Your definitions of “quick” and “easy” must vary significantly from mine. Granted, an FFL has to be careful with the paperwork, but the process itself is pretty straightforward. The only “investment” is the time it takes to make the call.
Spoken like someone who is wholly and completely ignorant of anything to do with a firearm transfer.
On average it takes my transfer dealer 5 minutes to call the State. Sometimes on a very busy day, he has to call back again later. In states that have online systems (like VA), there isn’t even any waiting on hold — just check the computer to see when it’s been adjudicated. That sounds pretty quick and easy to me.
How long does it take a mechanic to replace a $5 part? A plumber to fix a leak in a $2 section of pipe? It might take hours to fix that part. Just like complaing about a $1000 labor bill on a car repair, believing a firearm transfer is pure profit for five minutes work is just ignorant.
What you a customer see of the transfer is only the dealer verifying your 4473, making the NICS phone call, signing your 4473 and taking your transfer fee. Surely you don't think that's the only time involved in your transfer?
If you’re paying someone $20/hr and they spend 12 mins doing a transfer call, that’s $4. At the going rate of $25-$50 per transfer, that’s a lot of “pure profit” (even more if you’re the owner and “paying” yourself). Is it as much as they would make by selling the gun, too? Nope...but it’s more than they would make if the new owner used a different FFL.
Anytime someone says "pure profit" in a post about gun transfers it's 99% chance that they know absolutely nothing about gun transfers or the gun business. The other 1% are FFL's making jokes about gun transfers being pure profit
.
Does that $20 transfer fee include fines and imprisonment for violating procedures, errors or omissions in your recordkeeping?
Are your utilities, phone, internet free?
How about free toner and copy paper?
How about your liability and theft insurance?
Security system and three safes? Tell me where I can get more free safes.
Every day, Monday - Saturday I'll spend a minimum of an hour a day opening boxes, logging incoming transfers into my books and emailing customers that their gun has arrived. That doesn't include the time I spend answering the phone, answering emails, sending emails with my FFL to sellers or anything else related to running a business.
You pay a transfer fee because the dealer
has an FFL, not for the time involved. Just like you pay a dentist because he has a DDS after his name, why you pay a Notary because they are a Notary.....not for their time. While to some dealers it may be "pure profit" because they already have rent, utilities, insurance expenses built into their budget, it most certainly doesn't account for time. It also doesn't include the time I spend idle, waiting for the customer who said he would arrive at 7pm tonight......but doesn't show for a week. It doesn't include the time I spend tracking down the buyer/transferee because the seller didn't bother including an invoice or note with the buyers name and contact info.
