jkh@jade.BERKELEY.EDU (Jordan K. Hubbard) (11/18/86)
Article: 11:18
Can any one explain the procedure/requirements/fees/bribes/etc. required
to obtain a FFL? Are there different classes of licensure or is it all
encompassing. What are the advantages/disadvantages of having a FFL
if you intend to sell firearms as a primary business, secondary
business, hobby or not at all. ( FFLinfo * ptr[]; welcome! )
Thanx
Tim Tessin
(415) 463-6850 423-3992
ARPA: tjt@lll-tis-b.ARPA
UUCP: {ihnp4,dual,sun}!lll-lcc!styx!tjtjkh@jade.UUCP (12/11/86)
To: voder!ucbopal!jkh References: <1720@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> > Article: 11:18 > > Can any one explain the procedure/requirements/fees/bribes/etc. required > to obtain a FFL? Are there different classes of licensure or is it all > encompassing. What are the advantages/disadvantages of having a FFL > if you intend to sell firearms as a primary business, secondary > business, hobby or not at all. ( FFLinfo * ptr[]; welcome! ) > > Thanx > Tim Tessin > (415) 463-6850 423-3992 > ARPA: tjt@lll-tis-b.ARPA > UUCP: {ihnp4,dual,sun}!lll-lcc!styx!tjt If you look through _Shotgun_News_, you've probably seen the "kits" offered for $3.95 or $5 that purport to show you how to get an FFL. Don't bother; there's no mystery to it. Call up the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in your nearest large city and ask for an application for a Federal Firearms License to be mailed to you. The fee is $30, and the process takes about three months to complete while they do a background check with the FBI and (I assume) the authorities of the State you live in. The form specifies that no one will be issued a license who does not intend to actually operate as a business -- this just means they don't want people to get FFLs so they can avoid going to gun stores. It means you should make a serious attempt to sell weapons or ammunition to your friends, and it would be a good idea if you actually sell a couple. The form also specifies that you have to give some hours that your business is open, and if the business is open to the public. (If not open to the public, you have to explain why.) In my case I wrote down some utterly absurd business hours and indicated that the business was NOT open to the public, and my customers would only be people I knew well, or were known to people I knew well, and wouldn't you rather I only sell to people in those categories? They issued me a license. On the upside, you get to buy weapons at very good prices, especially if you live out in the boonies. (Ammunition is no longer a regulated item, and FFLs are no longer necessary to buy ammunition interstate.) On the downside, you give up your Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches in your business, and in any non-business portions of the building you occupy. (So if you run your gun business out of the spare bedroom, the whole house is subject to search.) Also, you can't sell any personal weapons very easily, since they have to be sold in accordance with all the regular procedures for a dealer, and if you live in a city that requires a license to sell concealable firearms (as I do -- San Jose, CA), you won't be able to dispose of any of your personal concealable firearms without that license. Clayton E. Cramer
jkh@jade.UUCP (12/11/86)
In-Reply-To: your article <1720@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> Contact your local office of the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, U.S. Department of the Treasury to learn the current federal licensing requirements. I can't tell what state you're in, but you probably will need a state and/or local license(s). Contact the Attorney General's office in your state. Someone there can direct you to the right place regarding state requirements. (I hope.) Check with your local county/city attorney for local information. Jon Kaplowitz cbosgd!erc3ba!jfka PS Don't expect to make much $ selling guns. Think of it as a public service and a good way to reduce your own shooting costs.