Quoted:
Howdy! So I currently live in the UK (at the behest of our government) before moving here, I was stationed in Georgia for five years but according to the Department of Defense I'm still a full legal resident of Texas. I fall under Texas tax code and I still vote in Texas elections. My question for FFL holders is can I buy pistols and rifles when I'm stateside on leave? I wish to buy a pistol and maybe an AR that I can leave with my father-in-law until I get back permanently.

Apologies if this is posted in the wrong area.

...........The same reasoning applies to citizens of the United States who reside temporarily outside of the country for extended periods of time, but who also maintain residency in a particular State. Where a citizen temporarily resides outside of the country, but also has the intention of making a home in a particular State, the citizen is a resident of the State during the time he or she actually resides in that State. In acquiring a firearm, the individual must demonstrate to the transferor-licensee that he or she is a resident of the State by presenting valid identification documents.

Held, for the purpose of acquiring firearms under the Gun Control Act of 1968, a United States citizen who temporarily resides in a foreign country, but who also demonstrates the intention of making a home in a particular State, is a resident of the State during the time period he or she actually resides in that State.

Held further, the intention of making a home in a State must be demonstrated to a Federal firearms licensee by presenting valid identification documents. Such documents include, but are not limited to, driver’s licenses, voter registration, tax records, or vehicle registration.

Quoted:
Normally, active duty military personnel are considered to be residents of the State where they pay taxes, vote, have driver's licenses issued, etc., regardless of where they are stationed.
Correct....but only for those purposes. Federal law regarding interstate commerce in firearms doesn't give a shit about where your DL is from, where you pay taxes, etc.........only where you actually live.

Read the link to ATF's "State of Residence" I posted above or the instructions in the Form 4473 for Question 13 "State of Residence"


Additionally, if they are stationed within the United States, they are allowed to buy firearms (not just long guns) in the State(s) where they are stationed.
Members of the armed forces on active duty can claim two states of residence.....the state where their permanent duty station is located and if they do not live in that state, the state where the actually reside. Example: an airman stationed at Sheppard Air force Base in Wichita Falls, TX might actually reside in Oklahoma.............he can claim OK or TX as his state of residence on the Form 4473. For the purposes of acquiring firearms he cannot claim any other state as his state of residence. If he has an Ohio drivers license, pays Ohio taxes, votes in Ohio, owns a home or property in Ohio.............but since he doesn't actually reside in Ohio he cannot acquire firearms there.

For example, when I was stationed at Fort Campbell, KY, I was legally allowed to buy firearms in three States: Kentucky, Tennessee, and Maine. I was a Maine resident, having a license issued there and paying taxes there.
Again, wrong.
State of Residence has fuck all to do with where your DL is issued or where you pay taxes. Read the ATF Ruling.

Fort Campbell, while having a KY ZIP Code (47334), is actually 75% in TN and only 25 % in KY (the post office is located on the KY side of post, so the ZIP Code is a KY ZIP Code and the post is called Fort Campbell, KY).

When I was stationed in Germany, I was a Maine resident and could legally buy firearms in the State of Maine when I was home on leave.
That is because you were actually a resident of Maine while living there.....not because you pay taxes there. This is covered in the ATF Ruling.

This stuff is covered by the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which replaced the earlier Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act.
Common misconception....it doesn't apply the way you think it does.