Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Firearm Prohibitions in Kansas.’ Who Can Have a Gun. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 4 December
Relevant contents
Prohibited Purchasers Generally in Kansas
Federal law prohibits certain persons from purchasing or possessing firearms, such as felons, certain domestic abusers, and certain people with a history of mental illness.
Kansas law prohibits any person from possessing a firearm if he or she:
- Is both addicted to and an unlawful user of a controlled substance;
- Has been convicted of a "person" felony (a felony crime committed against or upon a person, e.g., homicide, rape, battery, kidnapping) or a violation of any provision of the Kansas uniform controlled substance act or a similar violation under the laws of another jurisdiction, or has been adjudicated a juvenile offender because of the commission of an act which if done by an adult would constitute the commission of a "person" felony, or a violation of any provision of the Kansas uniform controlled substances act, and was found to have been in possession of a firearm at the time of the offense;
- Within the preceding ten years, has been convicted of a "nonperson" felony under Kansas law or a similar crime under the laws of another jurisdiction, has been released from imprisonment for such felony or was adjudicated as a juvenile offender because of the commission of an act which if done by an adult would constitute the commission of a "nonperson" felony, and was found not to have been in possession of a firearm at the time of the commission of the offense;
- Within the preceding five or ten years, depending on the crime, has been convicted of a felony under the laws of Kansas or a crime under a law of another jurisdiction which is substantially the same as such felony, has been released from imprisonment for a felony or was adjudicated as a juvenile offender because of the commission of an act which if done by an adult would constitute the commission of a felony, and was found not to have been in possession of a firearm at the time of the commission of the offense; or
- Is or has been a mentally ill person subject to involuntary commitment for care and treatment, or a person with an alcohol or substance abuse problem subject to involuntary commitment for care and treatment, unless he or she has received a "certificate of restoration" pursuant to Kansas law…
Under Kansas law, a person who was previously ordered to involuntary commitment for care and treatment as a mentally ill person or a person with an alcohol or substance abuse problem and who has been discharged from a facility may file a petition in the court where treatment was ordered for a certificate of restoration of the ability to legally possess a firearm. The certificate of restoration applies only to the possession of a firearm for the purposes of the state prohibition on firearm possession by the mentally ill and persons with an alcohol or substance abuse problem…
[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]