Can You Actually Own This Popular Weapon In Montana?

Montanans love their guns.

In fact, we're one of the few states where you will see folks on both sides of the aisle enjoying firearms for hunting, safety, and recreation. Here in Montana, over 65 percent of the population owns guns, and the laws regarding those guns are some of the most lenient in the country, which if you're a big believer in the 2nd Amendment is fantastic news.

For the last several years, those opposing gun rights have made lots of noise in the news and on social media, claiming that certain weapons should be illegal to own.

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Of course, the poster child for weapons that should be banned is the famous "AR-15" with many believing that the AR actually stands for "Assault Rifle" or "Automatic Rifle", which by the way, it doesn't. The AR in AR-15 actually stands for ArmaLite Rifle which was the name of the company that created the gun back in the 1950s.

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AR-15s are totally legal here in Montana, but apparently, that's not the only controversial weapon that you can own here in Big Sky Country. according to the Giffords Law Center, Montanans are allowed to own machine guns.

Now, before you go out and search Google for "machine guns for sale" there are a couple of things you probably should know first. According to their website, Giffords says you need to know the following before you own a machine gun in Montana.

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Machine guns are legal in Montana for the following purposes:

For scientific purpose
If the machine gun is not usable as a weapon and is possessed as a curiosity, ornament, or keepsake
For a purpose manifestly not aggressive or offensive

So, it looks like there might be a loophole or two. The website goes on to say that if you have ever been convicted of any sort of crime of violence in any court of record that is considered to be "an offensive or aggressive purpose".

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Plus, you should know that if you do plan on owning a machine gun, you must register the weapon with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) which I'm guessing will probably put you on some sort of list.

States with the most registered hunters

Stacker analyzed data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine which states have the most registered hunters. Read on to see how your state ranks on Stacker’s list.

Gallery Credit: Meagan Drillinger

Top 5 Safest Cities In Montana, 2023

Like every state, there are always going to be a few towns that make us think twice about moving there or deciding where to raise our kiddos. But like I always say, "negative yells and positive whispers". The same goes for crime and violence; we hear about all the drug busts, assaults, break-ins, etc. It's not very often we hear about all the great things right?

Well, the list came out from Safewise, and we now know where the Five Safest Cities In Montana are.

Gallery Credit: Megan Shaul

20 License Plates Banned In Montana

This is just a small glimpse at banned license plates in the state of Montana. There are well over 4000 that could be added to this list.

Now why some of these are banned is beyond me. I don't find any of them offensive, that's for sure; the state of Montana has the right to refuse:

"any combination of letters or numbers, or both, that may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency or which are misleading or a duplication of license plates provided elsewhere."- Montana Motor Vehicle Department

What plates are banned in your state? Hopefully, they are not as picky as Montana.

Gallery Credit: Megan Shaul, Will Gordon