In the few years, we published two blog posts dealing with campus safety issues. One is regarding three Chinese students’ deaths around University of Southern California’s campus, and the other post was about Reuters’s ‘Shootings at U.S. colleges deadlier and more frequent.”
In our article dated Oct. 5 of 2016 – ‘School Shootings are Getting Deadlier’ – revealed a rapid increase in campus shootings in recent years, with twice as many incidents occurring on college campuses and three times as many people being injured or killed since 2005.
Unsurprisingly, a growing number of international students are expressing concerns about campus safety. Some have even considered purchasing guns, an action they would never have contemplated in their home countries. This raises an important question –
“Can an International Student Buy Guns in the U.S.?”
The answer can be “YES” or “NO.” Just take a look at the reply to a common question on the website of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives:
May aliens legally in the United States purchase firearms?
An alien legally in the U.S. is not prohibited from purchasing firearms unless the alien is admitted into the U.S. under nonimmigrant visa and does not meet one of the exceptions as provided in 18 U.S.C. 922(y)(2), such as possession of a valid hunting license or permit.
[18 U.S.C. 922 (d)(5), (g)(5) and (y)(2); 27 CFR 478.11 and 478.32(a)(5) ]
So “Can an international student buy a gun in the U.S.?” – The ultimate answer is “YES, but it is only for hunting rifles and if you meet the conditions described by law.” However, carrying a hunting rifle in the United States as a foreigner can be a serious violation of your legal F-1 visa status as an international student. If you don’t follow the U.S. gun laws strictly, you may face the risk of being deported.
A recent report, from West Lafayette, Indiana, on international students seeking for handgun licenses pointed out another obstacle:
In gun-friendly Indiana, international students find licensing isn’t easy
Please note that West Lafayette, Indiana is the home of Purdue University which hosts about 10,000 international students.
In the United States, owning a gun or rifle for leisure or self-defense is a right as long as it does not cause any public safety issues. (Public Safety Issues? It is up to the police, not YOU, to decide the answer.) You can have a hunting rifle but is it worth all the troubles before owning it and the risk of possible deportation? Finally, think how you are going to handle the gun(s) before you leave the United States after graduation. Maybe the hassles you will encounter already offset all the fun of hunting. Why bother?
Please, for the love of effin God, either take down or correct this article. You are dangerously spreading misinformation.
F-1 international students ARE NOT allowed to own firearms in the US and the law you’ve quoted specifically states it.
“An alien legally in the U.S. is not prohibited from purchasing firearms unless the alien is admitted into the U.S. under nonimmigrant visa…”
F-1 visas ARE NONIMMIGRANT VISAS!!!
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/student-visa.html
Hi Thurgood Jenkins,
Thanks for your comments and suggestion for our blog.
After we review more recent news and laws, we have noticed that it is possible for international students to own gun permits in some states.
On August 27th, 2019, a Chinese student was denied entry at Detroit Airport because he carried a bulletproof vest in his luggage. The U.S. officials found that the student had a gun permit in Michigan. Putting the two pieces of puzzles together, the Chinese student was viewed as a possibly dangerous person to the U.S.
“Can an international student own a gun in the U.S.?” Hear what people say:
https://www.quora.com/Can-I-own-a-gun-in-USA-being-an-international-student-on-study-visa
In Hong Kong, only police can have guns legally. But the strict gun laws do not keep gangsters or criminals from having guns. If people want to have guns, they will get them anyway. I don’t think a government should encourage people to own guns like in the United States.
It is all about money. Many gun (firearms) manufacturers donate money to U.S. politicians. Politicians enact laws in return for their donors.
How crazy this may looks! Some international students are interested in buying guns? I just can’t believe what I read. We are only international students in the United States, and we are not treated the same as Americans. When a policeman catches you (an international student) with a gun, your life is over. The international students at Purdue University should think again what they are getting into.
We agree with you. We know that most Asian international students are from countries with strict gun laws. Owning a gun or even touch a gun does not happen in their daily lives. Most male Asian students may want to give it a try to own guns.