As you may or may not be aware, gun ownership regulations and laws vary greatly from state to state, yet if your business and livelihood depend on the buying, repairing, making, or selling of guns, by law, you will be required to obtain a Federal Firearms License, also known as an FFL. Obtaining this license, however, is not simply a case of making a quick phone call, filling in a sheet of paper, and then sending it off. The process is lengthy and complex, due to the nature of the items in question. If you’re looking to obtain your FFL take a look at this simple guide on how to get your FFL, as we provide you with 4 handy tips and steps required to help you obtain you FFL.
Ensure that you meet the legal requirements – First and foremost before you even consider applying for your license, you should check whether or not you actually meet the legal requirements for obtaining an FFL. This include:
- Being at least 21 years of age
- Not being an illegal alien
- Never having renounced your US citizenship
- Never broken federal firearms laws
- That you are a resident of the state in which you intend to start your business
- Controlled substances you use must be obtained legally
- You have not been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces
- You’ve never had a restraining order filed against you
- You have never been in prison for more than one full year
- You have never been committed to a mental institute
Make sure your business meets the necessary criteria – If your business fails to meet the necessary criteria, unfortunately, you will not be approved for your FFL license. This means it must comply with local laws, and that the location of the business can indeed be proven. Not only that, the vast majority of your sales have to be made to non-family members, and the business itself cannot be a P.O box.
Obtain the forms and fill out your application – You should contact your local ATF office to request for an ATF Form 7, which can also be downloaded online from the ATF website. You can download the form, complete it on your computer, and then save or print it out. The form must be filled in fully, and honestly, so you must ensure that you disclose all information that is required.
Get fingerprinted – Finally, the last step we’ll be looking at is getting fingerprinted by your local law enforcement agency, which will be done via a standard FBI fingerprint form. You will include them along with your application form, along with a passport-sized photograph.
Approval- After your application complete in all respect reaches the ATF Authorities, they will scrutinize the information contained in the form submitted and may even ask you to appear in person for any further queries and finally arrive at a decision to grant you an FFL license or reject your application.