Florida firearm permit

Question
Are non US citizen that own property in FL allowed to purchase and store a firearm at their US residence?
Is there any special training required or refresher course required to own a firearm if you are a non resident? Is there special storage considerations for a firearm in FL?
I currently live in Canada, but own property in FL and I am a registered restricted firearm (Pistol) owner in Canada.
Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Anthony

Answer
Anthony,

Since this is largely a legal question, I have to make the disclaimer that I am not an attorney and do not give legal advice.  I would not suggest that you rely solely on my informed opinion, but seek out the advice of an attorney familiar with US immigration law.  That said, I will tell you what I know.

Your ability to purchase and possess a firearm in the US depends largely on your immigration status.  If you have resident alien status (green card) or immigrant alien status, you can purchase and maintain a firearm in your Florida residence.  If you are visiting the US as a non-resident alien, US law does not permit you to purchase a firearm in the US or be in possession of a firearm.  The only exception is if you are in possession of a valid US hunting license and bring a gun in with you.

For the complete law on the hunting license exception, you can check the following link:

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:...

You should check part (y) (2) for the specifics.

If you are a resident alien, you must be able to provide evidence that you have been a resident of Florida for 90 days before you can purchase a firearm or ammunition.

Regarding storage, there are no special regulations but I would encourage you to lock any firearm up securely.  By this, I am talking about more than a trigger lock or something of that sort.  I am actually talking about putting inside a locking gun cabinet or safe.  If you are gone for long periods of time, a burglar would have plenty of time to ransack your house.  I don't believe in making firearms easy for them to take...

Hope this helps you out...

Regards,

Doug