Originally Posted by Blog

Here's the plain-language explanation, from the ATF's FAQ:

From whom may an unlicensed person acquire a firearm under the GCA?

A person may only buy a firearm within the person s own State, except that he or she may buy a rifle or shotgun, in person, at a licensee's premises in any State, provided the sale complies with State laws applicable in the State of sale and the State where the purchaser resides.

So the short answer is, you can buy a firearm out of your state of residence from a licensed dealer only. CNN's story involves a private sale; they make an explicit point of that in their voiceover.

Please do read all of the links. (End of edit.)

David Codrea has picked it up, too. The story origininated at The Claire Files message board with a post by "kbarrett" that goes:

It looks like CNN aired a spot this evening of one of its own reporters finding a .50 cal rifle on Gunsamerica.com for sale by a private owner in Houston, and then flying to Houston, paying cash, and then flying with said rifle back to Atlanta.

Originally Posted by transcripts

LIN: What we are about to show you may surprise you. CNN bought a gun, a really big gun, made for war. The surprising part is how we got our hands on it.

Now we did it legally and we did it easily. In this report, you'll only see right here on CNN, investigative correspondent Drew Griffin went online shopping. And wait until you see what he brought home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To buy a gun, even a .50 caliber gun, this huge gun, you just need to go to your computer and click on one of the biggest classified gun sites, which in our case is gunsamerica.com. AK-47s, shotguns, pistols, all kinds of rifles.

But what we wanted to buy was the biggest caliber rifle you could possibly buy. And that's this category right here, .50 caliber rifles.

This is the gun that is now banned in California. And on this Web site, we have about three dozen of them for sale. But what we're looking for is one that is not being sold by a dealer. See where it says "federal licensed firearm dealer?" We are trying to find one that's being sold by just a private citizen.

This is actually the one we bought. When you finally find the gun you want on this Web site, and you're dealing with a private party, you just give him your e-mail. And you send him a note "let's set up a meeting, I'm paying cash." And the next thing you know, we're going to buy our gun.

(voice-over): But before I shelled out $2500 to buy this gun, I wanted to make sure I could buy ammunition. That turned out to be as easy as ordering flowers. With just a couple of clicks on my computer, I ordered and paid by credit card for .50 caliber armor piercing rounds.

They were delivered in a week. Shells as long as my hand delivered, no questions asked, by UPS. I could have even bought tracer rounds if I'd wanted. Now it was time to get the gun.

(on camera):What we're about to do is perfectly legal in dozens of states where cash and carry is the rule. A private seller, a private buyer. There will be no background check, no government waiting period, no government paperwork at all. In fact, the only paper that will change hands is the money we use to buy our .50 caliber rifle.

(voice-over): The transaction at a house in suburban Houston took about 20 minutes. We walked out with a case holding the gun critics say is the perfect terrorist weapon, a brand new .50 caliber with scope bipod and directions.

We flew home. Guns are checked as baggage. And when the bags arrived for our flight, I simply picked it up and left.

Ronnie Barrett, who manufactures .50 caliber rifles, believes as an American, it is your right to own one.

Isn't that particular gun in the hands of a terrorist dangerous?

RONNIE BARRETT, BARRETT MANUFACTURING: We're not talking about terrorists. We're disarming here civilians. These laws have nothing to do with terrorism.

GRIFFIN: Barrett's company makes one of the most popular and top of the line .50 caliber rifles on the market, a semi automatic favored by armies around the world, but Barrett says his company couldn't survive on military orders alone. And what keeps all these workers busy is its popularity among recreational shooters.

Barrett says it may be effective on the battlefield, but on the target range, it's just plain fun.

Should there be any regulations on your guns?

BARRETT: There should be regulations on criminals.

GRIFFIN: Gun control advocates want a federal ban on this weapon. Their reasoning? Anything that can hit a target at 1,000 yards with a bullet the size of a small artillery shell could certainly pose a major threat to aircraft.

(on camera): But the question at most of the nation's airports is not what you could do with a .50 caliber gun at 1,000 yards. Here at LAX, a would-be terrorist could get within less than 1,000 feet.

(voice-over): This week at a police gun range, I found out what this gun could do to the emergency exit door of a Boeing 727 fired from 1,000 feet away. The gun is very heavy, not easy to maneuver, but took only a few moments to set up. The first time I fired it, I missed. After adjusting for the site, round after armored piercing round went straight through the door.

But just about any gun could pierce the think aluminum skin of an airplane. What scares law enforcement is what else this round can do when fired from this gun. This is a one inch thick piece of steel plate, more protection than almost any armored car. The .50 caliber goes right through the aircraft door and right through one inch steel.

Wow, right through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right through it, baby.

GRIFFIN: That's where it came out. That's where it went it. One inch steel plate. Just unbelievable.

(on camera): Had we purchased this gun from a federal firearms dealer, it would have required a background check, some paperwork, and proof of residency and age. But because this was a private sale between a buyer and a seller from the same state, this transaction was simply cash and carry. No record of this gun whatsoever.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Originally Posted by VIBEELEVEN

We should take one skeet shooting.