Yo, peep this – there’s been a bunch of big shots gettin’ convicted lately, and it got folks talkin’ about guns and weed. Now, under federal law, if you a felon, you ain’t supposed to be ownin’ or holdin’ no heat. But some states do allow felons to own a piece after they done served their time or waited it out for a bit. But yo, it ain’t no walk in the park to get that right back.
Check this out – ’bout 32% of grown-ass adults in the U.S. say they packin’ heat, and 44% of ’em live in a crib where there’s a gun.
But hold up, almost half of Americans done tried that green at least once. And ain’t no crime in smokin’ weed, ya feel me? Nearly 85% of peeps think it should be legal in some way or another. And over half the population got access to legal bud.
But look, if you rockin’ a strap and smokin’ on that ganja, you breakin’ federal law. It ain’t cool for someone who ain’t authorized to be usin’ controlled substances, like weed, to have or move guns or bullets. It’s also against the law to sell a gun or bullets to someone if you know or think they’re puffin’ on that green. And when we talkin’ unlawful use here, we mean based on federal law. So even if it’s all good in your state, if you smokin’ weed, you can’t be packin’.
Now listen up – if you mess with CBD or hemp products, you straight ’cause those ain’t controlled substances under federal law thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill.
To cop a firearm from a licensed dealer, you gotta fill out ATF Form 4473. They gonna ask if you an “unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana.” And they’ll let you know that just ’cause your state says it’s all good with weed, federal law still say it’s illegal. And if you lie about your weed use on that form, that’s a whole ‘nother crime. Plus, if they catch you with both a gun and weed at the same time, you gonna catch extra charges.
If you reppin’ medical marijuana, the feds might be able to find out from a registry or database if you smoke weed. Some states tryna protect medical marijuana users by keepin’ police from checkin’ the registry to see if they should have a gun. But other states like Hawaii give law enforcement the green light to check the medical cannabis registry to see if someone can legally own a gun.
No matter what the state says about privacy, havin’ a gun and smokin’ weed still against the feds. Keepin’ medical marijuana databases off-limits just make it harder for them to find out if a gun applicant is smokin’.
Even if your state say weed is all good, firearms still off-limits for smokers until the feds change their mind. States can’t change the rules on gun ownership and can’t override ATF Form 4473 guidelines about marijuana and guns. So until weed gets that federal pass, remember to keep your hands off them guns.