Firearms Questions and Answers

Yes. In some cases, items being marketed as “unfinished” or “80%” receivers do actually meet the definition of a “firearm” as defined in the Gun Control Act (GCA).

If you are unsure about whether an item you are planning to buy or sell is considered a firearm under the GCA, please contact ATF’s Firearms and Ammunition Technology Division (FATD) by email at fire_tech@atf.gov or by phone at 304-616-4300.

The Gun Control Act (GCA) does not impose restrictions on receiver blanks that do not meet the definition of a “firearm.”

Please note that some items marketed as non-firearm "unfinished" or "80%" receivers are actually considered firearms.

ATF is able to successfully trace most crime guns to the first retail purchaser. ATF starts with the manufacturer and goes through the entire chain of distribution to find who first bought the firearm from a licensed dealer.

Because receiver blanks do not have markings or serial numbers, when firearms made from such receiver blanks are found at a crime scene, it is usually not possible to trace the firearm or determine its history, which hinders crime gun investigations and jeopardizes public safety.

Yes. Firearms that began as receiver blanks have been recovered after shooting incidents, from gang members, and from prohibited people after they have been used to commit crimes.

No. However, some private vendors may have them available for purchase.

A licensee must record the type of firearm as a “frame” or “receiver” (as applicable) in the acquisition and disposition (A&D) record and on the ATF Form 4473. The licensee must also include in any record the make, model, and serial number of the frame or receiver.

As a frame or receiver is neither a shotgun nor a rifle, a licensee is prohibited from selling or delivering a frame or receiver to any individual the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is less than 21 years of age.

[18 U.S.C. 922(b)(5), 27 CFR 478.11]

Yes, if the firearm is taken off the premises of the licensee. However, no disposition entry is required for the loan or rental of a firearm for use only on the premises of the licensee.

Licensees are required to keep records for armor piercing ammunition.

[18 U.S.C. 922(b)(5); 27 CFR 478.122, 478.123, and 478.125]

Dealer Acquisitions

Generally, for licensed dealers the purchase or other acquisition of a firearm shall be recorded not later than the close of the next business day after the date of the acquisition or purchase.

However, if commercial records containing the required information are available for inspection and are separate from other commercial documents, dealers have 7 days from the time of receipt to record the receipt in the acquisition and disposition (A&D) record.

Manufacturer Acquisitions

Each licensed manufacturer shall record each firearm manufactured or otherwise acquired not later than the 7th day following the date of such manufacture or other acquisition.

Importer Acquisitions

Each licensed importer shall within 15 days of the date of importation or other acquisition record the required information of each firearm imported or otherwise acquired.

Dispositions

All licensees shall record sales or other dispositions not later than 7 days following date of the transaction. If a disposition is made before the acquisition has been entered in the A&D record, the acquisition entry must be made at the same time as the disposition entry.

[18 U.S.C. 923(g)(1)(A); 27 CFR 478.122, 123, and 125]

Yes. A licensee is not limited to using only one “bound book.” It may be convenient for a licensee to account for different brands or types of firearms, or business activities (e.g., retail, pawn, or gunsmith inventories), in separate “bound books.”

Yes. The licensee may request an alternate method to maintain records.

[27 CFR 478.22, 478.122(c), 478.123(c), and 478.125(h)]

The firearms acquisition and disposition (A&D) record, also known as a “bound book”, is a permanently bound book or an orderly arrangement of loose-leaf pages which must be maintained at the business premises. The format must follow that prescribed in the regulations and the pages must be numbered consecutively.

[18 U.S.C. 923(g)(1)(A); 27 CFR 478.121 and 478.125]

The ATF letter authorizing the alternate method must be kept at the licensed premises and available for inspection. For businesses with more than a single licensed outlet, each outlet covered by the alternate method must have a copy of the letter authorizing the change.

[27 CFR 478.22, 478.122(c), 478.123(c), and 478.125(h)]

No. The National Tracing Center (NTC) will only record one incident of a lost or stolen firearm in the NTC lost/stolen gun database, even if multiple reports are filed.

Yes. The report must be filed by the transferor/sender federal firearms licensee (FFL) regardless of whether a transferee/receiver FFL and/or the carrier indicate that they have filed a theft/loss report with ATF.

This requirement applies because only the transferor/sender specifically knows how and when the particular firearms were shipped. The transferee/receiver or the carrier most often does not have all of the information necessary to file a complete theft/loss report. The reporting requirement also applies because the disposition records of the transferor/sender FFL must be corrected to reflect the theft or loss.

This rule applies to all firearms shipments from federal firearms licensees (FFLs), including shipments through the USPS.

Licensees who report the theft or loss of a firearm and later discover its whereabouts shall advise ATF at 1-888-930-9275 (nationwide toll-free number) that the firearm has been located, and shall re-enter the firearm in the Record of Acquisition and Disposition as an acquisition or disposition entry as appropriate.

The transferor/sender federal firearms licensee (FFL) should draw a single line through the incorrect disposition information in their acquisition and disposition (A&D) record. If there is room in the disposition block, the FFL should record the date of the theft or loss, the ATF incident number, and the local authority incident number. The licensee should then initial and date the changes.

Alternatively, if there is no room in the disposition block to legibly record the required information, the FFL should line-out the disposition information and initial and date the change. The FFL should then make a new entry in the next available line in the current A&D record. In that case, the FFL must enter a reference to the new book, page, and line number in the disposition side of the updated record, and use the new entry to record the date of the theft or loss, the ATF incident number, and the local authority incident number. This entry must be recorded not later than 7 days following discovery of the theft or loss.

A licensee must complete and submit Form 3310.11 to the National Tracing Center (NTC) and the NTC will notify the NFA Branch. This will satisfy the licensee’s reporting requirements under 27 CFR 478.39a and 27 CFR 479.141; licensees will no longer have to submit additional notification to ATF.

The transferor/sender federal firearms licensee (FFL) will use the current ATF Form 3310.11 Firearms Inventory Theft/Loss Report.

The new rule does not require federal firearms licensees (FFLs) to implement any new business policies or take any additional actions related to tracking shipments or obtaining confirmation of receipt. The transferor/sender is only required to report a theft or loss upon receiving notification from either the transferee/receiver or another source, such as a shipper, that the shipment did not arrive.

The new rule does not place any additional recordkeeping requirements upon federal firearms licensees (FFLs). Shipping/sending FFLs need only update their existing records with firearm theft, loss, or recovery information.