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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Do any federal laws regulate the open carry of firearms?
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
By Esther Tsvayg
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NO
Laws allowing gun owners to openly carry firearms in public are set by each state. Thirty-one states allow open carry without a special license or permit; fifteen states allow open carry with a special license or permit.
Federal firearms legislation includes the National Firearms Act, prohibiting the transfer or possession of certain firearms, like machine guns, and the Brady Law, which mandates background checks for certain gun transactions. Another U.S. law forbids carrying firearms, open or concealed, on federal property.
In a 1997 ruling related to some Brady Law provisions, the Supreme Court said that "the Federal Government may not compel the States to enact or administer a federal regulatory program."
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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