Ok, so no license is needed to walk the streets of Alabama with a pistol on your waist like a gunslinger, and an M16 on your back like Rambo, but a federal background check is needed? Is that correct, and how long does a background check take?
It sounds like before 1986 Alabama was still the 'wild west' (or wild south). Scary!
How many guns do you have? What are they? I quite like guns, believe it or not, I just don't think they should be in private hands for 'protection'. I use to shoot shotguns (12 and 16 gauge), and a .22 rifle, and the gunslinger-type .357 rifles. I don't remember the models, but I do remember spending time cleaning them. Good times! I couldn't hit the target for squat though.
A federal background check takes about 20 minutes. Its a call into a system that runs your name against NICS (if you ever watched CSI that gets brought up in basically every episode) which is a computer database that runs your name against criminal records etc.
1986 is brought up a lot because people can purchase machine guns/automatic rifles made before that year but only after a extensive, and expensive process. And there only so many of those guns.
I open carry most of the time when I'm not at school of course. My carry gun is my grandfathers M1911A1 - his service pistol from the Army Air Corps/US Air Force. Its had a lot of work done to it over the years. .45ACP packs a punch that I prefer (I'm a bigger guy so I always think that if you do have to ever fire you put as much power down range with the least amount of bullets hence I prefer larger calibers no 9mms for me) But the best gun for self defense is one you never have to fire.
But my firearms
5 Rifles
Remington Woodmaster 30-06 model 742 Carbine - semi-automatic
Remington Speedmaster .22 - semi-automatic
Remington .243 model 770 - Bolt Action
Remington .308 model 750 Carbine - semi-automatic
Ruger 10/22 - .22 - semi-automatic
4 Blackpowder - IE old fashioned muzzleloading guns. These are for hunting (special blackpowder seasons like for bow-hunters) and for the challenge of hunting/shooting with them.
Reproduction Hawken Rifle - 50 caliber
Inline 6 - 50 caliber
One "competition" Rifle - 50 caliber - has brass accents.
Modern Muzzleloader (talk about a contradiction) - 50 caliber - has synthetic stock like a military weapon. Its the only blackpowder gun I have with a safety.
3 handguns
Colt M1911 - .45 ACP - semi-automatic
SW Model 686 - .357 - double action revolver
Ruger .22 - semi-automatic
6 shotguns
Remington model 870 woodmaster - 12 gauge - pump action - long barrel for dove/duck/deer hunting
Remington model 870 synthetic Tactical - 12 gauge - pump action - short barrel with spike shroud for home defense.
Mossberg Persuader Tactical - 12 gauge - pump action - short barrel with shroud, extended tube magazine, pistol grip for home defense.
Rossi - 12 gauge - break action - double barrel
Remington Youth Model - .410 gauge - break action
Benelli Nova - 12 gauge - pump action - Skeet shooting/Sporting Clays gun.
Not really firearms but I include them often we keep a crossbow and a compound bow as well.
Also we keep somewhere between 2000-4000 rounds of ammo assorted.
Like I've said before after the April 27th 2011 tornadoes when you couldn't call the cops (we were out of power for 10 days) had we had an incident with a prowler I would have been thanking God I could have defended my family. My father as y'all know is handicapped and is on some mighty strong painkillers. We've had prowlers before and I was able to protect my family and property. Luckily nothing happened when I couldn't call the cops. That is something I guess is uniquely American but even in 2013 I consider myself a yeoman farmer. Its the tradition of owning this land, and farming it, and being a rifleman able to protect it if need be is something I take seriously.
