Questions and Answers

Yes. Licensees may mail an unloaded handgun to another licensee in customary trade shipments. Handguns may also be mailed to any officer, employee, agent, or watchman who is eligible under 18 U.S.C. 1715 to receive pistols, revolvers, and other firearms capable of being concealed on the person for use in connection with his or her official duties.

However, postal service regulations must be followed. Any person proposing to mail a handgun must file with the postmaster, at the time of mailing, an affidavit signed by the addressee stating that the addressee is qualified to receive the firearm, and the affidavit must bear a certificate stating that the firearm is for the official use of the addressee. See the current Postal Manual for details.

[18 U.S.C. 1715]

Generally, a firearm may not lawfully be sold by a licensee to a nonlicensee who resides in a state other than the state in which the seller’s licensed premises is located. However, the sale may be made if the firearm is shipped to a licensee whose business is in the purchaser’s state of residence and the purchaser takes delivery of the firearm from the licensee in his or her state of residence.

In addition, a licensee may sell a rifle or shotgun to a person who is not a resident of the state where the licensee’s business premises is located in an over–the–counter transaction, provided the transaction complies with state law in the state where the licensee is located and in the state where the purchaser resides.

[18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3); 27 CFR 478.99(a)]

Yes. Law enforcement officers purchasing firearms for official use who provide a licensee with a certification on agency letterhead that the officer will use the firearm in official duties and that a records check reveals the purchasing officer has no convictions for misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence are not required to complete a ATF Form 4473 or undergo a background check. An officer purchasing a firearm for official duties may purchase the firearm from a licensee in any state, regardless of where the officer resides or the agency is located.

Disposition of a firearm to an officer must be entered into the licensee’s acquisition and disposition record, and the certification letter used to purchase the firearm must be retained in the licensee’s files. Contact your state’s Attorney General’s Office to ensure there is no state prohibition on such sales.

[18 U.S.C. 925(a)(1); 27 CFR 478.134 and 478.141]

Yes. It is unlawful for any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to sell or deliver any firearm to any person if the person’s purchase or possession would be in violation of any state law or local published ordinance applicable at the place of sale, delivery or other disposition.

[18 U.S.C. 922(b)(2); 27 CFR 478.99(b)(2)]

Yes. The requirement to give written notification applies when the licensee delivers a handgun to a nonlicensee.

[27 CFR 478.103]

No. A license is not required for a dealer in ammunition only. However a license is required to manufacture or import ammunition.

[18 U.S.C. 922 (a)(1)(B); 27 CFR 478.41]]

The licensee should note “stolen” or “lost” and the date in the disposition section of the acquisition and disposition record for each firearm stolen or lost. In addition, the licensee should also record in the bound book the control number provided by ATF upon notification of the theft or loss.

A licensee selling or disposing of firearms to another licensee must verify the licensed status of the transferee by having the transferee furnish to the transferor a certified copy of the transferee’s license and by any other means the transferor deems necessary (such as the FFL eZcheck).

[27 CFR 478.94]

No.

[18 U.S.C. 922(b)(3); 27 CFR 478.99(a)]

No. A frame or receiver is a type of firearm “other than a shotgun or rifle” and the transfer by a licensee to an individual less than 21 years of age would be prohibited.

[18 U.S.C. 921(a)(5) and (7) and 922(b)(1); 27 CFR 478.11 and 478.99(b)]

Please click here for answers to frequently asked questions in regards to theft and loss of firearms in transit.

An aerosol is a suspension of fine solid or liquid particles in a gas. Vapor, mist, fog, smoke, and steam are all forms of aerosols.

An electronic device is a device that operates by using an electrical current; either stored or on-demand.

A solution is a homogeneous mixture in which a minor component (a solute) is uniformly distributed within a major component (a solvent) – i.e., a solution of ammonia in water.

Solutions are often thought of as liquids but may also appear in gaseous or solid form.

All electronic devices that deliver an aerosolized nicotine solution to the user are regulated as ENDS, regardless of whether the nicotine is derived from tobacco or synthetically derived.

Yes. Under the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT Act), any electronic device that aerosolizes and delivers any type of substance to the user including cannabidiol (CBD), which is an active ingredient made of hemp and found in cannabis or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a chemical that creates most of the psychological effects of marijuana and etc. are regulated as an electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products.

According to USC 15 U.S.C. §§ 375 and 376, ENDS products include:

• E-Cigarettes
• E-Hookahs
• E-Cigars
• Vape pens
• Advanced refillable personal vaporizers
• Electronic pipes; and
• Any component, liquid, part, or accessory of such a device regardless of whether that item is sold separately from the device.
   

According to the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act, the term "electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS)" refers to any electronic device that, through an aerosolized solution, delivers nicotine, flavor, or any other substance to the user inhaling from the device.

Applicants may apply to any job they wish to be considered for. However, to make the best use of your time and the agency’s time, we recommend reviewing the qualifications and the entire announcement before you apply. If you feel that you meet the requirements of the job, then apply!

