Reese-Mo wrote:ManxTom wrote:
There is one fundamental difference between our system and that of the US. Whereby you can go into a gun shop and pay for a rifle etc., you then have to wait for the background check.....
Except for recent pandemic era, the background check was only a few minutes. It often is while the clerk is still on the phone with the agency, or maybe 10 or 15 minutes of waiting. It is "supposed" to be an "instant background check". Stores like the brief wait, as it gets "accessory sales" time with the customer. States vary with checks also combined with "mandatory wait times" though. Here in Florida swampland, if you have a carry permit, there's no additional wait, past the few minutes for the background check.
We do have a form to fill out, that takes all of 2 minutes, or three if your forget your pensioner's specs, like I usually do (bright light... someplace please!).
The uptick, and I don't wish this to be political, just factual, is that we can own as many arms as we care to buy, of nearly any sort, even fully automatic machine guns, if we have the money. Those take a bit of a wait though, like... about a year currently. Mine took 8 months for each of them. All those arms can be kept at home, fully loaded if desired, and ready for use (although I prefer to keep things safe and only keep a few loaded and at the ready). And, in almost every state, we can carry concealed, or openly, and as many as we like (not that more than two is really all that practical). Arms in vehicles are no problem in most states. Ammunition types and quantity have very very few restrictions, and armor piercing is allowed. Some states ban teflon coated handgun ammo, flechettes, bolo rounds, and "dragons breath".
I have a young friend from Switzerland. She came to visit a few years back and was aghast that I was walking down the high street, during a very large motorcycling rally (think 250,000 bikes), and carrying a concealed handgun. Mores vary I suppose, but its the common place in my locale. Once, a rider's organization I belong to had to switch banks, due to the availability of branches at the newly installed treasurer's town of residence. So the corporate officers (which was me and three others) went to the bank to fill out the paperwork. Of course, in full leathers. The very sweet young lady handling things, asked for further identification beyond our driver's licenses. All four of us, without discussion, presented our carry permit. Some laughter ensued. Not by the young lady though....
), I could easily be in and out the door with my gun purchase in less than 10 minutes. I never bought a gun at Academy, but I have heard that they make the idiotic call regardless of one's carry license.