Guns in the right hands can help bond a parent and child during hunting, or target shooting activities. They can help protect the home and loved ones from bad guys. They can be collected by enthusiasts for their novelty, artistic and/or historic value, or even as an investment.

Guns of course in the wrong hands can do harm. Another tragedy many don’t know about is when, from time to time, a person with a long ago felony, or a domestic assault conviction, comes into contact with a gun, and doesn’t realize that the contact is a felony. Even if your felony conviction, or domestic assault conviction, was twenty years ago, you cannot “own, possess or transport” a firearm. The penalties are severe. Possession includes a friend leaving his gun in your house, your car, your shed with your knowledge and consent, and many other situations that aren’t immediately clear to the average citizen.

Tragically, a failure to understand the complexity of this prohibition can, and often does, have catastrophic consequences for people who have long ago paid their debt for their mistakes, and have become a wonderful contributing member of society. If you are one of these individuals, there are resources online, or through organizations such as the NRA, and Department of Justice, which are available to educate you on what you can and cannot do with a gun. Take a moment to learn about that prohibition before what appears to be an innocent act with a gun destroys your life or at the very least places you in need of a lawyer. A violation of this law can be charged as a felony that carries mandatory jail time.