Legal question about gun information collection

[myarsenal]

Hi, I have a legal question about an application I'm developing where the customers would be able to keep all the information related to all their guns and ammo and also to keep the scores and images of all the shooting range records. I was just told that there is a law against keeping information like but I'm not sure which law and if it applies to this case.

thanks

 

[JohnKSa]

There is no law preventing a gun owner from keeping records about his/her firearm ownership and use.

There is a law preventing the U.S. federal government from creating a registry of gun owners who do not own "NFA firearms" but that law doesn't prevent states from creating registries and it certainly doesn't prevent gun owners from keeping personal records.

 

[Odd Job]

I think what he means is, he would be hosting a database where his customers' information would be stored.

 

[GRIZ22]

I think what he means is, he would be hosting a database where his customers' information would be stored.

If that is the case I don't think many would use it. You can already do that by creating a file on your smart phone.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but I don't think any gun owner cares to have all their firearms info stored in a central data bank. If you live in a state requiring registration you have no choice.

 

[RETG]

I'm retired from the government and I am not a conspiracy theorist either; however, I DON'T TRUST THEM! So I agree, I would not want anyone keeping the records of my guns, how I shoot, when I shoot, where I shoot, etc.
I do have a detailed excel sheet with when purchased, price paid, serial numbers, photos of all guns, etc. It is password protected and on a password protected hard drive with a backup in NC.

 

[ATLDave]

NOT LEGAL ADVICE: Please be aware that the law regarding the collection, use, and deletion of personal data is a complex and rapidly-evolving field. The EU recently implemented their General Data Privacy Regulation, which purports to apply to any entity that collects personal data of EU citizens, even if the entity is based outside the EU or doesn't have an operational presence inside the EU. So, if your app allowed people to store data in the cloud or somewhere that is not under their direct legal control, and EU citizens could download the app... the EU likely thinks you are covered. And failure to comply with their complex regulations can result in big fines. California recently followed suit with their own law. It doesn't track the GDPR, but one of the elements in common is the requirement to delete customer data upon demand. Again, if you're going to send customer data to a cloud or server in any way, you will need to figure out how to comply with these deletion demands.

I am not a data privacy lawyer. But this stuff is getting very complex, and is being applied to businesses of all sizes and app developers. This is one of many reasons you need to speak to a competent lawyer in the relevant area(s) before you launch an app these days.

 

[Frank Ettin]

If that is the case I don't think many would use it. You can already do that by creating a file on your smart phone.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist but I don't think any gun owner cares to have all their firearms info stored in a central data bank. If you live in a state requiring registration you have no choice.

I think those are really the main issues: would this serve a real need, and would people be willing to have the information stored on an external database outside their control.

As far as need, the file with all my gun information requires very little memory, and backing it up in case of a computer crash requires only a small thumb drive.

 

[JTHunter]

As far as need, the file with all my gun information requires very little memory, and backing it up in case of a computer crash requires only a small thumb drive.

Using Word, I photograph my guns from both sides, then type up the info about them (incl. ser. num.) under the pictures. One printed copy is in my safe, another with a relative, a digital copy on both my computer and an external hard drive.

 

[Spats McGee]

Hi, I have a legal question about an application I'm developing where the customers would be able to keep all the information related to all their guns and ammo and also to keep the scores and images of all the shooting range records. I was just told that there is a law against keeping information like but I'm not sure which law and if it applies to this case.

thanks

I know of no law prohibiting a private individual from developing such an app. Gov't entities are a different beast.

 

[F-111 John]

Several apps already exist that do this very thing. Gun Vault Pro is but one example.