Federal law and state law establish categories of people who cannot legally buy or have guns. These laws vary across the states, but prohibited categories of people under federal law include:
- People convicted of felonies
- People convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence crimes.
- People subject to final domestic violence restraining orders.
- Those who have been involuntarily committed or determined by a court to pose a risk to themselves or others by virtue of having a serious mental illness are among the categories of people who cannot legally possess guns.
- Fugitives from justice.
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