ATF Reminder To Pot Smokers:
You Cannot Legally Own, Use Guns

By Dave Workman. June 1, 2023

Almost immediately after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill this week legalizing recreational marijuana use in his state, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) provided “clarification” to Minnesota residents that if they puff pot, they can’t have guns.

The same thing applies to residents of every other state, and there are now 23 states where recreational pot is legal under state law, but still prohibited under federal statute.

“The federal Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits any person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance as defined by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition,” according to an ATF advisory posted by KROX-AM in Crookston, Minn.

Regardless of the recent changes in Minnesota law related to the legalization of marijuana, an individual who is a current user of marijuana is still federally defined as an “unlawful user” of a controlled substance and therefore is prohibited from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition.

“Until marijuana is legalized federally, firearms owners and possessors should be mindful that it remains federally illegal to mix marijuana with firearms and ammunition,” stated ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeff Reed, of the St. Paul Field Division, according to KROX.

This has become an issue in many states where gun ownership is strong, and local politics is decidedly liberal, such as Washington or Colorado. .....