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When I search for info about obtaining an FFL 95% of what I get are ads for a kit to help you get one. They all claim you will get it on your first try with their kit. I know they dont just hand them out like candy but are they really that hard to get? I was just looking for info such as cost and what the steps are to get one. Thanks

Go to the BATFE website. I do know they're more difficult tog et than they used to be when everyone had them for kitchen table transactions. You do actully need a storefront now. Don't forget the state tax and state business things as well.

A couple of false statements are:

- You HAVE to have a brick & Mortar storefront
That is usually false. (It will vary depending upon your local zoning laws and business regulations)

- You have to buy a "Kit" online to apply.
That is false again.

DO NOT BUY THE KIT!

I do not have a store front and I work literally from my kitchen table.

The following is how I did it.

DISCLAIMER: Your situation(s) may warrant different actions.

DISCLAIMER 2: I am not liable for any changes or alterations or other actions you may need to take or have taken so far

Let me give you a few helpful links for info.


The ATF has a "How to Become a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL)" page here

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/how-to/become-an-ffl.html

You are more than likely looking for the 01 FFL (which is the normal gun sales and purchases...no full autos allowed)

This site

http://www.atf.gov/forms/dcof/

is where you order your FREE 01 FFL application.

fill in the name and address and other info on the left (part 1)



and then

In the right hand column click on the "applications" link in the lower window and then find :





ATF F 7(5310.12) - Federal Firearms License Application Packet (includes instructions, fingerprint cards, and other material)
Limit 1 copy per order

Click the box in front of it and above the right column, you will see



"most requested forms"...and 3 steps.

the 1st step, select Item 1

the second step says to select a form below, which you should have choosen:

ATF F 7(5310.12) - Federal Firearms License Application Packet (includes instructions, fingerprint cards, and other material)
Limit 1 copy per order

Step 3 you click the ADD button and it will appear in the list of items you ordered (which is on the lower left)

Repeat the above steps for any other forms you may need (but everything you need to apply is in that one kit)

It is also where you click SUBMIT only once to order the paperwork



It can take about 30 to 45 days + to get it.

But it is FREE.

continued next post....

Once you get the packet you will have 3 copies of the application to fill out. (yes....3)

Make sure all three are exactly the same.

1 copy is of the BATF

1 copy is for your local Police Chief (or Sheriff if you have no local PD)

1 copy is yours to keep.

Then there will be finger print cards. You need to go to your local Sheriff Office (or possibly police dept) and get finger printed for your 01 FFL, (the officers will know what to do.) They may charge you for this. Normally here it is $15.

My Sheriff Dept printed me and I mailed my cards in with the application.

You will need a passport quality photo of yourself. Just from the shoulders up. I used Walgreens to take mine. You need to attach 1 photo to the copy of the app for the BATF and 1 photo to the copy of the app that goes to your local Police Chief (or Sheriff). Each copy has an area marked where you attach the photo to.

The fee is $200 to apply and is good for 3 years. Then it is only $90 for 3 years after the first 3. (If you are denied the license, you will get the $200 refunded back to you) You have choices of paying either by check or credit card.

Once all the paperwork and necessary requested items are assembled and done, mail them off to the address it says in the packet . I suggest mailing it out either Priority with tracking or by certified mail. That way you know they get it.

Then be prepared to wait.

They got my paperwork on April 6th. Deposited my check on April 7th and I finally heard from them on something like June 11th.

They will call you and set up an interview where they go over paperwork...and do a basic premise check.

Then, in my case, I was called 1 week later saying my FFL had been approved and issued and it was in the mail.

continued next post....

Lastly...

you need to make sure you have a state tax id....free here in Michigan.

You need to make sure you are zoned correctly...

You may need to get a city business license

the ATF will ask to see proof of this at your interview. (They actually check prior to contacting you...so do not lie)

Somewhere in the application instructions it states that you supposedly have something like 30 days after your FFL is issued to become totally compliant with all local laws like zoning, etc. But in my case they asked about it before issuing the FFL.....I do not know why.

You may also want to make sure you have appropriate insurance.

