Form 4473: Requirements of a Gun Dealer

Yes! If you plan to get (and keep) your Federal Firearms License, you must pay strict attention to the laws governing Form 4473, It is your proof to the government that all your firearms transactions are legal. Form 4473 requires the firearm seller to obtain from the purchaser the following information: name, address, date of birth, government-issued photo ID, National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background check transaction number, make/model/serial number of the firearm, and a short federal affidavit stating that the purchaser is eligible to purchase firearms under federal law.

When a Federal Firearms License holder (or dealer) collects a completed Form 4473 from a customer, the form is submitted to the AFT (Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco) but the dealer is required to record all information from the Form 4473 into his/her "bound-book". A dealer must keep this log the entire time he/she is in business and is required to surrender the log to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) upon retirement from the firearms business. The ATF is allowed to inspect, as well as request a copy of the Form 4473 from the dealer during the course of a criminal investigation. In addition, the sale of two or more handguns to a person in a five day period must be reported to ATF on Form 3310.4. Dealers are required to maintain completed forms for 20 years in the case of completed sales and 5 years where the sale was denied by the NCIS check coming back disapproved or other disqualifying information.

Form 4473 is just the federal government's way of keeping up with who is buying and selling firearms. After 9/11, this kind of record-keeping has become even more important. If your goal is to become a gun dealer with a Federal Firearm License, you really don't have to worry. You will quickly learn the correct procedure for filling out the Form 4473. I recommend using the experts at FFL Kit all the way through the process of setting-up your Gun Selling business. They provide personal support and answer any questions that come up for all the procedures, from applying for your Federal Firearms License to filling out and submitting Form 4473 for all your customers. They take the "red" out of governmental red tape and help you get everything done right the first time.