4473 and abbreviations

[ke6guj]

Try not having a first OR middle name!!!!! Just initials that don't stand for anything.....

I remember hearing about someone else only having initials for first and middle name, and when he elisted in the Air Force, they wouldn't accept his birth nam, J. R. Cash , so he changed it to John R. Cash. You may know him as Johnny Cash

 

[Robert Hairless]

When I was in the Army (ours) long ago I encountered a soldier named "Turkey."

"That was all they give me," he explained. I checked. It was. He was on special orders in transit from one post to another and his pay went astray somewhere in the middle. It took me an entire day of doing nothing else to get that man paid. People kept hanging up on me.

 

[JohnKSa]

I can not recall ever filling out a 4473 without being told not to abbreviate anything.

Personal talks with FFL friends indicate that the BATF will browbeat FFL holders for abbreviations and other similar "infractions".

 

[22-rimfire]

I have always been told to use no abbreviations except state and I've filled out Form 4473 more than a few times. Never had a problem, but I take time to be neat.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

I use the Jr. abbreviation on the 4473 and ATF FORM 4s that I've filled out. It is also listed that way on my C&R. It is the name listed on my birth certificate. Never had any problem.

If ATF doesn't like abbreviations, why do they use "TRL" instead of "Trail" on my C&R street address?

 

[Wes Janson]

Where I'm at, we've been told ATF will only accept postal abbreviations.

 

[Blackfork]

Red's Trading Post

Any firearms owner not up on this particular situation ought to google Red's and read the horror story of the BATFE and abbreviations.

 

[armedandsafe]

I once had to take in a certified copy of my birth certificate to convince a dealer that my "Jr." is part of my legal name, and he would be committing fraud if he continued to insist that I put "Junior."

Pops

 

[Dave in PA]

I had a retail manager scold me not to use abbreviations on the 4473, so I spelled everything out. My town's name is two words, the first is Pen. She complained "I told you NO ABBREVIATIONS". I had already gone through this with the clerk, He showed her my driver's license. Yep, town name is two words. Then she fills in the blanks about resident alien N/A. I asked what's that mean? She snaps Not Applicable. I retorted I thought you just said NO ABBREVIATIONS!. You have to understand, I had already been trying to buy this stupid shotgun for over an hour. It really shouldn't take this long.

The worst part was, they couldn't find the shotty they logged out to me. They had three listed as available in their book, but none in the safe, only the one in the display case. That managers day just got a whole lot worse!

 

[waterhouse]

The BATFE is very much opposed to abbreviations of all kinds, which is why a rifle or shotgun barrel has a minimum length.

Funniest thing I've read in a while. Thanks.

As for abbreviations . . . I attended an ATF dealer seminar within the last 6 months. The first guy to speak was asked if abbreviations were OK. He said yes, as long as they were "accepted abbreviations." When asked what this meant he mentioned post abbreviations for states.

About an hour later another lady was talking, and she was explaining how to fill out the 4473 in the part where you get to skip the NICS check with a CHL. She said, " . . . and in this box you put 'Texas concealed carry license.' " Someone (I think jokingly) asked if they could put "TX concealed carry license" and the woman said no. Someone else asked for something in writing which explained whether abbreviations could be used or not, and there wasn't much of a response.

Now that there is a check box for United States Citizen, where people used to be able to write "USA," the only abbreviation I can think of on the form would be a state name. I have no problem with my customer's abbreviating state names.