How to Buy a Gun Online Guide

So you’ve been browsing your favorite online gun site and found a heck of a deal. Wait…you can buy guns online? Oh boy can you and there are some awesome deals to be had! The problem is that it’s not like buying bunny slippers at Amazon.com. The process is still easy, there’s just a few extra steps.

Right off the bat, you should know that you can’t have the guns shipped directly to your home*. They have to be shipped to a Federal Firearms License holder (FFL for those who are into that whole brevity thing). In short, you have to go through a local dealer no matter what you do. Some dealers don’t want the responsibility though so be sure to check with them before you start the process. If you need help finding a local FFL, check out http://www.FFLFinder.com/ for help.

Keep in mind, the local dealer is going to charge you a transfer fee and sometimes a fee for a background check. Figure it’s going to run you about $30 when all is said and done. If you’re buying an out of state gun, you probably won’t have to pay sales tax so that should even things out a bit. Still sometime to remember when you see the price of a gun.

A couple other things: It goes without saying but you should be sure that you will be able to pass a background check. Also, make sure the gun complies with local laws before it ships.

1. Buy the gun (duh)
2. Once you’ve found a local dealer that is willing to help with the transfer, you’ll need to let the place you’ve purchased the gun know where to send the necessary information. Also, you’ll need your local dealer to send their FFL information to where you purchased. At that point, pretty much everything is handled between the 2 dealers.
3. Once it ships, you should receive a tracking number (always insist on one).
4. When your local dealer receives the gun, they will contact you. It’s just a matter of going and picking up now. Before you sign all the stuff saying you’ve taken possession of the firearm, examine it carefully. Remember, it’s still not technically yours yet so make sure it’s exactly what you ordered and that there’s nothing missing. I can understand the excitement of receiving a new gun but now is not the time to rush though.
5. If everything is alright with the gun, sign the papers, pay the fee and then head to the range.

These are the general steps of what to expect. Different places will have different requirements so it’s always best to check with the stores. They’ll always be happy to answer any questions you have.

*unless you have a FFL. In which case, good on ya but why are you reading this article?