How easy is it to buy an AR-15 rifle in North Carolina? Here’s what the law says
The AR-15 rifle has become an infamous weapon in the U.S. — a popular choice for gun owners but also frequently used in mass killings.
About 16 million Americans “own at least one AR-15,” the Washington Post reported in March. It is also the same type of gun used in 10 of the 17 deadliest mass shootings since 2012, according to the Washington Post.
An AR-style weapon was used in a weekend shooting at a Texas outlet mall that killed eight people, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported, and in other mass shootings such as the Las Vegas concert and Sandy Hook Elementary killings, according to NPR.
In North Carolina, AR-15s are available for purchase from dealers. State and federal law impose few restrictions on who can buy them and what it takes to get one.
Here’s what to know about the AR-15 rifle and what it takes to get one in North Carolina:
What is an AR-15?
The AR-15 is “a modern sporting rifle,” the National Shooting Sports Foundation says. It’s a type of gun that’s “modular nature of the platform allows it to be configured for various applications and body types,” the foundation says.
They “are among the most popular firearms being sold,” according to the trade association, and the “AR” “stands for ArmaLite, after the company that developed it in the 1950s.”
The foundation says AR-15s aren’t assault rifles because “an assault rifle is fully automatic,” whereas the AR-15 “ is a semi-automatic firearm that fires just one bullet with each pull of the trigger.”
The federal assault weapons ban from 1994 to 2004, however, banned the AR-15, FiveThirtyEight reported. Though, the law didn’t ban all semi-automatic weapons.
How old do you have to be to get an AR-15 rifle in North Carolina?
“There is no minimum age to possess rifles and shotguns in North Carolina,” the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence says, though state law prohibits “any person under the age of 18 from willfully and intentionally possessing or carrying a handgun, unless” they meet certain exceptions.
“It is a misdemeanor in North Carolina for any person to knowingly permit a child under age 12 to have access to, or possession, custody, or use in any manner of any firearm, whether loaded or unloaded, unless the person has the permission of the child’s parent or guardian, and the child is under the supervision of an adult,” the Center to Prevent Gun Violence adds.
Additionally, federal law says, “Licensed firearms dealers may not sell or deliver a long gun, or ammunition for a long gun, to any person the dealer knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under age 18.” Though “unlicensed persons may sell, deliver, or otherwise transfer a long gun or long gun ammunition to a person of any age,” the law states.
How easy is it to buy an AR-15 rifle in North Carolina?
You don’t need a permit or other legal document to legally have a rifle, shotgun or handgun in North Carolina “as long as the firearm is not capable of fully automatic fire” and you’re not a convicted felon, the North Carolina Rifle & Pistol Association says.
“Federal law requires federally licensed firearms dealers (but not private sellers) to initiate a background check on the purchaser prior to sale of a firearm,” according to the Giffords Center.
North Carolina “does not otherwise require background checks on purchases of firearms from unlicensed sellers,” per the Center. Additionally, “holders of concealed weapons permits in North Carolina are exempt from the federal background check requirement.”
And the state “has no law imposing a waiting period prior to the purchase of a firearm,” nor does it have “laws governing gun shows.”
“North Carolina has no law that requires the comprehensive registration of firearms throughout the state,” the Giffords Center says.
Can you buy guns online in NC?
You can order guns, including AR-15s, online in North Carolina, but they can’t be shipped directly to your home.
When you order online, stores will provide an in-store pick-up option and/or allow you to have the rifle shipped to a dealer for pick-up.
How many guns are sold annually in NC?
More than 300,100 guns were sold in North Carolina in 2021, according to a study by the home security company SafeHome based on data from the FBI, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and more.
Texas and Florida led the nation in gun sales, SafeHome said, with about 1.6 million firearms and 1.4 million firearms sold, respectively.
Gun sales are rising up in Mecklenburg County after the North Carolina legislature repealed a requirement that one get a permit before buying a handgun, WCNC reported.
This story was originally published May 12, 2023 at 6:00 AM with the headline "How easy is it to buy an AR-15 rifle in North Carolina? Here’s what the law says."
