How many Handguns Can You Own?

My family and friends all know me as the “gun guy”. Consequently they are always asking me questions about guns and gun laws. Though I am not a lawyer, I do know many gun laws, especially questions like this one. I’ve been asked this question by a few friends in the United States, but more commonly by friends I have that live outside the United States. So here’s my answer.

How many handguns can you own? In the United States, there is no limit to how many handguns a person can own. Some areas have restrictions on how many can be bought at once or how long a person must wait to possess a gun, but they are allowed to purchase as many as they please.

Though people can own as many handguns as they want in the United States, there are some restrictions—in some areas—that complicate the process.

Detailed Explanation

A person can possess as many handguns as they want in the United States. It is not uncommon for people to own dozens of different models from various companies. Many different types of handguns exist that serve very different purposes. So not only is it legal to purchase more than one handgun, it often makes sense to do so; one gun can accomplish tasks another cannot.

As we’ll talk about below, some areas restrict certain aspects of handguns—but not the number of handguns that can be possessed. People can still usually get access to those handguns but at a cost. Some areas only allow access to purchased guns after a certain period of time, while others disallow how many can be purchased within a certain period of time.

Time Restrictions on Handguns

Time-quantity restriction

Some areas of the country have restrictions on how many guns can be purchased within a certain period of time. California, for example, has a restriction stating that a person cannot buy more than one handgun within a 30-day period of time. In other words, if you bought a handgun today, you cannot buy another until next month. But you could do that every month…forever. So there is no limit on how many can be bought in total, but how many can be bought closely together.

There is no such time-quantity limit on rifles. A person could buy as many rifles as they wished—even on the same day. After speaking to a gun shop worker in California recently, I was told “you could buy every rifle off of my shelf today if you’d like—along with one handgun”.

Other restrictions likely exist in other areas of the United States. Some, even more harsh restrictions, exist in specific areas in California. The best way to learn about those restrictions is to call your local gun shop and ask them if you can buy more than one handgun at once. They will know very well how many you can purchase at any given time.

Wait-period restriction

Similarly to the time-quantity restriction, some areas impose a time restriction called a “waiting period” before you can actually take home the gun you just purchased. In the not-so-golden state of California, not only are you restricted in how many handguns you can purchase within a 30-day period, you also must wait 10 days after purchasing your handgun before you can take it home. This waiting period, unlike the last restriction, applies to all guns purchased, not just handguns. So whether you purchased a shotgun, rifle, handgun or any other gun—the waiting period applies.

Most states don’t impose a waiting period like California, but some do. Like previously stated, the best way to learn what waiting-period restrictions apply to you, is to call your local gun shop and they can explain to all to you.

Age Restrictions

Federal law prohibits licensed gun dealers from selling handguns to people under the age of 21. So in essence the ability for a citizen of the United States to own as many handguns as they want really only starts at age 21. Some states might be more strict than that, but generally, that is the case when dealing with a gun shop.

There are other ways to possess handguns before the age of 21. Unlicensed gun owners have the ability to sell or give handguns to people under 21. Which means that 18, 19 and 20 year olds could legally possess guns before then. This is highly dependent upon the area you live in, so make sure this isn’t illegal where you live.

Restrictions on the type of handguns

Some types are prohibited

Some types of handguns are prohibited in some areas and some states. The differences between which handguns are prohibited and why they are prohibited varies by the region. For example, any handguns with threaded barrels cannot be purchased in California. That rule may eliminate some manufacturers entirely. More often, though, it prohibits specific models of guns sold by those manufacturers. The easiest way to know is to go to a gun store and see which models are available. If ordering online, the website typically has warnings when attempting to purchase guns with specific state restrictions.

Prohibited capacities

Yet another potential restriction on handguns—though not necessarily restricting purchasing the guns themselves—is restrictions on how many rounds a gun can hold. Even if the gun is capable of holding more rounds, some states restrict the number of rounds allowed. Going back to our example in California, all guns (not just handguns) can only have capacities of 10 rounds. So if you have a handgun that can normally holds 17 rounds, the gun you buy will only have a capacity of 10; there will be a plug or stopper impeding further loading.

By the way, we keep going to California laws because, as a state, it has some of the most strict gun laws in the United States; that includes all types of guns. Most other states (except maybe New York) will have less ridiculous laws on purchasing handguns and all other guns.

Self-imposed Restrictions

Self-imposed restrictions obviously have nothing to do with federal or state laws. They are more guiding principles when looking at handguns—or any guns for that matter.

Using the handguns

I purchase as many handguns as anyone; and what I’ve noticed is that I just don’t use all of them all the time. So, though I will continue to purchase handguns in the future, my mentality has changed. What I make sure to look for when buying a gun is that I will actually use them on a regular basis. That probably sounds intuitive to some people, but once you’ve accumulated enough handguns, some just don’t get used as much as they should. But handguns are made to go bang. I want to make them go bang.

Purposes of handguns

More importantly than making sure to use the handguns that are bought, is to make sure they fulfill a purpose in your arsenal. Every gun is designed with a specific purpose and every gun should be bought with a specific purpose.

Don’t get me wrong, sometimes that purpose is to have another beautiful, reliable gun. I’m not some weird dude that won’t buy a handgun unless I can give it a special purpose or some strange guy that wants to sacrifice it to the gun gods; however, understanding 1) what they were made to do and 2) what you plan to use them for, can make the purchasing of handguns much more useful. It can ensure you won’t regret a gun purchase later when you realize you don’t really have a compact pistol, and you really want one. Some of the most common uses for handguns are

Home defense
Concealed carry
Competition
Range shooting
Do it all