Will Aspergers come into play for me wanting to own a gun?

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I live in the state of florida.

And medical records (Both physical & mental) are looked through when I try to purchase a gun and during the waiting period,

I dont own one yet, but I wanted to behind my mothers & sisters backs.

Very much im also trying not to get fed with my parent & siblings stupidity since I've had a married sibling
threaten to call the sheriff on me when I offered to help get a brother-in- laws hunting rifle in his vechile.

And if it had to come to it, I've have to see the NRA or a attorney or check out the so called "gun show loophole" that anti-gun politicians lie about.

But im expecting more advice or talk in the discussion.

I imagine that, on its own, it'd be as much of an obstacle as having dyslexia, i.e. none.

If you're going to carry a deadly weapon, please get a gun not a knife. The second you pull a knife the other person will pull a gun and shoot you dead. Or they'll pull a knife too and then you're in the unenviable position of being in a -knife fight-. So please if you must carry a deadly weapon, just not a knife, ok? Get something with range.

If there's nothing ominous in your mental health history, I don't think it'd matter at all. Having an ASD means that you're actually less likely to be a violent individual who'll use the weapon for ill intent (going by purely statistics).

If they turn you down, you can always get a psychiatrist to say that you're fit to own one.

It sounds like you have the typical mother and sisters who're irrationally fearful of weapons. My mother is cool in this case, and even my sister never minded me having firearms in the house when she lived here; I used to take her shooting as I had no one else to go with.

O, and to add, firearms are a common "special interest" for those with an ASD.

The "gun show loophole" is just that most states have different rules for private sales. If I buy a gun from a dealer, I have to fill out the form and get called in and may have a waiting period. If I buy a gun from Joe down the street, I just give him money and he gives me the gun.

Plus, if you have to defend your life and kill a bad guy it looks a LOT better in court that you shot him two or three times than that you stuck a knife into him 27 times. The crime scene photos will also look a LOT worse to the judge or jury if there are buckets and buckets of blood at the scene, which there will be much more so with a knife than a gun.

It's never a bad idea to think self-defense scenarios through all the way to the courtroom. Not much point in defending your life only to have to spend it in prison.

I've been noticing that the last few weeks or so and am pleasantly surprised. When I was involved with the online AS community several years back I caught a lot of flak for being a gun owner.

To the original poster:

Laws vary from state to state, so I can't effectively advise you as to what Florida is like, but . . .

I have an official diagnosis of Asperger's.
I have been treated for mental health issues since age five.
I have been (voluntarily) admitted to a mental institution.
I have been convicted of a (non-felony) crime.

And I have an Idaho conceal carry permit and a New Hampshire conceal carry permit and a LOT of firearms and ammo. And I'm a responsible gun owner. And I've used a gun in self-defense once but didn't have to fire it because the guy was bright enough to back off immediately. (Read some of economist John Lott's books to get a feel for just how often people defend themselves with firearms and don't fire them. But always be ready to fire if required.)

What's a lot? When I see a news story where the newscaster is talking about the police discovering an "arsenal" of firearms and ammo in someone's house and the camera shows the blanket with about ten guns and maybe three filled magazines, I laugh and say "that's an arsenal?" I'm ready for the zombie apocalypse.

If you have not been adjudicated -- that is to say if there was never a time when a judge ordered you to go to a mental institution or otherwise made some sort of official court order in connection with your state of mental health -- then you have no worries so far as purchasing firearms. You may have an issue with a conceal carry permit, depending on what state you live in. I live in a "shall issue" state, which means that if I have nothing legally forbidding me to have a conceal carry permit, the police chief must issue one to me. Some states leave it at the police chief's discretion and s/he can refuse to issue a conceal carry permit for any reason, even if it's just that s/he doesn't like the way you look.

