My FFL is a small brick and mortar, started by a friend of mine that retired as a local cop. His retail is mostly high end custom order and NFA stuff. On his website for FFL transfers it includes a strongly worded note that you must contact their shop prior to shipping to schedule the transfer or they have the right to take ownership of the gun.

Rick, I’m glad things are working out on the FFL. If it was me I would do two things. First I would go scorched earth on that HOA. Then I would find another place to live that is not in an HOA.

Ha. I read on another BBS that a home-based FFL got a knock on the door at 11pm on Xmas Eve from someone who wanted to buy a gun for his son for Xmas. And he did the sale too, but his wife was pretty chapped.

Well, the HOA has been totally silent on the matter. It's the City and the neighbors, who I suppose are the types attracted to an HOA. I have an email from the HOA telling me a home-based business is fine as long as it doesn't create sights, sounds, smells, nuisance, hazard, traffic, etc. Their CCRs don't even mention an impact on property values as a reason for not allowing a use permit. That was all the City and the neighbors.

Rick, what kind of structural changes do you need to make WRT security?

None. For a type 01 FFL neither secure storage, nor an alarm system are required. I have them, but they're not required. I don't think they're required until you get into SOT/NFA stuff, which I have no interest in doing.

My investigator called last week, said that because my re-application has a new address on it, it's now out of his area and it will be handled by someone else. He just called again to say he will make sure it gets acted on on Monday, someone will call me to give me a timeline for the interview. I put in for another tax stamp yesterday too, so their computers have to be buzzing with my info now.

Good luck!

Almost willing to bet tax stamp will come in before FFL

That's good, right. Wasn't the previous guy a PITA and you were hoping to get someone different the second time around?

The previous guy turned out to be my advocate, kind of feels bad about what I had to go through and I think he's going to hook me up now. But with my new address being zoned commercial, it's pretty much a formality now, even if the next guy is a stickler.

New ATF investigator called today, meeting with him next Tues. He said to bring a letter from the landlord and proof that I applied for privilege tax cert. and that's it. This is finally happening. And there's a good chance I'll have my FFL before my next tax stamp.

Sweet! Congrats that this is going more smoothly.

I stand corrected and you're right. Tax stamp was approved today - 5 days after applying. My first one for my machine gun was nine months.

A MG? .... mebbe I missed it if you've posted about it before ... if you haven't .... nevermind :D.

Glad it's all working out!

Pissin' with the wind ... I learned "something" in college :)

I bought a MG in July of 2023. I intentionally had it delivered to a shop that also has a range and lets people shoot their MGs while they're "in jail," a conjugal visit, if you will, while the tax stamp application is processed. In February they kicked it back for a clerical error (made by Silencer Shop) and that put me back at the end of the line. I overheard someone at the gun store talking about a Reddit thread that listed the emails of a lot of ATF examiners and that some folks had had luck emailing them to ask about the status of their tax stamp app. I did that in April and got an approval the next morning. So right around nine months from start to finish.

At some point in the last year I started reading about lightning fast turnaround times, sometimes 24 hrs. on silencers. ATF has an eForm option now that interfaces with Silencer Shop's eApp. When it works, it really, really works.

I was talking to a guy at the range about the suppressor on his AR. He said the same thing, the approval process was a couple days.

Had my interview today. It was three hours long and had some hiccups. But in the end, he said I should have my FFL in 3-4 weeks. I'm a little concerned about the level knowledge some of these guys have about things that are very common knowledge with gun folks. For example, the guy nextdoor to my commercial space was a full-on manufacturer, had a machine shop, huge CNC machines, had an SOT and was shut down because the space wasn't zoned for manufacturing. I'm in the same bldg and have an email from the City zoning dept. that says it's zoned for "assembly" and "fabricating." If that's not the same as manufacturing, what the hell is?

And my guy today said he didn't think FFLs were allowed to ship USPS. I know for a fact they are and I even got a letter from the local USPS inspector general threatening me with charges for shipping a gun barrel without an FFL. They were both wrong, but FFLs can very much use the USPS. Non-FFLs cannot.

Worse yet, he told me I can't buy guns in person while out of state and take them home with me or ship them to myself; I have to have the seller ship them to me. Uh no, not correct. If I flash my FFL, they log the gun out to me, it's cash and carry. I can ship to myself or check it in my luggage for the flight home, then log into my book.

