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Whats the law

randroof
I sold a rifle on gunbroker recently,
buyers ffl wants a copy of my drivers license.
I sold another rifle recently on gunbroker and
the buyers ffl didn't ask for anything like that.
Am i being paranoid here? Or do i, by law, have to
send this ffl a copy of my drivers license?????
I am not, an ffl myself, I am just selling off some
of my collection.
Identity theft is a real problem in this country.
Any help appreciated!!!
Thanks
randy[?]
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Comments

11 comments

Date Votes
  • cookies
    No, you do not have to send him anything if you do not wish to. For his records, you may want to send a name and address.
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  • RancheroPaul
    FFL's have to account for where they got their guns. The BATF begins to question why "Mr. Jones" seems to be the only guy selling guns to the Dealer. Sometimes there are also Local Laws that must be adhered to, also. Dealers like to be assurred they know where they got the gun because sometimes the gun comes up as "stolen."

    To keep this from being a "worry" to you, if you send it from an FFL, he furnishes a Copy of his FFL along with the Item being shipped to the receiving FFL. That Dealer then just marks it down as gotten from the Shipping FFL. Your Dealer is the only one that knows you as the person that sold it, (and the BATF), because they have access to the "BOOK" from the FFL. But, you don't have to "prove" who you are by providing a copy of your Driver's License to the receiving dealer. He is only trying to "cover his own a--" by asking for a copy from you.

    I Miss The World I Grew Up In!
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  • randroof
    quote:Originally posted by RancheroPaul
    FFL's have to account for where they got their guns. The BATF begins to question why "Mr. Jones" seems to be the only guy selling guns to the Dealer. Sometimes there are also Local Laws that must be adhered to, also. Dealers like to be assurred they know where they got the gun because sometimes the gun comes up as "stolen."

    To keep this from being a "worry" to you, if you send it from an FFL, he furnishes a Copy of his FFL along with the Item being shipped to the receiving FFL. That Dealer then just marks it down as gotten from the Shipping FFL. Your Dealer is the only one that knows you as the person that sold it, (and the BATF), because they have access to the "BOOK" from the FFL. But, you don't have to "prove" who you are by providing a copy of your Driver's License to the receiving dealer. He is only trying to "cover his own a--" by asking for a copy from you.

    I Miss The World I Grew Up In!
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  • randroof
    OOPS,
    I GUESS I MESSED UP THAT LAST REPLY.
    PRESSED THE WRONG BUTTON.
    SORRY ABOUT THAT.

    THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE TO MY QUESTION,
    I DON'T KNOW WHY I AM JUST NOT COMFORTABLE SENDING
    A COPY OF MY DRIVERS LICENSE TO THAT FFL
    IF IT'S NOT NECESSARY.
    IF I SEND IT FROM ANOTHER FFL, ITS GOING TO COST
    MORE $ TO DO IT THAT WAY.
    THE BUYER IS BEING VERY UNDERSTANDING AND I REALLY
    WANT TO SEND HIM THE RIFLE MONDAY.
    BUT I THINK I AM GOING TO SEND HIM BACK HIS MONEY ORDER.
    I JUST HOPE I DON'T GET BAD FEEDBACK CAUSE OF THIS
    TECHNICALLITY.
    UNLESS I ASK MY FFL HOW MUCH AND THE BUYER WANTS TO PAY
    HIS FEE?
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  • mark christian
    In the dealers record of aquesitions and dispositions (the so called "bound book") the source of any firearm received must be entered along with the date it was received and the date released. The dealer needs either an FFL number (C&R is fine on C&R firearms) or you full name and address for his bound book. How you provide this information is between you and the dealer but I like to see a drivers license copy, although I'd accept another ID which clearly states your name and address.

    Mark T. Christian
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  • p3skyking
    I concur with Mark but will go a step farther. If people (sellers) don't get with the program and send the required information in an approved format (state issued picture id), more dealers will simply require an FFL to send the package.

