Thanks, I was playing dumb to see what his response was going to be.
You can buy it from an FFL while you're in another state, you just can't take possession of it until it has been transferred to an FFL in your home state.
That's why I specified "basic" rules. There's several other caveats that could be added as well.
From Texas.gov
Sales Through FFL Dealers
Federal law prohibits the sale of most firearms (including handguns) to people who live in a different state from where the sale is taking place. Dealers who have a Federal Firearms License (FFL) may sell rifles or shotguns to people who live in a different state, but only if this would comply with the laws of both the state where the sale is taking place and the state where the person lives. Texas law does not prohibit Texans from buying firearms in a different state.-------------
So, I was ignorant of this and once while traveling home from Houston I stopped in at that Cabellas north of Dallas along I-35 to look at pistols. When the salesman discovered I was from Oklahoma he informed me that I could not buy a firearm because I was from out of state. I assumed he meant any gun. It was new news to me as I has never bought a gun fr out of state anyway. But, this would be contrary to your comment, stating there is a means of purchasing out of state through an FFL. So, I hope someone here, like one of OSA's licensees will clear this up. Sorry for the novel.
Depends on if you like a stay in club fed, catching for your boyfriend named bubba. If so, go for it. If not, don’t beak the law.
Texas is oversimplifying it--an FFL holder can sell a handgun to an out of state buyer, but they can't transfer it directly to them; they have to transfer it to an FFL in the buyer's home state.
If you're wondering about it, you can go to Palmetto State Armory's Web site right now and they'll sell you a pistol--they will just ship it to an FFL in Oklahoma to transfer it to you.
ETA: I'd guess that the guy at the Cabela's counter probably just didn't understand interstate sales (surprise, surprise, not all salespeople know their butt from a hole in the ground), or else didn't want to mess with it. Depending on when you asked, they could've simply transferred it to the store in OKC or to the Bass Pro in OKC or BA to transfer it to you.
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All that is true, but there is a catch too --- major retail outlets tend to not want to ship firearms to other stores or FFLs. Academy, Sportsmans, etc don't generally have processes to transfer inventory to other stores. So at those establishments, you're likely to be told that pistols are a hard no go. That's not that they can't sell pistols and ship them to a FFL in your home state from a legal standpoint it's that they "can't" do it because it's a pain in the butt for them or they have a policy about not shipping inventory.
If you were to find a pistol at a more local joint then you're more likely to be able to buy it and have them do the transfer to an in state dealer.
Finally, to OkiePrepper's point --- as far as long guns go, there again is no federal rule about buying long guns out of state. Pistols are a hard no per federal law, but long guns are fine by the feds. There are some states that have chosen to enact no-sale laws though. I think Wyoming or Montana or somewhere up there won't allow the sale of any guns to outsiders. But the vast majority of states will. For instance, I was in Florida once and found a Savage A17 for 75% off and definitely took that puppy home with me.
I was aware that you could buy from FFL's out of state. When this happened to me I thought maybe there was some rule about buying a firearm when your personally outside the boarders of your home state. I agree with Rez that it was likely a store policy. They just didn't elaborate and quickly shined me on that day.
And as SoonerP226 said ---- there's a good chance the sales person wouldn't even know the difference between their policy and the actual law...