Anyway, we're on the home stretch and I'll upgrade to an 07 manufacturing license after I get settled, so I can legally build up an AR lower, attach it to an uppper and sell it. I can do that without an FFL, but not with an 01 FFL. Crazy. I want to be on the right side of the law and stay in compliance. But I am concerned that some of this stuff is a "moving target."

Non-licensees can ship long guns and parts via USPS, but not the serialized part of a handgun.

Still cheaper for me to take a pistol to a FFL, pay them $20 plus the $15 USPS shipping (flat rate box) and have them send it off than using FedUp (which both require next day over night air so very expensive)

Almost like the ATF is an incompetent unconstitutional organization that should be abolished?:D

Nah, just severely cut back on what they are actually allowed to do - taxes on likker, 'baccy and manufacture of firearms. And should be moved back to Treasury instead of Justice.

IMHO, they should not be allowed to police local zoning regs. They started doing that about 20 yrs ago and it got a lot of FFLs shut down. Now it keeps a lot from getting up and running and, as happened in my case, causes laws to be very unequally applied. The guy I used when I lived in VA was a homebuilder, so he knew all about zoning and he was shut down when ATF started wanting to see zoning for home-based businesses and Fairfax County knew that was how they could get these guys shut down.

F Fairfax County, grew up there from 5th grade on and my folks still live there.

I think “shall not be infringed” means they shouldn’t exist. You don’t need an entire agency to tax tobacco and alcohol.

Really chaps my ass that I have to have an SBR engraved now. It's a lifetime keeper gun, but I hate having to do this. If this (approved) Form 1 makes me a manufacturer because I attach an upper to a lower, why do I also need an 07 FFL to build up and AR kit for resale? None of it makes any sense. And unlike the IRS, which usually just says you have to pay penalties and interest, every violation wrt to ATF/NFA stuff is a 10 yr prison sentence and a $250k fine.

Get your 02/07 SOTS (NFA as well as Title I manuf.), get with PSA or Anderson for a custom run of lowers with your company info, and there ya go :) You could do a PPOT theme, use "general discussion", "PARF", and "ban island" for the 3 selector position markings :)

Ha ha

I got my FFL number. I don't have a hard copy yet, but got a text alert that I'm now in the directory. I think I'll be open for business on March 1. If you're in the Phoenix area, my office is by Deer Valley Airport. I'll start opening wholesaler accounts very soon, but will have to start out with transfers and minor gunsmithing only.

Rick - Are you keeping your "day job" as well?

Oh yes. The gun biz will never come close to replacing my insurance biz income. I wish it would, but it just never will. I'm not going into debt to buy some B&M store or shooting range. I just pay cash as I go - website here, license there, estate sale guns, wholesale channels, transfers, etc. If an opp comes along that looks like it could pay off big, I'll pounce. But for now this is beer money, and I'll be overjoyed to break even for 2025 and be profitable in 2026.

Congrats! Glad it worked out.

Congratulations!!!

Got it. Hard copy in hand now. I'm official and open for business. If you're in the Phoenix area, hit me up.

Nice!

Very cool.

Very cool! Congrats!

Congrats.

I do have a question: After searching the web, I can't quite understand if I can mail my Mossberg 20ga with an 18 and 1/2 inch cylinder/barrel with a pistol grip to a friend of mine that wants it.

I'm happy to go through an FFL if required, just curious.

Everything I have read details the necessary markings, etc. but is unclear on whether or not the Mossberg is considered a pistol.

I really appreciate any advice.

Best.

If he lives in MD, you’re ok at the federal level. But I didn’t think MD allows private party sales sans FFL transfer. If he’s out of state, you have to mail to an FFL. Don’t expect anyone at the post office to know the law.

Aren’t local gun sales required to be face to face in most states that allow it? I’ve done one such transaction via Armslist in a Cabelas parking lot, and that’s how our local guns shows work. But I think that varies by state.

Understood.

He is a PA resident.

I know the chances are slim, but he is in the West Grove, Kennett Square area...Any FFL recommendations?

Also, what is an average price for the receiving FFL? The guy I have used here to send fire arms, and will in this case, is a Retired Master Chief I have known or decades...he has been on vacation the last week and will return next week.

Thanks. Sorry to be a pain, Rick!