Answers to the questions FFL dealers actually ask
Getting your FFL, surviving an ATF inspection, NFA and suppressor sales, keeping your payment processor, and running the shop — straight, plain-English answers for firearms dealers. Written for working FFLs, not lawyers.
Starting & Licensing
Thinking about getting your FFL? What the license types are, what it costs, and whether you can start from home.
How do I get an FFL?
Pick your license type, file ATF Form 7 with fingerprints and photos, notify your CLEO, then pass an interview and premises check. Most approvals take about 6–10 weeks.
Read more → Home FFLCan I run an FFL from home?
Usually yes — "kitchen-table" FFLs are allowed if local zoning permits a home business and you keep compliant records. Many dealers start here doing transfers before opening a storefront.
Read more → LicensingWhich FFL license type do I need?
Type 01 covers most retail dealers and gunsmiths; Type 07 adds manufacturing; Type 02 is pawnbrokers. Add an SOT if you plan to handle NFA items like suppressors.
Read more → CostWhat does an FFL cost to get and keep?
A Type 01 FFL runs $200 for three years and $90 to renew. The bigger ongoing cost is the recordkeeping and tools you need to run compliant — which is where most dealers overspend or cut corners.
Read more →ATF Compliance & Inspections
The stuff that keeps FFLs up at night — inspections, 4473 errors, recordkeeping, and the bound book.
What happens during an ATF inspection?
An investigator checks your bound book, 4473s, and physical inventory against your records, looking for timely entries and errors like missing signatures or NICS info. Complete, legible records are the whole game.
Read more → 4473What are the most common Form 4473 mistakes?
Missing or wrong dates, blank NICS boxes, unanswered 21.x questions, and half-finished buyer/seller sections — the small errors that most often turn into inspection findings.
Read more → RecordkeepingHow long do I keep 4473s and A&D records?
Completed 4473s are kept 20 years; denied or incomplete ones longer. Your acquisition & disposition records run for the life of the business and then go to ATF when you close.
Read more → Free ToolDo I have to use an electronic bound book?
No — paper is still legal. But ATF Ruling 2016-1 allows electronic A&D records, and going electronic removes the handwriting and math errors that draw violations. Start free: FFL-BRO's WordPress A&D bound book plugin is unlimited, keeps your data on your own server, and costs nothing.
Read more →NFA, Suppressors & Tax Stamps
Suppressors and SBRs are booming. What the forms mean, how long transfers take, and whether you need an SOT.
How long does a suppressor transfer take?
It varies a lot, but eForm approvals have dropped from a year-plus toward weeks in many cases. Keeping each customer updated on their stamp status is how dealers keep those sales from stalling.
Read more → FormsForm 1 vs Form 4 — which do I need?
Form 1 is to make an NFA item yourself; Form 4 transfers one to a customer; dealers move inventory to each other on Form 3. Each customer transfer carries a tax stamp.
Read more → SOTWhat is an SOT and do I need one?
A Special Occupational Tax class lets your FFL deal in NFA items like suppressors and SBRs. If you want in on the suppressor surge, you need the right FFL plus an SOT.
Read more → LawHow did recent law change suppressor sales?
Recent federal law dropped the NFA transfer tax on suppressors and short-barreled firearms to $0, which is expected to drive a major demand surge — a real revenue opportunity for SOT dealers.
Read more →Getting Paid & Selling Online
The money side — why processors drop gun dealers, how to sell online, and how to get distributor accounts.
Why do payment processors drop gun dealers?
Mainstream processors flag firearms as "high risk" and can freeze or close accounts with little notice. Firearms-underwritten (2A-friendly) processing is built specifically so you don't get shut off mid-business.
Read more → EcommerceCan I sell firearms online?
Yes — you list online, take payment, and ship the firearm to the buyer's local FFL for pickup and 4473. A compliant storefront ties each online sale back to your bound book automatically.
Read more → DistributorsHow do I get wholesale distributor accounts?
Apply to distributors like Lipsey's, RSR, Davidson's, Sports South, and Zanders with your FFL and business details. The hard part is pulling their live catalogs and real pricing into one place.
Read more → BusinessHow do gun dealers actually make money?
New-gun margins are thin — often 10–20%. Dealers make it up on transfers, used guns, accessories, ammo, NFA, range time, and classes. The winners cross-sell across all of it.
Read more →Running the Shop
Day-to-day operations — POS, transfers for online buyers, gun shows, and ranges.
Do I need a POS built for firearms?
A firearms POS captures the serial, prompts the 4473, and writes the disposition at checkout — so the sale and the compliance record happen in one step instead of double entry into a separate book.
Read more → TransfersHow do I handle transfers for online buyers?
You receive the firearm, log it into your A&D book, run the buyer's 4473 and NICS, and record the disposition at pickup. Being listed in an FFL finder is how those buyers find you in the first place.
Read more → Gun ShowHow do I run sales at a gun show?
Bring a slice of your inventory, run compliant digital 4473s on a tablet even when the venue Wi-Fi is bad, and reconcile every sale back to your bound book when you get home.
Read more → RangeCan I run a range and classes too?
Lane booking, digital waivers, memberships, and class registration can run off the same system as your retail counter and customer list — one login instead of three tools.
Read more →Common compliance questions
How do I get an FFL?
Can I run an FFL from home?
Do I need an electronic bound book?
Is there a free electronic bound book plugin?
Why do banks and processors drop firearms businesses?
How long does an NFA suppressor transfer take?
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