doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Question on transfers

FFLs have no obligation to provide a copy of their license to unlicensed persons. In fact, the ATF suggests that they do not.

ATF Advisory Letter March 2014

Thanks, bladeswitcher. But, what does one do when the seller refuses to send the gun straight to the buyer, and insists on sending it to an FFL ? This is the usual scenario, IME.

SRH

As a private seller shipping out of state, is there any federal requirement to get a copy of the FFL license of the place the gun is sent?

That's right. That's why an unlicensed person wants to send the gun to a FFL in another state. So, what does that person do when the potential buyer says that the seller does not need a copy of the receiving FFL's license, because he is not a FFL holder himself?

SRH

If I understand your question correctly, the guy needs to reprogram his understanding. If he's not an FFL, he needs to get over the false notion that he needs a copy of the receiving FFL's license.



An unlicensed person does NOT need a copy of the receiving FFLs license. He only needs the first-three and last-five digits in the receiving FFL's license. With that information, he can go to the ATF's FFL EZ-Check website and confirm that he's shipping the gun to a valid license holder.

That's all there is to it. Get the numbers. Look them up on EZ-Check. Ship the gun to the address that EZ-Check provides. THAT'S WHAT THE EZ CHECK WEBSITE IS FOR! It really is that simple.

Okay, but how would you suggest to a seller that he "reprogram" his understanding?

And, what is the problem with him insisting on a signed copy of the receiving FFL's license, when that receiving FFL has no problem with sending it, and it is not illegal for him to ask for it?

Yes! That�s what I did! There was some questions regarding my process, so I asked just to be sure! Thanks everyone!

As a private seller shipping out of state, is there any federal requirement to get a copy of the FFL license of the place the gun is sent?

It's no different than when you're dealing with somebody who's wrong about anything else. You provide the correct information. That's all you can do. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink..




IF the receiving FFL is willing to send a copy of his license he's free to do so. When I was an FFL I gladly sent copies of my license. It wasn't a problem for me at all. But that's MY business and how I chose to conduct it.

On the other hand, if another merchant is not willing to provide a copy of his license to an unlicensed person, that's his call. He's on solid ground with that policy. There are legitimate reasons to keep license copies within the trade and only provide it to other licensed dealers. He's also got the ATF on his side. The governing agency that issues the license suggests he refer unlicensed people to the EZ Check system. You can't blame a guy for following his "master's" preferences.

So, what's our seller friend to do in this situation. If the receiving FFL is willing to provide a copy, great. Everybody's happy. But if the receiving FFL is NOT willing to provide a copy then our seller has three choices:
1.) Get over his insistence on getting a copy (that he's not entitled to), or . . .
2.) Find somebody else to do the transfer.
3.) Punt the whole deal.

Ultimately, the ball is in the receiving FFL's court. It's his business. It's his license. He has every right to conduct it how he sees fit, within the parameters of the law. If our seller doesn't like it, he can move along.