Tell your boyfriend to get his firearm rights restored. If he has paid all of his fines, restitution and it's been longer that five years from his release he should be able to own a firearm again. All the states are different but if he hasn't been convicted of very serious crimes like assault, domestic violence, murder, burg 1 or using a weapon in the commision of a crime he should be alright. It will probably cost him a grand to have them reinstated. As far as having one in the house, that's a very bad idea if you want to keep him out of jail. The lines are very fine on that kind of stuff, it's not even worth the risk. Get some bear mace and a couple baseball bats for now. You can however get a concealed weapons permit and keep a pistol locked in your car. Good luck!