How many guns is too many? What is considered an "armory"?

[bayoublaster7527]

Pinned and recessed….. truly a thing of beauty.

 

[seeth07]

Since the OP asked whether there was a standard, maybe @VikingsGuy can tell us if this change in definition applies in statute and regulation as well.

Thanks for bringing this thread back on track.

The intent of the thread was genuinely trying to just make sure that there was nothing illegal about owning over a certain amount of firearms/ammo. I created some sketches and laid out dimensions for the built in gun cabinet/display case I'm making for the new addition/garage going on my house next spring. Its going to be along an entire wall that is 16' long and looks like it will be able to hold 150+ long rifles/shotguns. Its just something that I'm really getting into to "collect" as an investment.

I just don't want to get in trouble if I reach that capacity.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Thanks for bringing this thread back on track.

The intent of the thread was genuinely trying to just make sure that there was nothing illegal about owning over a certain amount of firearms/ammo. I created some sketches and laid out dimensions for the built in gun cabinet/display case I'm making for the new addition/garage going on my house next spring. Its going to be along an entire wall that is 16' long and looks like it will be able to hold 150+ long rifles/shotguns. Its just something that I'm really getting into to "collect" as an investment.

I just don't want to get in trouble if I reach that capacity.

Ammo, because it is an explosive and/or accelerant, has storage limits on the # of pounds, and you have to have it in firesafe boxes. Each state would set the limit on the # of firearms, but there is nothing that I am aware of that would limit the number of guns that you can own.

 

[millerkiller77]

Here's the deal. I THOUGHT I had good coverage for my collection until my Para P14-45 was stolen in Missoula this year.

Got claptrap from the big-name insurance company. "Deductible, blah blah, rates will go up, blah blah....."

Writing this I realize I never checked with the NRA to see if they covered me.

As a P13 -45 owner, I shed a tear for you. That really sucks

 

[VikingsGuy]

(This turned into a TomT post before I knew it. WTH, just gonna send it. )

FWIW - Sadly this is a word which has succumbed to the pressure of media and colloquial use. American English evolves at an alarming rate for those of us educated back in the day.
I know it does little good to rant about how word meanings are changed by culture. But still...

This is not new to our "culture war" as some believe, but goes back to before Chaucer. (No, I was not educated before Chaucer.)

At one time both Arsenal and Armory meant weapons caches stored by a government or community.

Google now lists "persons" in the definition of who may control an arsenal.
Webster lists the traditional definition of 1(a) a military controlled storehouse. But now adds 1(b) "A collection of weapons"

I wonder if these changes in particular are because LaPierre & Co. spent a lot of energy once upon a time railing against the use of the word "arsenal" in news stories about private collections.

Since the OP asked whether there was a standard, maybe @VikingsGuy can tell us if this change in definition applies in statute and regulation as well.

I am no expert in federal firearms law, but typically statutory construction of a law/regulation includes determining which words in a law/reg are ambiguous and then often rely on things like dictionaries for insights into a "plain and ordinary meaning". But even then it is fuzzy as some courts will look to dictionary definitions at the time of passage of the law and others will look to current dictionary meaning. And then there is what juries think in criminal matters. So in general I would say shifting google definitions don't per se change the law, but societal changes in meaning over time will likely have some effect.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Thanks for bringing this thread back on track.

The intent of the thread was genuinely trying to just make sure that there was nothing illegal about owning over a certain amount of firearms/ammo. I created some sketches and laid out dimensions for the built in gun cabinet/display case I'm making for the new addition/garage going on my house next spring. Its going to be along an entire wall that is 16' long and looks like it will be able to hold 150+ long rifles/shotguns. Its just something that I'm really getting into to "collect" as an investment.

I just don't want to get in trouble if I reach that capacity.

I am no firearms lawyer, but in general, I am not aware of any limit on number of guns one may own. I am also not aware of a limit on how many rounds of ammo one may own. Some municipalities do place limits on gun powder amounts - as do most home insurance companies.

But as always, if you want an official legal answer, seek a competent and experienced attorney in your local jurisdiction.

 

[VikingsGuy]

When I hear news stories about some shooting that say they had an "arsenal" of 5 guns plus 5-600 rounds of ammo I laugh and call them an amateur.

This summer my wife was aghast at one of those articles, thinking such numbers were unheard of. Against my better judgment, I gave her a fairly accurate account of my firearms and ammo amounts. She kinda nodded and said, ok, maybe it isn't so much. It was never spoken of again. And I lived to tell the tale

 

[Ben Lamb]

This summer my wife was aghast at one of those articles, thinking such numbers were unheard of. Against my better judgment, I gave her a fairly accurate account of my firearms and ammo amounts. She kinda nodded and said, ok, maybe it isn't so much. It was never spoken of again. And I lived to tell the tale

Counselor,

Do we need to have a discussion about plausible deniability?

 

[VikingsGuy]

Counselor,

Do we need to have a discussion about plausible deniability?

It worked out great, as I view it as clear spousal approval to buy that many again if I wish - but I do try to avoid getting to 3 digits on firearms and 6 digits of ammo.

 

[Ben Lamb]

It worked out great, as I view it as clear spousal approval to buy that many again if I wish - but I do try to avoid getting to 3 digits on firearms and 6 digits of ammo.

Very well.

But:

 

[FairWeather]

My first thought when reading this thread: