Federal Gun Laws

If the order meets certain requirements, it is illegal for the abuser to buy, own, or have a gun while you have a final order of protection. The requirements are:

1. The order is issued after a hearing;
2. The abuser has to be given notice of the hearing and an opportunity to attend; (Note: Whether or not s/he actually attends doesn’t matter);
3. The abuser must be:
   • your current or former spouse;
   • a person with whom who you have a child in common; or
   • a person with whom you live or have lived in the past;¹ and
4. The order of protection must contain the following specific legal language:
   
   • It has to forbid the respondent from harassing, stalking, threatening, or behaving in any way that causes the petitioner to fear physical injury for him/herself or his/her child; and
   • It has to say one of the following:
     • the abuser represents a threat to the physical safety of the petitioner or his/her child; or
     • the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the petitioner or his/her child is not allowed (prohibited).²

The order of protection does not need to say that the abuser cannot have a gun for the federal law to apply.

To find out if your order qualifies, you can call the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit at 1-800-903-0111 ext. 2.

Note: An abuser who works for a government organization, such as a police officer or military servicemember, may still be allowed to possess a work-issued firearm even if s/he was convicted of a felony or if s/he has an order of protection issued against him/her . Please see The abuser uses a gun for his/her job. Does the law still apply? for more information.

¹ 18 USC §§ 922(g)(8); 921(a)(32)
² 18 USC § 922(g)(8)