretta 92 im pretty sure they wanted 499 for it but what other guns are around the same price?

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I would really recommend a S&W M&P. I paid $525 or so, I think, when I got it (when they 1st came out), but I think they went down in price. Being your 1st gun I would suggest you either going with a new/like new firearm or brining someone along that is more knowledgeable. You can get some great deals on used firearms but when some people see a younger person, like you or I, they assume they can take advantage of the situation. The most important thing though is to get a firearm that suits you.

gutshot said:

Yes, they will and rightly so...

ATF is a ruthless organization...

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I won't disagree, so back to my point:

me said:

...be careful with what information you share with the dealer.

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GrubKiller said:

Thanks guys he said since hes getting it for my birthday he wanted to buy a quality one that would last me if i take care of it and said i can get one that cost up to $500 and ill probably get a 9mm for the cheaper ammo costs a pawn shop by me has a beretta 92 im pretty sure they wanted 499 for it but what other guns are around the same price?

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For that price there are a few quality sidearms that you could purchase. There are also a few that I'd definitely recommend you AVOID as well. Stay away from S&W Sigma; they're Smith & Wesson's cheap, entry-level sidearm. The quality is low. Stay away from the Hi-Point brand all together; once again this is a cheap weapon somewhat akin to the "Saturday Night Special" of the 70's. They are prone to unreliability and in some cases, even explode on rare occasions!

I'm assuming that he's wanting to get you something that's good quality and that you could possibly have and keep for the rest of your life? I'd suggest looking at S&W 6900 Series pistols, not being new to the market, they have proven themselves in reliability, I'd also suggest looking at the SIG brand (my personal favourites), granted if you were to get a SIG new you'd be looking at around 500+ but if you're willing to kick in some of your own money, then you could literally own one of the best pistols made today! If you're interested in the SIG brand but can't cover the price of a factory new pistol, you can look to purchase a factory certified trade-in model from SIG direct. OK, that was my personal sells pitch. *LOL* But seriously they are worth every penny! Additionally, I'd recommend looking at the Beretta brand, the sturdy and reliable workhorse of the Beretta line is the venerable Model 92! This is the only other pistol other than the SIG P229 or P226, that I personally recommend. Once again though, the Beretta 92 Series will run you over the $500 mark unless you buy used

At the end of the day, it all comes down to how much you can afford to spend and what feels the best in your hands, like clothing, if a pistol does not feel just right in your grip, then you'll be less inclined to use it, practice with, or even carry it and that's what it's all about; having a weapon that you really like and that feels good to hold. You need to go out with your Grandfather and just look around a bit before you actually decide upon a weapon. Ask to see the different weapons and see how they feel in your hands.

GrubKiller said:

Thanks guys he said since hes getting it for my birthday he wanted to buy a quality one that would last me if i take care of it and said i can get one that cost up to $500 and ill probably get a 9mm for the cheaper ammo costs a pawn shop by me has a beretta 92 im pretty sure they wanted 499 for it but what other guns are around the same price?

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Like others who has said, get what "feels" good to you, not what "looks" good. Going into a gun store is like a kid in a candy store. If it's a well equipped store, they will have just about every model, and brand available. I have several brands, S&W, Beretta, Colt, Ruger, Taurus, and others, but seem to have always gone back to S&W and Ruger.
The S&W M&P 9MM has interchangeable "Backstraps" which is great for all different types of hands, This gun was going to be the replacement weapon for the Military replacing the Beretta's, but the deal fell through, so S&W sold them to the general public. It's a great gun, and I have shot over 1500 rounds through mine without a problem. (OK I like it!). The Ruger SR9C also has a interchangeable backstrap, not like S&W but does offer some different feel.This is a newer gun from Ruger, which they have been providing quality weapons for some time now, and giving S&W and others a run for their money. They also are a little cheaper in price.

It's going to be hard to go into a store, and "try" these all out with your grandfather buying it, since of the straw purchase, but maybe you could go in at a different time to try them. Most gun stores are happy to let you look at them, knowing that you could be a potential buyer at some point.

Hope this helps some, and fell free to ask anything. Most people on here have great advice, and willing to help.

There's a gun show coming up on the 25Th and 26Th that's two days after my birthday i could check out different guns there right ive never been to one, and I was looking forward to the machine gun shoot this spring since id finally be 18 but i guess now i gotta wait till October. that's what got me interested in guns my dad took me to it a few times when i was younger i shot my first gun there too i still remember it.