FAQ

A Federal Firearms License (FFL) transfer dealer is required for the transfer of firearms ownership between individuals.

Buyers should either have a FFL or find a FFL in their local area to receive and manage the transfer of the item for them before they place a bid or purchase an item. This typically means the buyer must contact a local FFL transfer dealer to make arrangements for the transfer.

Accessories such as: holsters, clips, sights, scopes, etc., often are not required to ship to a FFL. Non-firearm items such as: air guns, knives, ammunition, antique guns built before 1899, and some gun parts also do not require transfer by a licensed dealer but may require proof of age before shipping.

Please review the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) FAQ about transferring ownership of firearms by unlicensed persons: http://www.atf.gov/qa-category/unlicensed-persons.

YES! Anyone purchasing a firearm must be able to pass a background check. See https://www.atf.gov/questions-and-answers/firearms-qas for more information. We perform all background checks, and can walk you through the process.

There are just a few things that would prevent you from purchasing a firearm.

Not to get too serious on you, but if you meet any of the following conditions, you will not be legally allowed to purchase a firearm, and your local FFL dealer will deny the purchase:

• You were convicted of a crime punishable with over a year in prison

• You’re a fugitive from justice

• You are an unlawful user or addict of any controlled substance (including marijuana as it is illegal at the federal level and this is a federal transfer)

• You are in the United States illegally

• You were dishonorably discharged from the military

• You have renounced your United States citizenship

• You have a restraining order out against you

• You are under indictment for a crime that could be punishable with over a year in prison

As long as you have lived a relatively normal, lawful life, you will not be turned away.

Under former Governor Ralph Northam, the law was changed requiring all private sales to pass a background check.

Virginia generally prohibits any person from selling a firearm “for money, goods, services or anything else of value” unless the seller has received verification from a licensed dealer that the buyer has undergone a background check and been approved by the State Police.

Virginia law also prohibits anyone from buying a gun without undergoing this background check. The process must conform with the process used by a dealer to perform a background check on the buyer of a firearm from the dealer’s own inventory.

Va. Code Ann. §§ 18.2-308.2:2, 18.2-308.2:5.