When reviewing resumes, we review the entire applicant’s experience, which also includes an analysis of all valuable experience (i.e., experience gained in religious, civic, welfare, service and organizational activities, regardless of whether pay was received). It is ultimately your decision what to include and what to exclude from your resume. However, not including certain work experiences may raise questions and a selecting official may wonder why you left off periods of employment. Whatever decision you make, ensure that you thoroughly address the qualifications of the announcement. Please note that during your background investigation, you will be required to provide a full and detailed description of all your work experiences. If we discover that you intentionally omitted work experience in your resume to avoid a negative reference check during the selection process, this may be grounds for removing you after you begin employment.

The amount of experience required varies for each job. Some entry-level jobs require no specialized experience, while other jobs require years of specialized experience.

If you have questions related to how much experience you need for a job, review the Job Requirements > Qualifications section of the job announcement. For additional questions, contact the hiring agency listed in the job opportunity announcement.

The Basics

Like any employer, the federal government needs individuals to be well-qualified for the jobs they hold. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes qualification standards to help ensure federal employees can successfully and safely perform the work of the position. Whatever your background has been, it is likely that you are basically qualified for many different jobs, and highly qualified for some.

When meeting the basic eligibility requirements, the agency evaluates and then ranks your work experience, accomplishments, education, training and overall qualifications background against the qualification requirements of the position. You will receive a score or ranking based on how closely your background matches with the requirements of the position. Job applicants who receive the highest scores or rank in the top category are referred to the selecting official.

Qualifying With Higher Education

Some federal occupations require a college degree with a certain major field of study or completion of specific academic courses at the baccalaureate or graduate level. Such occupations tend to involve research, scientific or professional work (such as a specialist in contracts, medicine, engineering, biology, psychology or accounting). To qualify, all college-level courses must have been completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

There are many occupations where a baccalaureate degree in any field is acceptable. Job applicants usually enter such occupations at the entry grade levels (typically GS-5 or GS-7 grade levels [or equivalent]) and acquire on-the-job training and work experience before advancing to higher grade levels. Such occupations are sometimes advertised as “trainee,” “intern” or “student program” positions.

You may qualify for a GS-9 grade (or equivalent) level position on the basis of a master’s degree, and for the GS-11 grade (or equivalent) level on the basis of a doctoral degree. At these levels, however, the advanced degree must be directly related to the work of the job to be filled.

Specialized experience, or experience closely related to the work to be performed in the job for which you are applying, can often be substituted for an educational requirement or qualify you for a higher grade. Generally, for jobs at the GS-7 grade (or equivalent) level and higher, your background must have included specialized experience. At least one year of the specialized experience must have been equivalent to the level of the next lower grade in the federal service. This means, for example, to qualify for a GS-12 grade (or equivalent) level, you must have had a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-11 grade (or equivalent) level.

Qualifying for a Non-Degreed Job

If you have been in the job market for a while and have accumulated an extensive work history, you may be well qualified for many positions even without a college degree. Except for certain professional and scientific positions, a college education may not be necessary. The nature of your work experience is what really counts.

Job applicants can qualify for most federal occupations based on job-related work experience. If you are just starting out, you can qualify for jobs at the GS-2 level with just a high school diploma or as little as three months of general work experience for most clerical and assistant positions. “General experience” is a type of work experience that is not necessarily directly related to the position but demonstrates the ability to acquire the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the work of the position.

At higher grade (or equivalent) levels, additional work experience is required. Starting at the GS-5 grade (or equivalent) level, positions generally require one year of specialized experience equal to the next lower grade. “Specialized experience” is a type of work experience that is directly related to the position for which you are applying. This means, for example, to qualify for a GS-6 grade (or equivalent) level, you must have had a minimum of one year of specialized experience equivalent to a GS-5 grade (or equivalent) level.

For more information, consult the General Schedule qualification standards.

If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying on the basis of education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume. Unless specified in the announcement, ATF typically does not require transcripts at the time of application, but you are encouraged to provide unofficial copies as it can help with your determination.

Your resume must thoroughly describe how your skills and experiences align to the criteria defined in the qualifications section of the job announcement and support your responses to the assessment questionnaire. Over including is generally not an issue but elaborating on irrelevant experience may distract reviewers and hurt your chances. Avoid adding information just to make your resume longer. Our reviewers at ATF are very experienced. Adding filler or buzz words without providing any context (who, where, what, when, why and how) will not help your chances. Our reviewers are trained to not consider this type of experience qualifying.

Do not include a photograph or video of yourself, or any sensitive information (age, date of birth, marital status, protected health information, religious affiliation, social security number, etc.) on your resume or cover letter or anywhere in your application package. We will not access web pages linked on your resume or cover letter to determine your qualifications. If you have information on a web page you want us to review, copy and paste it into a cover letter and submit it with your application.

Please do not submit any other supplementary documentation that is not requested of you in the announcement. To protect your personal information, we will only send your resume and cover letter to the selecting official or hiring manager.