Ffl ?

[lws380]

Over the last several years, I've had a few request from customers that wanted to mail their guns to me. I told them that they could only do it by going through an FFL on both ends. That would require two shipping charges and 2 FFL fees, that they would have to pay for. That typically ends the conversation as the cost of shipping and FFL fees are more than the cost of the holster.

My FFL recently jacked up his transfer charges, so I decided to get my own FFL. It cost $200 for the first 3 years and I believe $90 for renewal. The process took about 90 days and it was not that bad. I expected it to be much worse, but was surprised how easy it was to get the license. I found the ATF to be helpful and they have always answered my questions. I call them all the time for guidance to help ensure I'm doing everything by the book. I applied for the license in my company name.

So now individuals can mail their guns directly to me for holster making. I can in turn mail the gun directly back to them, since I'm only constructing a holster, not altering the gun or selling the gun. I do have to keep a log book for guns that come in for holster making, logging the gun in and out. Unfortunately, the individual does not have the same shipping options as an FFL holder. An individual with out an FFL has to use over night shipping with Fed Ex or UPS and that is fairly costly. A client did that a couple of months ago and it cost him $70 or so to ship it to me. I shipped it back to him ( I have to ship it exactly back to the address it came from, no where else) with his holster for about $30 or so and that included $500 for insurance. An FFL can apparently use the USPS for shipping, but my suggestion is to avoid the USPS like the plague. I was also told by other FFL's to not use the Postal Service. I simply take my package to a mom and pop contract mail center. I give them a copy of my FFL and also put a copy in the package and they ship it the cheapest way they can find. But you have more shipping options as an FFL and there is no over night requirement if you are an FFL. Always pay for the insurance value of the gun when shipping, they can get lost on rare occasions. Ever see those stories on TV with a Fed Ex or UPS truck burning on the road?

Someone might be able to find an FFL to ship for them, but the gun has to be shipped back to the same FFL and not the customers address! If the customer could talk the FFL into a deal on the FFL cost, that may be a better alternative to the customer having to ship overnight.

On occasion, I do buy real guns for molding. Having the FFL allows the guns to be shipped directly to me and avoid the FFL charges.

In regard to getting an FFL. One thing that kept coming up in my research and the actual process, has to do with where you live. It you live in a city that has an ordinance against having an FFl you will likely not get it. Also, if you have a homeowners association, they will have to approve you having a FFL before the ATF will approve. Luckily, I live in an unincorporated portion of my county and we do not have a homeowners association. Also, there has to be a business reason for getting an FFL. Just to buy guns at wholesale cost is not reason enough. Having an FFL to receive guns for holster making is a business reason.

There is record keeping involved and I think you have to keep your records for 20 years. However, I do not buy and sell lots of guns and I don't really do the transfer business for people. I've had calls asking what I charge for transfers and I simply tell them I don't do transfers as I got my license for holster work. Since I'm not doing tons of transfers, the record keeping is not that bad. I would also suggest having a good fire proof gun safe to store and protect someones property (gun) when they send it to you, as well as your records. You will have to log all weapons in and out in your FFL log book.

Edited May 1, 2014 by lws380

[katsass]

FWIW from the grumpy old guy: I live on the western edge of the Mojave Desert in Calif. I have made a few holsters over the years and have found that the only time I need to maintain a weapon, (being the subject of this thread) is actually when I mold the holster. Other than that all I need is to draw an outline of the shooter and take a couple of measurements. Almost all of the time the customer tells me to just keep the damned thing as long as it takes to make the holster to his specs and fit his gun to the finished chunk of dead cow skin. If I do maintain custody of my customer's shooter, I always issue a receipt indicating that the only use authorized by the owner is the fitting the holster to the gun. No FFL needed, even in Ca. Just saying. Mike

Edited May 2, 2014 by katsass