People are buying and selling a lot of guns out there. According to the latest stats from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Americans own more than 200 million guns and about 4.9 million new guns entered the American market in 2004. There are more guns in America now than ever before, and for some people--especially those new to gun ownership--questions arise as to the best places and the best ways to buy a gun.

Gun-shop counter people--the good ones, anyway--are knowledgeable about their products and can help you make a good choice. Gun stores can also be an ally if your purchase doesn't function as it should.

While both new and used guns are sold by commercial distributors and retail dealers, used guns are also often sold by individuals. These individual sellers use a number of channels to peddle their goods, and as long as the gun is not stolen and the buyer is not prohibited from possessing a gun, the sale is legal in most jurisdictions and no special paperwork is required. Laws vary from place to place, though, and it is up to you to make sure you follow them.

A gun buyer's major concerns--besides model and caliber--are price, functionality and whether the gun is a stolen one. The best way to answer that latter question is to buy a firearm only from a licensed dealer, unless the private seller is someone you know and trust.

But you're still left with the question of whether the gun works properly. If the gun is new, it is probably going to work fine. If it doesn't, the gun dealer might exchange it for you, and you can always send it back to the manufacturer for repair.

With used guns, though, function can be more of a concern, even if you purchase it from a licensed dealer. However, based on my experience, most used guns have been shot little and the seller either needs the money or just got tired of the gun, so don't ignore used ones; they represent some of the best values in the market. You just need to look a little more closely at a used firearm than you would a new one. Whether you're looking for a new gun or a used one, there are several venues through which you can purchase firearms. All have their pluses and minuses.

What follows is an overview of ways to buy guns. It's not intended to be comprehensive and is no substitute for learning the laws that apply to gun sales and transfers in your state. This isn't just some disclaimer. The laws and procedures governing these transactions vary widely from state to state--especially for handguns--and you simply have to know what the law is.

Two good sources for such knowledge are federally licensed gun dealers and the National Rifle Association. Gun dealers have to know the law under which they operate or they will be shut down, and the NRA has a handy website (www.nraila.org/ GunLaws) that can be a big help. (If you want to read the letter of the law, there's a third source: the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It maintains a state-by-state listing of gun laws at www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/statelaws.)