2 Crucial Steps to ATF Approval for a Home-Based Gunsmith

This month I want to talk about the process of getting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) approval for a home-based gunsmithing business. My hope is you can use the information I am providing to remove some of the guess work and save you a lot of time (and headaches).

Obtaining an FFL to conduct a gunsmithing business in your home or property is not that difficult, but it can seem very daunting. There is some early leg work you can do to make the whole process a lot simpler. One thing I have noticed with the ATF is that if you have your paperwork in order, and are able to answer their questions, they are very easy to work with. If the ATF agent sees the work that you have put in prior to your application, they are likely to approve or at least tentatively approve your application.

The Work

What’s the work that I mentioned above? It is the homework that you need to do prior to submitting your application for your FFL. You want to make sure you have all your “ducks” in a row before you submit your application. The first thing you want to do is make sure you are allowed to have a home-based gunsmithing business.

Contacting your county or locality is your first step. They will check to see if you are properly zoned to do business. For example, they will check to see how close you are to any schools, let you know if they require a floor plan showing where and how big your shop is going to be, and make sure the road you live on can handle the extra traffic.

I dealt with the traffic issue at my first location. I was allowed to have my business in my home, but I wasn’t allowed to have any customer traffic on my road. Doing business this way was difficult to start but my customers didn’t seem to mind, and I ended up preferring meeting people in parking lots to exchange their firearms. Just make sure you always have a copy of your FFL with you, just in case someone from law enforcement passes by and sees you passing firearms back and forth. It keeps you covered.

Once you get your business location approved, make sure you have everything in writing. Save any letters or emails you have been sent with approval. I submitted all my paperwork showing the county’s approvals and included these documents with my application.

Next, you need to establish a business. The only information I can give here is to check with your locality or state to see what they require to set up a small business. I chose to use Legal Zoom, and I set up an LLC. You can go whatever route is the most comfortable or fits your needs the best.

Now you have your business approval and a business license. You are almost ready to submit your application. Some things have changed since I applied for my license. For example, now you need to be able to lock up the firearms you have in your shop. However, it does not need to be in a safe or a vault. The firearms do need to be secured either by a door with lock and key or by running lockable cables through the firearms.

My ATF agent said that the firearms cannot be open for someone to walk in and be able to pick one up and leave with it. In my experience, if you can have a way to secure firearms set up before they come in and conduct your interview, the faster your application will get approved. The less trips the ATF agent must make to your shop, the better. Having all the paperwork and your shop ready when they conduct your interview will save a lot of time. It also shows the ATF that you are on top of things, and you are capable of the fine details needed to run a gun business.

The Application

The application process is pretty easy and self-explanatory. Fill out all the spaces required, and make sure your handwriting is very neat. You may be able to fill out the form online and print it out once you are done.

One area you want to make sure you fill out is your hours of operation. They want to know this so you will be open if they need to review your records. Don’t panic, gunsmiths are usually treated differently. I may be different than other gunsmiths because I do not sell a lot of firearms or do many transfers. The ATF visits high volume businesses more than they low volume businesses.

My hours of operation have been listed with the ATF as “call for an appointment” for the past twelve years. At my most recent audit, my ATF agent told me that I need to list my hours of operation for at least two hours on a weekday, every week. However, surprise visits don’t usually happen. The ATF will call you to set up an appointment to come in and review your records and make sure you are compliant.

Submitting your application with your business proof, fingerprint cards, and your business location approvals should answer every question that your ATF agent will need. Once you submit your application, you will be contacted by your local ATF agent to set up an appointment for the agent to review your business location. The agent will want to visit your home or shop to discuss your application, review where you plan on storing customer’s firearms, and highlight any areas that you may have missed or need to do prior to receiving your FFL.

Don’t freak out if you have missed something. ATF agents are people just like you and me. They have kids in local schools and possibly go to the same church you do. They are just doing their job. They must make sure that they check all the boxes before they hand you a license to buy, sell, and work on guns. Imagine yourself in their shoes. They have the power to approve you to sell firearms. The only information they have on you is what you have submitted and an interview that may last an hour. Make their job as easy as possible.

Best of luck with your application!

Semper Fi!

Written by: David Johnson, Leatherneck Gunsmithing