How to Get a Federal Firearms License

So you have decided that you want to sell firearms, or perhaps ammunition? Naturally, you want your newfound business to be legal, and for that to happen you need to obtain an FFL (Federal Firearms License).

Getting an FFL is not exactly a walk in the park, but It’s easier than many people might assume it to be. A large part of getting your own FFL is waiting for approval through various steps of the process.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is responsible for issuing FFLs to responsible business owners, but it can take time to get back to you.

Without further ado, let’s get into the process of how to get a federal firearms licence.

How to Get a Federal Firearms License Timeline

1. Meet the FFL License Requirements
2. Choose Your License Type
3. Complete the Application
4. Wait for ATF Application Processing and Review

1. Meet the FFL License Requirements

The first step is to check the requirements needed, making sure you meet them before you continue with your application.

You see, part of the reason it can take a while to get an FFL is that you need to be familiar with the process and what an FFL entails before you apply for one. 

There is more to learn about your FFL than simply the class of license your business needs. The ATF is very specific about what each FFL requires. 

Familiarizing yourself with these requirements before you begin the application process is a crucial step for anyone looking to get an FFL. Failure to understand exactly what you need or what your FFL allows you to do could lead you into some serious trouble with ATF.

Keep in mind as well that certain individuals are not eligible for an FFL:

• Felons
• Those who have been convicted of any crime punishable by more than a year in prison (whether or not they were ever sentenced to or served a day in prison)
• People are under indictment for any crime punishable by more than a year in prison
• Fugitives 
• Unlawful users of any controlled substance
• Those who have been adjudicated as mental defective
• People who have been committed to a mental institution
• Illegal aliens
• Dishonorably discharge from the military
• Citizens who have renounced their U.S. citizenship
• Those that are the subject of a restraining order restraining the person from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or the child of an intimate partner, or who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence

Also, make sure to check your local laws and regulations for any additional requirements you might need to follow.

2. Choose Your License Type

When looking at the FFL license requirements, bear in mind that there are different types of FFL licenses:

In short, if you want to be a firearms dealer, you have to obtain either FFL license 01, 02, or 09. Manufacturers need FFL licenses 06, 07, or 10. FFL license types 08 or 11 are for importers.

3. Complete the Application

An overview of the FFL approval timeline would not be complete if we didn’t talk about the application itself. Thankfully, most businesses that are looking to obtain an FFL go through a relatively simple application process.

If you are a larger corporation that wants to deal with explosives or destructive devices, the federal firearms license application will take more time, however. The most important thing to remember is that you need to know which class of FFL you’ll be applying for. 

Once you understand which class you need, the actual application itself won’t take you more than a few hours to complete.

4. The ATF Application Wait Time and Review

After you submit your license application, the ATF has two months to respond to your application with either approval or denial. 

As long as you’ve followed the application’s directions to the letter, and there isn’t anything that prevents you from selling FFL goods, you’ll likely hear back from the ATF within those two months. 

Yet, don’t be surprised if it gets down to the wire before they respond; many businesses apply for FFLs annually, and the ATF must sort through many applications before they get to yours.

How to Get an FFL [In a Nutshell]

Here is the entire, step-by-step process of how to obtain a federal firearms license:

1. Decide to become an FFL.
2. Fill out ATF Form 7, and send it to the address listed on the form with the proper licensing fee.
3. The Federal Firearms Licensing Center (FFLC) will review the information on the form.
4. FFLC conducts a background check.
5. The new license application will be sent to your local ATF field office.
6. An Industry Operations Investigator (IOI) will contact you for an in-person interview.
7. The IOI will prepare a report for their area supervisor on whether or not the ATF should issue or deny the license.
8. The supervisor will review the report and send their recommendation to the FFLC.
9. The FFLC will issue the license, on condition that you have passed all background checks, and your business is in compliance with state and local laws.

What’s Next?

There you have it. How to apply for a federal firearms license. It might not be the most pleasant or simplest task, but it is not as hard or tedious as you might think.

Once the process is over, though, what is next for your business? Well, it will need a partner that it can rely on for FFL credit card processing. That’s where Electronic Transfer can help. 

We support FFL businesses in all their transactional needs, and we’d love to partner with you next! Don’t hesitate, to give us a call or drop us a message, and we can start working towards growing your business together.