As of 2026, California and the District of Columbia are the primary jurisdictions in the United States that impose a 10-day waiting period for the purchase of all firearms. Washington state also enforces a 10-business-day waiting period for all firearm purchases. These laws aim to facilitate background checks and provide a "cooling off" period.
Subject to limited exceptions, California and the District of Columbia require a ten-day waiting period for all firearm purchases.
Montana, West Virginia, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Idaho, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky are the easiest states in which to buy a gun. Montana, New Hampshire, and West Virginia do not apply sales tax to firearms.
Hawaii is the #1 worst state for gun owners due to strict purchasing and carry laws, as well as defying the Supreme Court on the individual's right to carry. Massachusetts is the #2 worst state for gun owners due to its permit-to-purchase and reciprocity laws.
Summary of Federal Law
Federal law does not limit the number of guns a person may buy in any given time period. However, federal law does require federal firearm licensees (“FFLs”) to report multiple sales of handguns to ATF and other specified law enforcement agencies.
A waiting period is the amount of time an insured must wait before some or all of their coverage comes into effect. The insured may not receive benefits for claims filed during the waiting period. Waiting periods may also be known as elimination periods and qualifying periods.
Most often it is because the background check found a record matching your personal descriptors (such as your name, date of birth, etc.) and more time is needed to verify that the record is yours and to obtain missing information needed to determine your eligibility to own or possess firearms.
The Brady Act allows three business days to find this information before an FFL can transfer a firearm. The FFL is not prohibited from transferring the firearm after three business days have passed; however, the FFL is not required to transfer the firearm.
Federal law prohibits a universal, national gun registry. [4] Eight states prohibit state-level gun registries. Only Hawaii requires registration of all firearms, while only a few states require registration of certain firearms. Only three states (Ill., Mass., and N.J.) require a license for all guns.
A waiting period law requires a certain number of days to pass between the purchase of a gun and when the buyer can actually take possession of that gun. This creates a buffer between someone having a suicidal crisis and access to a gun.
Virginia currently has no mandatory waiting period for most firearm purchases, with background checks often processed instantly, but recent bills (like SB891/HB2631 in 2025) have aimed to introduce a mandatory five-day waiting period for all firearm sales, requiring a background check before transfer, with exceptions. While the background check system (FTC/NICS) can provide quick approval, state law historically allowed for immediate transfer after a clear check, though proposed legislation seeks to change this.
The 10/10 Rule in a military divorce determines if a former spouse can receive a portion of a military pension directly from the government (DFAS), requiring 10 or more years of overlap between the marriage and the service member's creditable military service. If this rule is met, DFAS can pay the former spouse directly; if not, the service member must pay the ex-spouse directly, though other benefits like alimony and child support can still be enforced.
Moving out during a divorce is often considered a big mistake because it can harm your child custody case, create financial hardship, risk losing access to important documents, and weaken your position in dividing marital assets, as courts often favor stability and the spouse who remains in the home, especially with children. Leaving prematurely can be seen as abandonment or less commitment, forcing you to pay two households while still supporting the marital home and potentially ceding ground in settlement negotiations.
The ATF often comes into contact with law-abiding gun owners, and many gun owners find them at their doorstep.
The 10 States With the Strictest Gun Laws
At the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi has the highest firearm death rate at 28.1 per 100,000 people. Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alaska, and Wyoming also rank near the top.