what do you make of this??

[Billmanweh]

I sold a handgun to someone in Arkansas last week and received a signed in ink copy of his dealer's FFL. I offered to either overnight the pistol to his FFL, or have my FFL send it three day UPS (same price to me). He said his FFL said it didn't matter, so go ahead and send it overnight myself.

Yesterday I sent the pistol via overnight FedEx to his FFL. Well, he got the gun this morning. I came home this afternoon to find a message on my machine from the buyer that the FFL needs my social security number to input into his bound book. Well, in the last few dozen out of state firearms transactions that I've done I've never given my social security number, nor had to get the seller's SSN either. So I called him to let him know that I wasn't going to give him my SSN and I didn't think he needed it. Well, he says that he has to have it and I've already broken federal law by shipping the gun to him without having an FFL myself. In fact, if I don't give him my SSN, he's going to contact the ATF and get my *** into deep ****. I tell him to go ahead and he hangs up.

Well, am I out of line here?? Is he just misinformed?? Should I just forget it or contact the ATF myself to complain?

 

[jsalcedo]

He is misinformed. You can ship to an FFL without giving your SSN.

 

[Preacherman]

As far as I'm aware (and I'm not a lawyer), any citizen can ship a firearm to a FFL holder directly, under Federal law. However, some states require that some or all firearms be shipped by a FFL holder to another FFL holder. So, there may be a state law requirement, but if you're shipping from another state, that wouldn't apply to you, would it?

I've sent handguns off for repair or tune-ups to various gunsmiths and manufacturers, and didn't have a copy of their FFL before sending them. They, in turn, shipped them directly back to me. All of this is quite legal. However, if I had bought the gun from them, they'd have to send it to a FFL holder of my designation, and I'd have to do the whole Form 4473 thing to take possession.

 

[Billmanweh]

Is there even a place in a FFL's bound book for the seller's SSN?

The whole thing was so strange. The guy was just beligerent about me not giving him my SSN.

 

[BB93YJ]

First we have to put up with anti's, now dipsquirts like this too?

 

[Marko Kloos]

Is there even a place in a FFL's bound book for the seller's SSN?

There's a column for seller information, which can be used for seller name and address. The receiving FFL could conceivably write a seller's SSN into that space as well, but there's no *dedicated* space for that information per se. Our store does not record SSNs, just name and address of the source...so I doubt the SSN is federally-mandated information.

 

[Standing Wolf]

First we have to put up with anti's, now dipsquirts like this too?

Nope. He deserves to lose lots of business.

 

[WR Olsen]

Did anyone say that the 10 numbers you give this guy have to be an actual Social Security Number? How is he going to verify whatever number you reel off over the phone?

 

[AJ Dual]

I was looking into getting interstate inheritance firearms transferred through a shop, since all handguns were in one package of "modern" guns, C&R guns I can accept myself, and some pre-1899 and blackpowder aren't even "firearms" at all.

They wanted to NICS me and Charge me transfer fees even on the items that would be on my C&R license, or were obviously pre-1899, and/or cap and ball blackpowder.


It comes down to two things for dealers who do stuff like this:

1. Ignorance/Overzealousness borne out of fear of the ATF.

2. Control issues. i.e the same reason a dog licks it's butt: "Because they can"

3 Greed, in the cases where there's a financial impact. i.e. telling a customer there must be a shipping and a recieveing FFL, when there must only be a recieveing FFL etc.

 

[jsalcedo]

I tried to buy some neat old stuff at a gunshop with my C&R.

They said they wouldn't do it because they were afraid of getting in trouble.

When I asked them about an 1890's gun in .43 spanish not even being considered a firearm by the ATF they insisted it needed to go through NICS and be logged in their books.

 

[Billmanweh]

well, I found out from the buyer that after he (the FFL) hung up on me that he did release the gun to the buyer. apparently he was threatening to not transfer the gun without my SSN.

 

[WonderNine]

apparently he was threatening to not transfer the gun without my SSN.

He's just a dip. I think he could probably get in trouble for NOT releasing the gun to the customer if the customer decided to get the authorities involved.

 

[modifiedbrowning]

When you buy a gun from a dealer and fill out the 4473, even then you don't have to give him your SSN. It says that it is optional information right there on the 4473 form.