Go To The Source
Most firearms information online is somebody's summary of somebody else's summary. These are the primary sources — ATF, the FBI, and the regulations themselves.
28 resources, every one opened and checked before it went on this page. Government sources only — no vendors, no affiliate links, nothing we get paid for. Two entries are hosted by Cornell Law School rather than a federal site and are marked as such.
Where the paperwork actually happens.
Where Forms 1, 3, 4, 5 and the Form 7 licence application are filed electronically. Electronic filing is dramatically faster than paper on every form ATF publishes times for.
The complete downloadable directory — Form 7, Form 1, Form 4473 and the rest.
Which revision is current and what changed. The August 2023 revision re-lettered the sections — worth checking before trusting any older guide.
ATF’s own electronic 4473 software for dealers, Windows and macOS. Electronic 4473s are authorised under ATF Ruling 2016-2.
The Form 7 process end to end, including the in-person interview with an Industry Operations Investigator. This is the queue we are in.
Look it up rather than take someone’s word for it.
The source behind our own tracker. Updated by ATF monthly; we re-read it every Monday.
Verify a dealer’s federal licence is real and current, free. Note it cannot validate Type 03 collector or Type 06 licences.
Downloadable lists of every FFL, nationwide or by state and licence type.
State by state, which carry permits qualify as an alternative to a NICS check. Answers the most common question at any counter.
NICS is run by the FBI, not ATF. These go straight to the FBI.
The system itself: hours, operational reports, and how checks are processed.
How it works, and which states run their own checks instead of going to the FBI.
If you were denied. You can request the reason and formally challenge it. Denials include misidentification, and they are appealable.
For people repeatedly delayed or denied because they share a name or details with someone prohibited. Fixes the problem permanently rather than one purchase at a time.
The actual text, not somebody’s summary of it.
ATF’s own list of the most common issues its inspectors find. The source for our 4473 section.
Fifteen chapters on suppressors, SBRs, machine guns and the rest of the NFA. Updated May 2026.
Searchable index of every ATF ruling, with PDFs. Where 2016-2 and 2022-01 on electronic 4473s live.
ATF answering specific questions directly. More useful and more citable than most forum threads.
ATF’s compilation of state firearms law, per-state PDFs, 36th edition. Start here before trusting any state-law summary.
ATF’s newsletters back to 2005. Where a lot of practical guidance appears first.
The 2025–26 reform programme, including ending the Enhanced Regulatory Enforcement Policy. Relevant context for anything written about ATF enforcement before 2025.
Primary sources. Slower reading, no interpretation layer.
Licensing, the 4473, recordkeeping, background checks. The rules a dealer is inspected against.
Machine guns, destructive devices, suppressors, SBRs — the National Firearms Act regulations.
The core prohibitions, including § 922(a)(6) on false statements. Hosted by Cornell Law School — a university, not a government site.
The licensing statute, including the exhaustive grounds on which ATF may deny an application. Cornell Law School.
Where we are, and what applies to a shop rather than a buyer.
Florida is a point-of-contact state — FDLE runs background checks, not the FBI directly. Open 9am–9pm ET, 363 days a year.
FAET applies to manufacturers and importers and is administered by TTB, not ATF. A tax obligation that surprises a lot of new manufacturers.
ATF’s guidebooks and reports for both licensees and the public.
ATF’s straw-purchase campaign. Buying a firearm for someone who cannot legally have one carries up to 15 years.
Federal agencies move their URLs more often than you would hope — four of the most obvious addresses for these resources were already dead when we built this page. We re-check the whole list periodically. If one breaks, tell us and we’ll fix it.