What's the procedure for you guys in the US to buy a rifle? In Australia we now must have a "Permit to Acquire" issued by the state police before we can walk out the door of a gunshop with our new rifle. The permit has a minimum 30 day wait, and frequently it takes them 30 days just to get around to start the processing. My last permit took close to 7 weeks. Also no person-to-person sales. All sales must be conducted through a licensed dealer.

I was wondering how you go about purchasing a rifle in the US? Can you walk straight out the door of your gunshop with your new rifle, or do you have any kind of ID check/minimum waiting period etc?
What's it like for any of you Canadians out there as well?

Man, you got it tough! Get the hell out of that Liberal society and move over here. If I, as a private citizen, want a new gun, I go down to the gunshop and pick it out. Before I can have it, I must fill out a form (questionaire) that trys to find out if I am a dishonorable guy (Criminal, crazy, druggy, etc) and then we do an instand background check with the FBI. They run the info through a computer and if they can't find anything bad, you pay the gunshop guy and walk out the door with your rifle. There are a few glitches here and they have to do with hanguns and assault type rifles for which you need to get a "permit to acquire" from the local sheriff or so. It really ain't too bad, but I liked it better before the liberals started crying and got the law changed. This may sound pretty simple and it is not the complete answer, but close. Any addendums guys?

Apparently in some states you have to wait a number of days, but here in OR we don't have such nonsense. You fill out the BATF form, serial number of gun, give thumbprint, call the feds, get told the computer is down, try again in half hour, get told computer is down, come back tomorrow, get told computer is down, next day call, have them check the computer to see you are not wanted or using drugs or any other federal statue (I think you must not have been convicted of a crime punishable by a year in jail - I said punishible, not that you actually served the time.)
And then you get to take it home.

Hopefully some day we weill switch to one of the blind background checks so as not to hand the feds a notice everytime we want to buy a firearm.
Then, the FFL dealer would have a daily upload of all non-applicables, and he looks in his closed-system computer to find your name. No match = gun in hand. Sound nice?

The feds would still require a papertrail to be maintained, in case of an investigation, but still better than instant registry.
(Yes, I said registry.)

Each of our 50 states has its own laws, and some municipalities have them, too.

But in general terms, the answer to your question is yes. In the greater part of these great United States, including the godawfully regulated Commonwealth of Massachusetts (where I do have to jump through a couple of hoops first), one can walk into a gunshop, throw down some money, fill out some forms, wait for a phone call and walk out the door with a newly acquired rifle shortly thereafter on the same day.

It's still a free country, barely.

The only other thing that probably should be pointed out is that in many states, those who hold a "concealed carry permit", do not have to fill out the BATF form. Show your permit, and walk out.

In the end, each state, county and city can have different rules, including those for concealed weapon permits. In our state, if you want one, and you are a citizen resident or legal alien who can legally own firearms, you can get one with very little hassle. In some of the communist cities, you can't get one under any condition.... FWIW, Dutch.

No, the way it works here is if you have a carry permit, as my wife and I do, you must still fill out the 4473 but the dealer doesn't need call in for the FBI check. Interestingly I was at my dealer recently when a gentleman's check came back with a "delay." This was a statement to the effect that though nothing was necessarily a problem it could take up to three days for clearance. After the man left, fairly irate, my dealer told me that one in each eight of his called in requests had received a like response over the month, and that a significant number of the prospective purchasers never returned. He said the impact on his business had been enormous.

Here in Nebraska I can buy any rifle, shotgun, or handgun any day I want....all I got to do is to say I'm a good guy on a stupid form......

Further I can buy or sell privately with absolutely no paperwork whatever.

The more I learn about what's going on worldwide the sicker I get.

Thank our forefathers for the second amendment.

Vapodog,
Unfortunately Nebraska's legislature does not hold the Founding Fathers and the Constitution in such high esteem as yourself. You do realize that Concealed Carry is illegal in Nebraska, and that it is one of only sixteen non-shall issue states? In addition mandatory registration is in force in the City of Omaha and Douglas County, and a Sheriff's Department issued Handgun Purchase Permit is required for purchases there...the enemy is closer than you think....

Best yet as vapodog stated in most states private sales are unregulated on all most all guns Ie full autos. I can buy sell rifles pistols shotguns between two people with out any paper work. If one has to go through a dealer the above mention forms are required. I try and buy all my guns on the second hand market for cash no paper work trail at all. Even better yet I try and get some one I know to take the money over pay for it and pick it up adding a another weak link in the chain. Hopefully it is a elderly freind that does it. I have several in there 80's that do it for me. Then if we ever have registration/confiscation here they might be long gone breaking the trail even more.--------------------- If you buy a gun from a dealer and are going to sell it make sure you sell for cash on the open market. The more guns out there floating around with out a paper work trail the better.

Before February of last year, the delays in my store was probably three out of ten, with final determination taking from five minutes to three days.Then they streamlined , going from the NICS to the FBI main frame instantly, and the delays on any given transaction probably went to one in twenty. I had one or two that went the full three days, and if no determination is made, I can let them have the firearm. In Texas, we can sell long guns to out of staters, but no handguns.I will add this. In four years of business, and several thousand sales, I have had about five denials.Bad guys don't walk into a gun store to buy a gun. They steal them.