Just don't get all nervous. Go to a gun shop or pawn shop and look at what's offered. If you see something you like, ask to look at it so you can hold it and see if you like the grip and the weight. If you're not sure exactly what you want, find a range that lets you pay to fire their guns and try a few different things out before going shopping for your own. When you find something you want, fill out the form honestly. It will ask things like if you're a citizen, if you do illegal drugs, if you're a felon, if you've ever been adjudicated mentally unsound (I forget the exact wording, but it's what I mentioned above). I can't remember everything on the form because it's been a few years since I bought my most recent firearm, but that's about it. Write the name of your state in full, no abbreviations. If you are stuck on anything, ask the clerk -- they're used to helping people with their first purchase.

Then the clerk will call it in and sit on hold forever and then read off some stuff from your form and then if your state doesn't have a waiting period, you can take the firearm home with you right then. If there is a waiting period, you'll have to come back to get it. Some states make you take it apart and bring it home in two or three separate trips so it's never fireable while you're on the street. And sometimes you might have to wait four days for ATF to clear and give you the firearm, even if you're in a state with no waiting period. I have a friend who always gets the four day hold because he put a guy in the hospital years ago after seeing the guy throw a woman against the wall so hard he knocked her out. But after the four day hold, my friend gets his firearm. I've never been put on hold; I just pay and take my gun home.

Make sure you find out all your area's laws about firearms ownership including laws about concealing, revealing, pointing at others, transporting in a vehicle, etc. If you travel, make sure to look up all the laws of every state you will be driving through.

If you've never used a firearm before, consider some classes from the 4H or the NRA or some other reputable group. Also consider a local range membership because you will want to put a few bullets through your gun at least once a month to stay in practice with it. An unfamiliar firearm can be dangerous to you and others. If you have an opportunity, fire one bullet without hearing protection so you will know how loud it really is. If someone breaks in your home and you have to shoot him and the true loudness of your firearm is a shock to you, you may miss and not get a chance for a second round.

Congratulations on considering becoming a fellow firearms owner. Best wishes and enjoy your new tool!

Blah to those who gave you flak.

I've found, amongst adult men (I've only read about men), firearms and weapons are as common a special interest as Star Trek is. Which is to say, common.

Thanks.



I'm female but seem to have a lot of male mind in me, so I guess it makes sense. I am fascinated by how all the pieces of a gun come together and make it work. And I don't know many tools that can be older than my grandparents and still in perfect working condition. I really respect the durability of firearms. And there is something really appealing to me about the sounds they make. Not just the boom of firing, but the nifty clickings they make when cocked and such. And there are few things in this world cooler than watching a movie action hero gravity cock two shotguns at once. That's hot!

Most of the firearms I have are because I saw them in a movie. Like I have an Uzi only because I saw one in Terminator and thought it was awesome. I got a .44 S&W model 29 only because Dirty Harry is so cool. "Did I fire six shots or only five?" I have an FN FAL like this one in a Dr. Who epsiode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO-F-2et8XE (They show up in lots of Dr. Who epsiodes, that's just the first clip I found of one.) And I have a Desert Eagle because of the movie "Snatch."

I do consider my interest in firearms to be beneficial to my aspirations to be a political science professor because more than once a professor has claimed that "No money from country X was sent to fund country Y's war" and I'd raise my hand and ask, "then how come all the soldiers in country Y are using firearms from country X instead of firearms that would be more logical to use based on price and location?"

I don't know about the new laws but I've heard before that when you try to buy firearms; one of the questions is something like Do you have a history of mental problems. From what I understand lots of people lie & check NO & it does not get looked into. The theory is that if a person has a history of mental things; they are likely to have some kind of police record. I live in Louisiana thou & New Orleans has drive-by most every nite(I live about an hour away) & I also hear lots of funny stories about hunting accidents(think Elmer Fud). If people cant get guns legally here; they have no problems getting them illegally. I don't have a gun but I have bad motor-skills & bad vision. I have a couple knives thou. If you cant get a gun; you mite could get something else depending on what state your in. One of my friends bought a stun-gun on eBay a while back & he also has some brass-knuckles paper-weights he got online

If you plan on keeping the gun at your appartment you share with your sister then you both should probably take a firearms safety course together.

