Worried About Losing Your Guns After The Election? : How Guns Are Tracked At The Gun Store

Published on December 17, 2020
Duration: 5:14

This video clarifies how firearm purchases are tracked by Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs) in the United States. It explains that individual handgun and long gun sales are not directly reported to the ATF unless they are part of a multi-gun purchase. The primary record of ownership for individual sales is the Form 4473, which remains with the FFL. The ATF typically only investigates serial numbers if a firearm is used in a crime.

Quick Summary

Individual firearm purchases are primarily tracked by gun stores using the Form 4473, which is retained by the dealer and not automatically reported to the ATF. The ATF typically only investigates firearm serial numbers if a gun is used in a crime, initiating a detailed record search.

Chapters

  1. 00:16Introduction with Maggie at Blue Steel Guns
  2. 00:29Changes in Gun Buyer Demographics Post-Election
  3. 01:22Worry About Gun Ownership and Tracking
  4. 01:30Paper Trail and ATF Reporting
  5. 02:04When ATF Investigates Serial Numbers
  6. 02:25No General Records of Gun Ownership
  7. 02:30Multi-Gun Purchase Tracking
  8. 03:06Focus on Handgun Sales and Illegal Selling
  9. 03:48Six-Month Record Retention for Multiple Handguns
  10. 03:57Form 4473 as the Primary Record
  11. 04:12Out-of-Business Record Storage
  12. 04:48Conclusion and Thanks

Frequently Asked Questions

How are individual firearm purchases tracked by gun stores?

Individual firearm purchases, like a single handgun or long gun, are primarily tracked via the Form 4473, which is retained by the Federal Firearm Licensee (FFL). This information is not automatically reported to the ATF unless it's part of a multi-gun purchase.

Does the ATF know exactly which guns I own?

Generally, no. The ATF does not maintain a central registry of all firearm owners and their specific firearms purchased individually. Records are kept by the FFL, and the ATF typically only investigates serial numbers if a firearm is used in a crime.

What happens if I buy multiple guns at once?

When purchasing multiple handguns, there's a specific tracking protocol. Records for these multiple handgun sales are typically retained for about six months, after which they are shredded if no issues arise. Long gun purchases are not subject to the same immediate tracking.

Where do gun purchase records go if a store closes?

If a gun store goes out of business, their firearm transaction records, including Form 4473s, are transferred to a secure, off-site storage facility. Finding a specific record from a defunct store would involve a manual search in this archive.

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