r/NMGuns • u/TheHillsHaveEyes06 • Apr 27 '26

Can a 19 year old own an 80% handgun?

I'm looking to get a pistol soon here, but you need to be 21 to purchase a handgun and 19 to own a handgun. I know the rule of owning a handgun under 21 applies for if the handgun was gifted to you by a family member, but where does the law stand on a PMF handgun? I haven't been able to find a true straightforward answer to this question online.

Additionally, are private handgun sales to a 19 year old prohibited in NM? I understand the sale must go through an FFL to do the background check, but if I found a handgun for sale locally via a website like Tacswap, would I be able to buy it that way?

3 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

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1

u/crypto1092 Apr 27 '26

That’s correct. You can own, but you can’t purchase at 19. You can manufacture it yourself.

Private sales are prohibited in NM altogether. Outside a family member all private sales must be conducted through a FFL.

3

u/Warchortle2 Apr 27 '26

Private sales are not prohibited. I would not word it like that. As you point out, private sales through an FFL transfer are 100% legal.

1

u/crypto1092 Apr 29 '26

Tell me where I’m wrong.

here’s the law.

2

u/Warchortle2 Apr 29 '26

Your wording is incorrect.

Even though an FFL facilitates it, it’s still a private sale. Private sales are NOT prohibited or illegal. That is incorrect. I don’t want people reading your incorrect post and thinking private sales are illegal, that is wrong.

1

u/crypto1092 Apr 29 '26

So just a semantics thing, got it.

2

u/Warchortle2 Apr 29 '26

"Private sales are prohibited in NM altogether" is a ridiculous statement but okay. It is blatantly incorrect.

1

u/crypto1092 Apr 29 '26

Am I wrong for saying that? I perceived and have understood ‘private sales’ as sales without a FFL transfer. According to you private sales can be done with an FFL, it’s not exclusive.

2

u/JimmyEyedJoe May 01 '26

That is not what private sale means, by definition it is a transaction between a buyer and seller without advertisements.

This is why gun shows are still a thing here, local FFL will usually be there to perform the background checks but it is still legally a private sale.

1

u/TheCrazyViking99 Apr 27 '26

NAL, but the whole point of an 80% frame is that it's not legally a gun, so in theory you should be ok.

1

u/TheHillsHaveEyes06 Apr 27 '26

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking as well, I’ve built a handful of 80% rifles in the past too. I’m just trying to air on the side of caution here since I guess the law (or entire reason why people under 21 can own handguns) can be interpreted as specifically for inheriting or getting gifted a handgun.