    Unless sellers are willing to eat that expense as a cost of their "paranoia", online gun sales may take a dive.

    What men call a hero...is merely a man who is seen doing what a brave man does as a matter of course.
    A man who is in love with learning is a man who is never without a bride, for there is always more. L'Amour
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  • matwor
    Why can't the FFL on the recieving end just enter the name and address of the seller, without having a copy of the sellers D.L., into his "bound book?" Let the BATF figure it out from there if the gun does show up to be stolen.

    On this same subject, how does a buyer on the receiving end, end up getting his money back, if the buyers FFL runs the gun and it ends up stolen?

    "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

    Edmund Burke
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  • tomh.
    My FFl requires a copy of drivers license if not sent from an FFL. Maybe you could mark out your Social Security Number or even License Number so all it shows is your photo and address. A lot less risk that way. I don't see why you'd need to show more than that.
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  • tomh.
    My FFl requires a copy of drivers license if not sent from an FFL. Maybe you could mark out your Social Security Number or even License Number so all it shows is your photo and address. A lot less risk that way. I don't see why you'd need to show more than that.
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  • gonepostal
    Would you buy or sale a gun from a unknown person sent anonymously through the mail ???

    Before you answer that ,if this unknown person happens to be a convicted felon ,you will could loose your business and possible go to jail ,if the gun turns out to be stolen ,maybe even later on gets reported as stolen ,you could loose your business ,and even if everything is legal about the seller and the gun ,you still need documented proof ,or again your in trouble ,It is not anyone but the ffl holder in questions responsibility to prove were the gun came from ,it is not the police or the BATF&E's responsibility ,the ffl holder and only the ffl holder

    Buying and selling a gun is not like putting a false name on a hotel register ,it has to has proof of where this gun has previously been since it was manufactured , not from john doe ,while your intentions maybe be good ,the people that have been dis honest in the past have ruined it for all of us ,and there are rules

    I would question a dealer who DID NOT ask for your identification,and make sure you get a "signed ink copy" of his ffl ,not a faxed copy he has to sign it ,and then go to the atf.gov web site and check his status , and most shipping companies require a copy of your copy

    And anyone who answered "yes" to the first question with out a doubt is a idiot ,and deserves to go to jail


    yep its me ,same one for 4 years now
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  • mark christian
    matwor, the reason we can't just enter the name in address is because we have no way to know if the name and address is the actual source of the firearm. I could enter the name John Smith, 123 Main St., Anytown, 12345 in my bound book, but how the heck am I supposed to know if John Smith even exists, much less sent me the firearm? I need John's ID to verify that he is a real person with a real address (even a PO box, if it is on his ID, is okay) where he can be contacted in case of trouble. As far as letting the BATFE figure all this out later-- Please, NEVER get an FFL! You'd be out of business and in a heap of trouble two minutes into your first compliance inspection. The purpose of the BATFE inspection of dealers is NOT to figure things out, they show up to receive solid information and pity the dealer who can't provide it!

    Skyking mentioned this in his post but the reason a large number of dealers will only receive firearms from other dealers (and I hear this complaint all the time in GB postings) is for the very reasons I just mentioned. If I get a firearm from another dealer all I need is a copy of his FFL, which I file, and I need only enter his FFL number into my bound book. It just does not get easier than that and this is why lots of dealers want to do it this way (and only this way). Once I have the license in my files then (and only then) can the BATFE be expected to figure out any problems since they issued the license in the first place. Everything else that goes on in my records is my problem and it falls on my shoulders to clear up or explain any mistakes or errors to my compliance inspector and I don't want to have ANY problems! In my own state I do not have the ability to "run" firearms through any sort of data base to check on their history so I can't answer your question about such activites. I do not know of any other states where FFL holders have access to such information, but there could well be some areas where this is allowed.

    Mark T. Christian
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