Gun laws in American Samoa regulate the sale, possession, and use of

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s and

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

in the unincorporated territory of

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

. As American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States, many U.S. federal laws apply, as well as Constitutional rulings and protections.

Summary table

Licensing process

American Samoa has a very stringent and restrictive licensing process necessary in order to purchase a firearm in American Samoa. A person has to be 21 to get a weapons license along with several other requirements. A person who wants to obtain a license to possess a firearm must provide genuine reason why the firearm may be required. The applicant must provide signed affidavits testifying to their good character and their stated need for each firearm from the village mayor, county chief and the police. The most commonly accepted reasons for ownership are plantation protection and hunting but ownership for self-defense for a long time has not been seen as a legitimate reason for a license the supreme Court has ruled that American Samoas gun laws violate the second amendment and self-defense is now a valid reason to own a gun in American Samoa. The police must approve any transfer of a firearm between persons.

Prohibited firearms and ammunition

All firearms including automatic firearms, semi-automatic rifles, and handguns are prohibited from civilian possession. Civilians can only own 12-gauge, 16-gauge, 20-gauge and .410 shotguns and .22 caliber rifles with a license. They also can only own ammunition for those types of firearms with a license; possession of any other type of ammunition, whether the person has a license or not, is illegal."American Samoa Firearms Law"
American Samoa Territorial Law. Retrieved August 5, 2014. The ban on handguns is in direct conflict with the decisions in D.C. v Heller and

McDonald v Chicago ''McDonald v. City of Chicago'', 561 U.S. 742 (2010), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States that found that the right of an individual to "keep and bear arms", as protected under the Second Amendment, is incorporated ...

. The requirement applicants provide a genuine reason for a license to possess otherwise legal firearms is in direct conflict with the decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen.

References

{{Gun laws in the United States by state American Samoa law