What is the point of an FFL ?

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Mick Boon

Mick Boon

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I don't live in the US, but I have come across the FFL thing several times, and I've always had a problem understanding the purpose of it...

If I lived in the US and wanted to buy a firearm I can not get it shipped to me, I have to get it shipped to someone else, which makes no sense whatsoever. What am I missing ?
 
"Federal Firearms License"...it's essentially a business license. It allows people to engage in the business of manufacture of ammunition or firearms or the sale of firearms either interstate or intrastate.

It's been a requirement since the GCA of 1968.

There are different types of FFL. Eight, to be specific.

Type 01 – Firearm Dealer/Gunsmith.
Type 02 – Pawnbroker.
Type 03 – Collector.
Type 06 – Manufacture of Ammunition.
Type 07 – Manufacturer of Firearms.
Type 08 – Importer of Firearms.
Type 09 – Dealer of “Destructive Devices”
Type 10 – Manufacturer of “Destructive Devices”
 
mavs said:
No they don't, do you?
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Yes I do. If I want to by a firearm or firearms I just show my license and take them home, it's that simple.


PS, I usually forget my license when going shopping, but if I want to buy firearms or ammo my wife often just shows her license instead. If I want to buy online I EMT the cash and give the seller the number on my license and he sticks it in the post.
 
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Mick Boon said:
Yes I do. If I want to by a firearm or firearms I just show my license and take them home, it's that simple.
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There are some states in the US that require something like that, usually called a "permit to purchase" or similar. In most states though, no license is required. The gun laws in the US vary wildly from state to state. The difference between my state and New York, for example, is so vast it's as if it was a totally different country. That's something that I think a lot of folks outside the US have a tough time wrapping their mind around. The differences in gun laws between the various US states are significantly greater, in many cases, than the differences in gun laws between the various countries in Europe, for example.
 
bearcreek said:
There are some states in the US that require something like that, usually called a "permit to purchase" or similar. In most states though, no license is required. The gun laws in the US vary wildly from state to state. The difference between my state and New York, for example, is so vast it's as if it was a totally different country. That's something that I think a lot of folks outside the US have a tough time wrapping their mind around. The differences in gun laws between the various US states are significantly greater, in many cases, than the differences in gun laws between the various countries in Europe, for example.
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Yes I can relate to that, it confuses me too. The only thing about the license thing I don't like is that they are issued by the feds. I recently spoke with an official from the Saskatchewan firearms office, and asked him why is it that I have a Saskatchewan drivers license but can not get a Saskatchewan firearms license. He said "we are discussing it :) Things are changing for the better. I don't want nut cases having access to firearms.
 
Mick Boon said:
I don't want nut cases having access to firearms.
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The problem is, it's not possible to prevent "nut cases" from firearms without significantly hampering the ability of non-nut cases from getting them. Here in the US, we have something called the 2nd Amendment (I imagine you're somewhat familiar with it, being a Canadian on a gun forum). The 2nd Amendment is there because the men who founded this nation understood that the organization/group that is most dangerous to the safety and well being of humans is government. They wanted the people to retain the ability to keep the government in a perpetual state of fear, so that they'd be less likely to overstep their bounds. The unfortunate reality is that you cannot have a system where it's impossible for bad citizens to get guns without also enabling bad government to increase it's tyranny with minimal resistance.
 
bearcreek said:
The problem is, it's not possible to prevent "nut cases" from firearms without significantly hampering the ability of non-nut cases from getting them. Here in the US, we have something called the 2nd Amendment (I imagine you're somewhat familiar with it, being a Canadian on a gun forum). The 2nd Amendment is there because the men who founded this nation understood that the organization/group that is most dangerous to the safety and well being of humans is government. They wanted the people to retain the ability to keep the government in a perpetual state of fear, so that they'd be less likely to overstep their bounds. The unfortunate reality is that you cannot have a system where it's impossible for bad citizens to get guns without also enabling bad government to increase it's tyranny with minimal resistance.
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It's not possible to prevent determined nut cases in Canada or the US getting hold of firearms unfortunately. 2nd amendment or lack of does not seem to make much difference.

I like the idea behind the 2nd amendment but I think it is overrated, it does not stop US firearm owners from worrying about TPTB seizing their firearms.

The Canadian liberal government has passed legislation to outlaw and confiscate certain firearms from law abiding firearm owners, but we all still have them. Any government can make laws, enforcing them is another matter altogether. They have already tried and failed, we have nothing to worry about.

I just bought a new rifle !

sqnIzgu.jpg
 
I don't live in the US, but I have come across the FFL thing several times, and I've always had a problem understanding the purpose of it...
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In the U.S. law, firearm transactions must comply with both federal (national) law and state law.

In the U.S., per federal law, you can go to a dealer (FFL) in your own state of residence, see a gun you like, pay for it, undergo an instant "background check" (via the NICS system) and then take the gun home if you pass.

There are basically 4 outcomes to the NICS check:

Proceed--allow the sale to continue without delay.
Denied--the sale is disallowed.
Delayed Proceed--the purchaser must wait 3 business days to take delivery of the firearm.
Cancelled--not enough information provided. The check must be run again with more information provided or the sale can not proceed.

In a number of states (states that issue permits to carry that qualify under federal law), if you have a permit to carry a handgun, federal law allows you to bypass the NICS check because your permit constitutes a background check.

Some states do not issue qualifying permits, and some states may impose other restrictions such as waiting periods or such as requiring a license before a firearm can be purchased. In most states a license is not required to purchase a firearm.

Per federal law, if you want to buy a gun from a resident of your own state, the two of you can perform the transaction without any need for a dealer to be involved. Some states have laws that do not allow this.

If you want to buy a firearm from out of state, a dealer (FFL) must be involved since transfers of possession across state lines (other than bequests) must involve an FFL per federal law.

It's legal to ship a firearm to a person in your own state per federal law, but it can be complicated to comply with the laws and the shipping company policies. Somes states have laws that do not allow this.
 
Mick Boon said:
It's not possible to prevent determined nut cases in Canada or the US getting hold of firearms unfortunately. 2nd amendment or lack of does not seem to make much difference.
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The Second Amendment has nothing to do with "nut cases".



I like the idea behind the 2nd amendment but I think it is overrated, it does not stop US firearm owners from worrying about TPTB seizing their firearms.
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Well, yes it does.
It's literally the basis for US firearms law.


The Canadian liberal government has passed legislation to outlaw and confiscate certain firearms from law abiding firearm owners, but we all still have them. Any government can make laws, enforcing them is another matter altogether. They have already tried and failed, we have nothing to worry about.
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Yeah, sure.
 
The Federal government launched a a pilot confiscation attempt in Prince Edward Island ( PEI) . They chose (PEI) because it is the smallest Canadian province and they thought it would be a push over.
The RCMP were unable to help with the confiscations due to a lack of man power and other commitments, so the government sought help from the private sector. They contacted two security companies but they were too busy to be of any assistance.

The Saskatchewan ( where I live ) government has passed legislation preventing the confiscation of firearms by federal officials. without first obtaining a license from the Saskatchewan government..

The liberal confiscation dream is over.
 
 
The thing restricting the sale of firearms in Canada more than any law is that Canada is in a recession, and it's getting worse.
A gun dealer friend of mine has given up going to gun shows, he can't afford it. He is living on his savings.
 
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