Concerns about someone I know buying a gun.

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Tanis143

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Would not turn my back on the guy let alone shoot with him. Nobody gets on my range that has a malicious pointing of a firearm in their past. I don't even allow friends on my shooting area who can't tell me the four rules for gun handeling. No way I stand anywhere near a person who has shown to be reckless in the past.

And you were never reckless or stupid when you were 17? I guess you get to throw the first stone then. People have the capacity to learn, grow and change for the better. But they need encouragement and positive reinforcement to make those changes stick. Ostercising them for past mistakes only causes them to give up hope that their change makes a difference.
 

kirk1978

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If he is trying to turn his life around and learn from his mistakes, then he needs the proper encouragement and guidance. So far it seems like you have been doing this in other aspects of his life. He told you about this which means he sees you as an important part of his life. If you turn him down, he'll know why. You say he is still a felon in your eyes, but can you compare the person he is now to the 17 year old he was then?

If it was me, I would go with him. Not because I trust him around firearms, but more so because I would want to teach him to be trustworthy with firearms. This is another aspect of his life that you can have a positive and supportive enfluence.

Good post Tanis!! This is the path I would suggest also. Put yourself in the driver seat and go to an indoor range where there is less chance for reckless behavior (Most outdoor seem to be a little more relaxed), explain the rules, and make sure he has a good time. The fact that the kid seemed excited and wanted to tell you about all this shows that he probably looks up to you. A lot of people make dumb mistakes in their youth, no need to hold it against them once they "get it together" and hopefully he has.
 

tRidiot

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He's going to have to complete the 4473 before he takes possession of the gun. If that goes well, then... what Tanis said.

That brings up an interesting question... I'm not a felon, so I've never checked into, but if it's been expunged, can one answer No to the felony question?
 

TerryMiller

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With respect to someone getting a deferred sentence, which does NOT get "flagged" as a conviction, an expungement simply doesn't show a conviction. Now, if one gets time in prison and/or a suspended sentence, it is flagged as a conviction. In that case, it would normally be a felony conviction if the charge was flagged as a conviction.

However, juvenile cases are different. When I was at the OSBI, we did not enter juvenile cases at all unless they were tried as an adult. I think with juveniles, once they serve their sentence, at a certain age the record "disappears."
 

MR.T.

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Thanks for all the thoughts guys, definitely some things to think about here.

I may not know the difference here, but he did spend his time jail. I believe he was in the county lockup for 8 or 9 months.

I don't know if this is considered jail or prison, but both places are a place I personally never want to visit.
 

snafu21

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I'm all for not punishing someone for the rest of their lives once they've paid their debt to society. The best thing to do would be to help him if he's trying to do better by being supportive.
 

DavidMcmillan

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This is an opportunity to help a real, live, breathing human. You have already been a good influence on him, and now you have that opportunity to help him, and his bride, in another chapter of his growth. Don't do it because you want to help him shoot, but because you want to help him grow.

Talk to him, take him to an indoor range, talk about responsible handling, and give him a chance. If he trips up, correct him respectably, and encourage him. If after a fair amount of time, he hasn't shown a desire to mature, step away a bit. Don't push him away, he may have a bit of insecurity and self-doubt.

Even if the shooting activities don't work out, stay with him as a solid, caring influence. He may very well need a good example!

We respect you for helping this young man.
 

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