Is my gun legal in...

[OhNoNotaGun]

I've come across lots of folks on forums, especially those who live in anti-gun states like MA, IL, NJ, NY, etc who ask questions that usually start with "can I own a... " or "is my gun legal in". When I researched these kinds of things on the web, information was scant, disorganized, confusing or non-existent.

So, as an avid gun owner and pro-liberty dude, I thought I'd create a site that covers these kinds of questions. Created a site called www.ismygunlegal.com. Has thousands of guns which you can peruse through. Cool thing is you can add guns of your own, edit the ones that are there, and change legalities of firearms in the various states (like a wiki).

The site is new and is constantly being updated with new and current information, so not all of the firearms are up to date. There are well over 4,000 firearms to look at and add to. It's a non-commercial site, 100% free and always will be.

My question for y'all is - how do you like the site? What would you change about it? What needs improvement? I've purposely made it very spartan - clean, with little or not clutter. Just information on guns. How it should be, IMO.

Lemme know what you think. Hope this doesn't count as spam for my first post - thought it would be a helpful link to everybody here, 'specially folks who are unfortunate enough to live in anti-gun states (like myself).

 

[30Mauser]

I think it could be more quickly useful if you could enter your state in the first screen along with the gun.

Also, you're going to need to flesh out the actual data, since the first thing I entered (Ruger SR1911) has no useful information.

Finally, for states that prohibited certain features, you'll want the ability to specify things like adjustable stocks, magazine capacity, threaded barrel, etc.

Good luck!

 

[OhNoNotaGun]

I think it could be more quickly useful if you could enter your state in the first screen along with the gun.

Also, you're going to need to flesh out the actual data, since the first thing I entered (Ruger SR1911) has no useful information.

Finally, for states that prohibited certain features, you'll want the ability to specify things like adjustable stocks, magazine capacity, threaded barrel, etc.

Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback. You can actually choose the state on the first page - just select the dropdown next to the search field and enter the firearm name. It will tell you the legality of the firearm in your state (although many of them will say "Unclear" since we need to update a lot of them).

Also, if you can't find a gun, feel free to add it yourself! That's what the site is for - for regular folk to add what they know to the site.

If you can't find the firearm right away, try using only part of the name. Instead of "Ruger SR1911", try just "1911". Working on the search functionality to make it friendlier.

By the way, you earn "points" when you contribute to the site (editing states or editing and adding firearms) which earn you special things later, like NRA memberships.

Lastly, you read my mind on being able to choose features. That is an upgrade in the works. You'll be able to pick features of the firearm in order to narrow your search.

Thanks for that feedback.

P.S. Found your gun: http://www.ismygunlegal.com/guns/view/5500/home:1

 

[30Mauser]

Sorry I missed the state drop down on my mobile phone. Looks good!

Incidentally, the search function worked great and the SR1911 is legal in MA.

Will you have the capability to denote "legal for FFL to sell" vs. "legal only for non-FFL to sell"? Important distinction here.

 

[OhNoNotaGun]

Sorry I missed the state drop down on my mobile phone. Looks good!

Incidentally, the search function worked great and the SR1911 is legal in MA.

Will you have the capability to denote "legal for FFL to sell" vs. "legal only for non-FFL to sell"? Important distinction here.

Good point. All of the firearms reflect what is legal to purchase as a civilian. I will make that clearer in the FAQ section.

 

[Neriski3]

Also, if you can't find a gun, feel free to add it yourself! That's what the site is for - for regular folk to add what they know to the site.

This could lead to a lot of misinformation. Knowing that just anyone can edit the information I don't know how much I would trust it. The laws of some states can be very confusing and there are many people who think they know what they are talking about but in reality have no clue. Read some of the post here about all the bad/wrong info given out by gun shops.

 

[OhNoNotaGun]

This could lead to a lot of misinformation. Knowing that just anyone can edit the information I don't know how much I would trust it. The laws of some states can be very confusing and there are many people who think they know what they are talking about but in reality have no clue. Read some of the post here about all the bad/wrong info given out by gun shops.

Yeah, that was a consideration, which led me to developing a mandatory "Source" field users must fill in to substantiate and back up the information they enter. Example...

When a user toggles "Yes" next to "Duty to Inform Officer" in the stipulations table (visible when you log in), a field shows up where they must enter the source of their finding, e.g. a website (with link), document, or other source.

This way, the information can be reviewed and verified as accurate.

 

[Neriski3]

Yeah, that was a consideration, which led me to developing a mandatory "Source" field users must fill in to substantiate and back up the information they enter. Example...

When a user toggles "Yes" next to "Duty to Inform Officer" in the stipulations table (visible when you log in), a field shows up where they must enter the source of their finding, e.g. a website (with link), document, or other source.

This way, the information can be reviewed and verified as accurate.

Sorry missed that. I know it would be a lot of work on your end but do you have plans to verify sources and the info people post?

I do think the site is a great idea and I should have read the disclaimer before my first post.

 

[Palladin]

Chamber safety indicator required No

you need to correct this one on the MA site

 

[OhNoNotaGun]

Sorry missed that. I know it would be a lot of work on your end but do you have plans to verify sources and the info people post?

I do think the site is a great idea and I should have read the disclaimer before my first post.

Yup! That's the whole point of the source fields. Users must enter a source for the legalities they change or enter on the site. Otherwise, it doesn't get published.

