Gun Buying Requirements May 2026

Under federal law, several categories of individuals are permanently or temporarily barred from purchasing or possessing firearms:

: Some states impose a mandatory "cooling off" period (often 3 to 10 days) between the purchase and the physical transfer of the firearm to allow for more thorough background checks. gun buying requirements

: Once the form is completed, the dealer must contact the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) . This system, maintained by the FBI, cross-references the buyer's data against databases of prohibited persons. 2. Federally Prohibited Persons Under federal law, several categories of individuals are