Are Foreign Nationals allowed to Shoot?

[ghostrider]

>That would be a great way around if it worked.

It can. For non-resident aliens there is (I think) a place to provide a I-94 entry number. However, not all dealers are aware of the details about selling to non-resident aliens. (Some may not know the rules for selling to resident aliens).

Its been enough of an issue that ATF put out a memo years ago trying to clarify the rules since (paraphrasing) "dealers have needlessly turned down sales to non-resident aliens believing such sales were not legal). Some rules have changed, but the rules still allow sale/possession of firearms and ammo by non-resident aliens under certain exemptions (such as possession of a valid US state hunting license as mentioned above).

Note, that ranges that rent firearms may not rent to non-residents; I'm not sure if this is actual 'law' or a rule, but I had a friend from Canada that could not rent a firearm because they 'required' a US driver's license.

Note also, that it is perfectly legal for non-residents to bring firearms into the US for hunting or target shooting (USPSA, IDPA) but that they will need to fill in a Form 6 (I think there's a shorter version now) prior to "importing" the firearms. And there are restrictions on what is importable. Even if a firearm is legal to purchase and possess in the US, it may not actually be importable.

I'm not a lawyer, your mileage may vary, use at your own risk, blah blah.... :-)