There are also options for users to notify the admin of inaccuracies by clicking on a small link on each firearm profile page, but the whole thrust of the site is to get users to fix said inaccuracies and missing or erroneous information themselves. The goal is to have users engaging the site and moderating it as they see fit within the confines of accurate firearm information.

Also, to entice others, when you log in, you get cool functionality, like:

1. A gun wish list
2. A gun "have" list
3. Guns you've edited
4. Guns you've added
5. Rating guns and states
6. Comment fields for discussion on each firearm page
7. Reputation and points system, which will eventually be applicable to real life services, ilke a free membership to the NRA or pro-gun organization of your choice. I was thinking of making the points transferable into a gift certificate for purchase of a firearm once you accumulate enough of the points, but that would include lots of disclaimer type language I have yet to formulate.
8. A cool Facebook-like notification system. You're notified whenever someone rates your comments or your submissions are approved

I probably need to make it more obvious that these features are available to users.

Ok, I went off on a tangent - thanks for the feedback.

 

[OhNoNotaGun]

you need to correct this one on the MA site

If you see something inaccurate on the site, there are 2 options:

1) Login and correct it yourself (and receive points which can be applied to cool stuff later)
2) Notify me as you have done and let me know about it. Not the preferred method, and is counter to the intent of the site, but may be essential.

Thanks for letting me know - what should it be changed to, and is there a source?

 

[30Mauser]

Chamber safety indicator required No
you need to correct this one on the MA site

If you see something inaccurate on the site, there are 2 options:

1) Login and correct it yourself (and receive points which can be applied to cool stuff later)
2) Notify me as you have done and let me know about it. Not the preferred method, and is counter to the intent of the site, but may be essential.

Thanks for letting me know - what should it be changed to, and is there a source?

This is a prime example of why citations and validation of source information is needed. As well as why the "FFL vs. private sale" distinction is necessary. Loaded chamber indicators are NOT required for a firearm to be lawfully possessed in MA, nor are they required for any firearm to be bought/sold in a private transaction. This rule only applies to FFL sales to non-LEOs. <smh@MGL>

 

[Glockster30]

If you see something inaccurate on the site, there are 2 options:

1) Login and correct it yourself (and receive points which can be applied to cool stuff later)
2) Notify me as you have done and let me know about it. Not the preferred method, and is counter to the intent of the site, but may be essential.

Thanks for letting me know - what should it be changed to, and is there a source?

+1

I just registered and noticed some issues. Under Massachusetts, I used Glock (what else) as a gun to look up. In the description section, it states that the AWB started in 1998, when in fact it was enacted at the federal/state level on 9/13/1994 (included citation). I wrote that in the comment section as I could not figure out or do not know if users can change inaccurate statements found in the Description section.

I didn't mention it in my comments, but it also stated that only Glocks made prior to 1998 are legal in MA. I think that is a somewhat misleading statement, as only FFLs can sell Glocks made prior to 1998. Perhaps this is explained somewhere, but I couldn't find it. However, many MA civilians own Glocks made after 1998 bought through private transactions.

All in all, I think that you took on a monumental task, and as you stated users can make changes, and it does make for a good reference point to search for information. However, as it is still a work-in-progress, I'd be leery about laws in other states as the site shows incorrect information on some guns laws in our own state.

 

[OhNoNotaGun]

This is a prime example of why citations and validation of source information is needed. As well as why the "FFL vs. private sale" distinction is necessary. Loaded chamber indicators are NOT required for a firearm to be lawfully possessed in MA, nor are they required for any firearm to be bought/sold in a private transaction. This rule only applies to FFL sales to non-LEOs. <smh@MGL>

Quite knowledgeable, 30Mauser. 100% agreed on providing sources. If you feel up to it, login and make changes as you see fit. Just let me know your username if you do so I can give you permissions to edit, etc. If not, I'll just change it when I can.

+1

I just registered and noticed some issues. Under Massachusetts, I used Glock (what else) as a gun to look up. In the description section, it states that the AWB started in 1998, when in fact it was enacted at the federal/state level on 9/13/1994 (included citation). I wrote that in the comment section as I could not figure out or do not know if users can change inaccurate statements found in the Description section.

I didn't mention it in my comments, but it also stated that only Glocks made prior to 1998 are legal in MA. I think that is a somewhat misleading statement, as only FFLs can sell Glocks made prior to 1998. Perhaps this is explained somewhere, but I couldn't find it. However, many MA civilians own Glocks made after 1998 bought through private transactions.

All in all, I think that you took on a monumental task, and as you stated users can make changes, and it does make for a good reference point to search for information. However, as it is still a work-in-progress, I'd be leery about laws in other states as the site shows incorrect information on some guns laws in our own state.

Thanks for the Glock info. Yeah, it's a bit confusing, which the site attempts to sort out. I replied to your comment on the site and left some rep, too.

On laws in states - the site is there for everyone to alter so that it is accurate. You can edit states and firearms to your heart's content. I just updated your permissions so you can edit these things now.

The site is not 100% accurate (nor can I say it ever will be). Partially why we have that big old, obnoxious disclaimer on the site.

You're right, it is/was a monumental task. I underestimated how much of an undertaking it would take to put it all together, and it is still ongoing. But I'm loving every minute of it and want you guys and gals to enjoy it as much as I do

Thanks to the owners of this site for letting me get the word out.