Good afternoon. I am looking into purchasing a handgun for home protection but have a record from Louisiana of Aggravated assault which was originated from a charge of False information of planned arson/bomb threat back in 1999. The charge was based on hearsay, and at the time I was much younger and did not understand what the proper actions to face this charge were. Basically I just took what I was told was the lesser charge, took a year probation and some community service, and continued on.

Anyway, I have since had no problems minus 2 speeding tickets, have a career in the army for 10 years, and am wondering what the process would be to legally purchase a firearm considering my prior record.
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If it is a felony, you cannot possess a weapon. Have you browsed through the information in LawInfo's Free Legal Resource Center to learn more about your issue yet? See: http://www.lawinfo.com/consumer.html and http://resources.lawinfo.com/en/index.html. You can certainly try to speak to a lawyer to determine what legal options may be available. In the meantime, you may be able to learn more on your own. Search the "Free Legal Resources" tab, or browse the Consumer Resources. Good luck.