State Laws and Published Ordinances — Firearms, 2008 — 29th Edition

ATF announces the availability of the revised December 2009 publication - ATF State Laws and Published Ordinances - Firearms (5300.5). Hard copies or CD ROM versions of the publication are not currently stocked at the ATF Distribution Center. The publication will be available for ordering in mid February; at that time you can contact the ATF Distribution Center at 301-583-4696, or order online at http://www.atf.gov/forms/dcof/. Please contact Barbara Terrell, Program Analyst, Firearms Enforcement Branch at 202-648-7090, to answer questions regarding the State Laws and Published Ordinance - Firearms Publication 2008 - 29th Edition.

Special Message from ATF

I am pleased to provide you with the 29th Edition of State Laws and Published Ordinances - Firearms (ATF P 5300.5). This publication is designed to help you comply with Federal and State firearms laws. Specifically, it will assist you in complying with the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA). The GCA prohibits licensees from selling or delivering a firearm to a nonlicensee whose receipt or possession of the firearm would violate State or local laws applicable at the place of sale or delivery. In addition, this book will assist you in making lawful over-the-counter sales of rifles and shotguns to out-of-State residents-transactions that must meet the legal requirements of both your State of residence and the purchaser's State of residence.

State Laws and Published Ordinances - Firearms also includes a "Ready Reference Table" to provide you with additional assistance for your business operations. When deciding whether to make a sale, you should first consult the full text of the State requirements, and if appropriate, contact State and local authorities before making a decision.

As a Federal Firearms Licensee, you play a critical role in ensuring that only eligible persons are able to acquire firearms from you. Your acquisition and disposition records, Firearms Transaction Record ATF Forms 4473, and Reports of Multiple Sales or Other Dispositions of Pistols and Revolvers ATF Form 3310.4, have proven invaluable to law enforcement agencies at all levels of government in tracing firearms involved in crime.

If you have any questions concerning major issues affecting the daily conduct of your business, you may call these numbers with regard to the following:

  • NICS checks: Contact the FBI NICS Operations Center at 1-877-444-6427.
  • Your Federal firearms license or renewal application: Contact our Federal Firearms Licensing Center at 1-866-662-2750.
  • Federal firearms laws or regulations: Contact the ATF Industry Operations field office nearest you. A complete alphabetical listing is located on pages vi-viii of this publication.
  • Stolen or lost firearms, including National Firearms Act weapons: Contact 1-888-930-9275 (Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm) or 1-800-800-3855 (Evenings, Weekends and Holidays). If you have knowledge of any unlawful activities concerning firearms, contact 1-800-ATF-GUNS.
  • Interpretation of a State or local law or ordinance: Contact your State police, local law enforcement authority, or your State Attorney General's office (see pages ix-x).

Reports of Multiple Sales or Other Dispositions of Pistols and Revolvers (ATF Form 3310.4) should be mailed to the address indicated on the form or faxed (1-877-283-0288) to the ATF National Tracing Center and to the designated Chief Law Enforcement Officer where your business is located. (You must retain the third copy as part of your permanent records.)

If you are going out of business with no successor, you are required to ship your firearms records to the ATF Out-of-Business Records Center, 244 Needy Road, Martinsburg, WV 25405.

Materials and ideas for future editions of this publication are welcome and may be sent to the ATF Firearms Programs Division, Attention: Chief, Firearms Programs Division, Room 6N/672, 99 New York Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20226.

Signature of Kenneth E. Melson
Kenneth E. Melson
Deputy Director

Cover of 29th edition of the State Laws and Published Ordinances — Firearms

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