The interview is basically an agent who goes over the necessary steps an FFL needs to do when selling, buying or transfering firearms.

The premise check is basically verifying you are where you say you are.

they do stress "secure" storage for your inventory of guns. this DOES NOT mean you HAVE TO HAVE a safe, but you need a secure place / way to store the guns.

Once you get through the interview and they issue the FFL....you can then enroll with NICS. That will get you an account with the FBI that allows you to call in and check an individual before selling a gun.

the ATF supplies most of the forms you will need free of charge...you can also order them at the first link I gave you in my 1st reply.

forms like 4473, etc.

So...go for it...help keep our 2nd Amendment rights alive..

all they (or your city) could say is either yes or no...doesn't cost a thing to try.

I operate out of my single family home.

It is in a neighborhood with other single family homes and we are somewhat rural.

I am zoned residential....not commercial

I am not required to have any parking or signs.

I am literally a "Kitchen Table Dealer"

All cases can and may require different stuff...so be prepared.


ATF FAQ page here:
http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/faqindex.htm

Here is

ATF P 5300.5 State Laws and Published Ordinances - Firearms
(2007 - 28th Edition)

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/statelaws/2 ... /index.htm


notice it has state by state laws......read up on Illinois

it is easier to download it and read it that way


edited to add that I am zoned residential

Tell me about the Insurance... and is it expensive?

As with everything else....it will vary for each person

My insurance did not rise at all.

It all depended on whether I will have inventory in stock.
(Hopefully that will change as I go along)

I am operating basically as a catalog shopping pick-up center so I basically have ZERO inventory at this time.

I am just a place that operates as a paperwork center. Gun comes in in the morning, buyer comes in in the afternoon and fills out their 4473.

In Michigan they need a Purchase Permit from the Police Dept in advance or a Concealed Pistol Permit for handguns, so I do not run them thru NICS...that was done by the PD already. There is no waiting period.

Long guns have no waiting period either, but those buyers fill out the 4473 and I call in and get a yes or no.

Then the buyer takes the gun and is out of here in 15 minutes.

Thank you for the info and links. I will be checking into them this weekend. Good info from someone who has been thru it.

Yes, thanks for posting all this, yooper1! I may yet use it myself. Been thinking about it for years.

-- Sam

_________________
I hear banjos. Paddle faster!
Sarchasm - (n.) The gulf that exists between the creator of subtle witticisms and those who don't get them.

Yooper1 - I agree! Thank you. Your description is well written, clear and concise. I may have to reconsider.....

- Mike

_________________
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was and never will be.”
—Thomas Jefferson

you folks are welcome

Just remember that each state and city / town may have different laws and or ordinances in regards to "home" based businesses.

I kept putting my application off for about 9 months. I was afraid it would be a big hassle and that the city or state would say no....but I said to myself...heck...the worst that could happen is that they say no....

I did not mention above...but

FFL 01's cannot be used just to increase your private collection

The ATF agent also said they want to see activity....not just someone getting a license and sitting on it.

They hope to keep guns moving...I guess.

Also...by applying and being granted an FFL....you automatically agree to the fact that the ATF can enter your place of business 1 time a year unannounced in order to do a compliance check. (during your published hours of operation)

Basically they will inspect your bound books, your other gun related paperwork like 4473's and anything else related to your gun business. They will not (or should not) need to go through your whole house...just the area where you conduct your firearm business. My area is the kitchen.

Make sure you store your personal firearms in other security safes or cabinets, away from your inventory firearms.

There may be other visits by local PD or SD to check / trace gun sales in the case of robberies or other events, but they cannot force their way in. An FFL has 24 hours (I think) to get that info back to the ATF or the police.

You did good
This is the best post I have seen on this subject.
You are also just a guy no store front or anything else that keeps coming up as being a requirement.
Thanks,
Jim

thanks...

yup

just a plain joe

no store front

hoping to make a few bucks

hopefully doing a lot of transfers....as my town's main street crosses into wisconsin and is that towns main street and there are good gun shops over there, but it is a hassle getting them here

so I am not afraid to ask a couple of bucks to do it for someone

I sent in for my application this weekend, thanks for the help.