Powder-actuated tools have firing pins and use blank cartridges that are exactly the same as firearm cartridges. These tools even look a bit like firearms. \
However, powder-actuated tools cannot be discharged like firearms. By the legal standards in the U.S., these are tools and not firearms and therefore are not subject to any regulations that firearms may be subject to in some states. \
Convicted felons and other individuals who can't legally own firearms due to their particular state laws can own powder-actuated tools in the U.S. However, these tools are regulated in other countries so ownership of the same tools there may be illegal. \