The thing is...my little sister hardly ever trusts me, Since she spends more time playing SL on her laptop, I would've think it be useless IF i managed to own a firearm, and if I did; My little sister would have called my parent, sibling or the cops.

And im currently unemployed, only a learners license, a HSD and a job cert diploma and have only a few dollars left in my name (Since my mother perfers to mooch of me more than my step-father and she currently owes me 50$); And as soon as im on SSI, Im fearful i'll be taken off if I try to purchase a firearm, And I also plan to use the SSI soon for college and one-room apartment,etc.

Im thinking of seeing some of the options you given me on here...and I would like to thank everyone for some of this.

I've recently checked some of my mental health history and It told me about my IQ when I was a child saying I was an 80 (Yet i've got a perfect latin honor, had offers from a few tech colleges & the national guard), And I know they're not very accurate.

But when I was bullied a s a child, I was forced by my tormentors to say stuff like "hearing voices in my head" when I actually dont, say terroristic threats to get my field trip money back (though i've got half of it back), This stuff got put in my mental health history and to also admit, I never realized I taken an IQ test as a pre-teen.

But is there also anything legal I can do to keep certain family members out of my life?

You mean a restraining order?

I know plenty of SSI recipients who own firearms legally in the USA.



I know plenty of people around that IQ or much lower who similarly did really well in school. My current one is 85 and I was in gifted classes. I know people with IQs in the 60-80 range who have multiple college and grad school degrees. It's pretty common for autistic people to outperform perceptions of our IQ in school.



Stuff like that is in my records because of bullies too. Unfortunately I don't know what can be done about that. I've never tried to buy a gun and likely never will because of the sudden noise thing.

As far as keeping family members out of your life. On a medical level unless they have guardianship, they have no right to be in your medical life if you are an adult and have signed no releases. If you have a doctor who contacts them anyway then change doctors.

Being low-income makes it difficult to buy a firearm. Authorities try to prevent low-income people from buying firearms by keeping the prices artificially high. If you study the legislation, you'll see that there used to be perfectly fine pistols for about $100 but they were unfairly vilified as dangerous and laws were enacted to prevent their manufacture and sales. It's due to a prejudice against low-income people. Many people believe that low-income people are automatically unsanitary, uneducated, of low intelligence, and of questionable moral fiber. (I've even heard this belief expressed as if it were a concrete fact about low-income people during classroom discussions in my university classes. Expressed by a licensed social worker, even.)



Firearms aren't considered assets according to SSI or food stamps. I have plenty of firearms while on SSI. Most were purchased way below market value by a partner working in a pawn shop. Many were purchased by me with saved-up SSI money. SSI won't even ask you if you own firearms.



Stuff in your mental health history won't affect your ability to purchase a firearm so long as none of it led to a felony conviction and you were never adjudicated by a judge.



My method: I moved 2000 miles away from all my family members. Keeps them quite neatly out of my life.

I'm not quite sure if the firearms can count as assets or not but when I was on SSI they wer not really monitoring my expenses. They asked me if I was paying at least a certain amount to my parents every month cuz I had to say I was helping them with expenses for the household to keep getting my check. I spent a lot of that money on eBay & stuff thou cuz my dad wanted some stuff online so I got it for him. I also wrote out some checks to some friends & stuff to pay em back for a couple things they sold me. I don't think SSI looked or cared where my money was going. I had to have less than two thousand in my bank in order to get my check thou. I think SSI mite have something in place where you can save it up if you have a college plan; I'm not sure if they would monitor your transactions with it thou. As for the cost of a gun goes; you mite could find a good deal at a pawn-shop or something. You can also check out GunBroker site online(it's like eBay for firearms) but they only ship to FFL dealers& you can pick it up from them if you pass the paperwork & all. I hope I was of some help