Question about B-day gift for sister.

[Joey_the_Wolf]

Hi,

I have a quick question,

I live in the state of Florida, and am 21 years old. I have several legally owned firearms, and go shooting often, and now my little sister is starting to like shooting. Her 16th birthday is coming up on Sept 27th, and I wanted to surprise her with her own gun, however, here is where the legality comes into play. I wanted to get her a .22 target pistol. I am thinking along the lines of a Walther P22, a Sig Mosquito, or any of the .22 semi auto Rugers. If I purchase a firearm, under my name, even if the primary user is another person, am I obligated by law to keep it under my possession at all times, and be responsible for it's storage until the "owner" turns 18? In other words, is it legally my gun and my responsibility until she turns 18/21? When she shoots it, does it means that I have to be present, or can another adult supervise (such as our mother)? I know that my mom bought me a .45 when I was 20 and gave it to me as a gift and that I was the legal owner of that pistol, but I was already over 18, so I'm sure that doesn't apply to a 16 year old.

I want to make sure I do things by the book. I'm pretty sure I'd be fine legally if it was "my" gun, and it was under my control and supervision at all times, even though the primary user would be my sister. Am I right?

 

[Quiet]

She needs to be 18 or older, in order to possess/own it by herself.
Under 18, she needs an adult present when shooting.

If I purchase a firearm, under my name, even if the primary user is another person, am I obligated by law to keep it under my possession at all times, and be responsible for it's storage until the "owner" turns 18?

Yes.

 

[fixyurgun]

Joey, the way I understand 18 U.S.C. 922(x) para (3) your sister could come and borrow the gun from you & legaly transport it (unloaded in a locked case) to target practice with. She also would need written pemission on her person while transporting. Your state laws may over rule this so check with a local. Any ffl dealer shold have a copy of The Youth Handgun Safety Act Notice pamplets that details the Federal laws. Hope this helps, jim

 

[woof]

Why not pay for what you choose but let the paperwork be done in her mom's name. Then when she is 18 or 21 there is no issue.

 

[Car Knocker]

Why not let her choose what SHE wants? Buying a gun for someone else without his/her input is like buying him/her a pair of shoes without input.

 

[woof]

Maybe but my most treasured guns are the ones my dad bought me 50 years ago and said - here, this is what you're gonna hunt with.

 

[Joey_the_Wolf]

Thanks for all the input, I'll definitely keep those laws in mind. And of course, it also means that since I'm storing the gun, I am also responsible for it functioning well and being in operational condition, which of course means that I'll have to test fire it from time to time

Oh, and Car Knocker, I know exactly what you mean, it's just that she has dropped some pretty big hints about what she wants (she's stated how much she loves those Walther p22s, how sweet the triggers on the Rugers are, etc) so she's narrowed it down alot for me. I just basically have to choose between 2-3 guns, and I know she'll be happy. She mainly wants a .22 because they are fun to plink with and are cheap to shoot, but believe it or not, she can even handle my 1911 .45 with ease. Too bad she doesn't want a brand new Kimber or H&K for her birthday, because I'd definitely have fun "test firing" those, LOL.

 

[VARifleman]

One of my friends has a P22 and took it to the range for his girlfriend to shoot. At the end she was well versed in an array of malfunction clearances...

If you want a target pistol, and since she seems to do well with a 1911, a marvel conversion on top of one of those would do well. Also a S&W 41 or Hi-Standard are good choices for .22 pistols.