Gun Shop Procedures:
Operation of a firearms retail sales facility requires compliance with both Federal and State laws and regulations. Non-compliance may result in financial penalties and loss of license. Employees performing sales and service activities in "The Hunter's Hut" must be fully aware of their responsibilities in this regard. Federal and State officials will perform audits of the facility, the inventory, the procedures being followed and records produced, at their discretion.
SOLANO'S utilizes two computer applications to process firearm transaction data. Primary is the California state developed program, "DES", that complies with Federal and State recordkeeping and background check requirements. In addition, we have developed a Microsoft Access application (SI-TRANS) to assist us in paperwork management. These systems will be discussed in detail in the following document.
Compliance with all of the firearm laws and regulations is a complex procedure. The following flow charts indicate the activities that occur during the processing of a firearm transaction.
Figure 1, below, presents an overview of the firearms processing activities. The process consists of three primary activities, receiving, sales, and delivery. A more detailed breakdown of each of these broad activities is presented in Figures 2 through 8.
Figure 2 addresses the Federal requirements for recording all acquired firearms in the Federal "Bound Book". The Bound Book format has been decreed by the ATF and has been printed by a number publishing companies. The book format has pre-numbered lines for data entry, with acquisition information entered on the left hand page and purchaser's data on the right hand facing page. The line number for each item is utilized throughout our recordkeeping system as the Bound Book is the "Official" log as far as the ATF is concerned. The first step in receiving a firearm is to confirm that each item received matches the invoice. This insures that the record of who/where a weapon is located can be checked by ATF. It is also mandatory to use the actual serial number stamped on each gun when entering that information into the Bound Book. Note that the price tag is attached to the firearm before placement in storage or display. The Bound Book line number is transcribed on the back of price tag to assist in inventory audits.
Figure 3 addresses the State requirements for recording all acquired firearms in the DES computer application. Below each applicable activity box is a reference to the corresponding page in the DROS Users Guide issued by the California Department of Justice. Links to this guide and other related documents/forms appear at the end of this portion of the website.
Figure 4 describes the initial steps in the sales portion of the procedure, IE, preparing for inputting data to the DES application as a result of a sale of a firearm. Links to an example of the Form 4473 appear at the end of this portion of the website.
Figure 5 displays the transaction types that are available in the DES system and references page numbers in the DROS Users Guide that apply to each type of transaction.
Figure 6 continues the description of the DES activities required for completion of the "Sales" function.
Figure 7 presents the activities associated with the final steps in the process, IE delivery of the firearm to the buyer. As noted above, the numbers displayed under each activity box refer to page numbers in the DROS User Guide. Forms referenced in this figure are available through links appearing at the end of this procedure.
The SI-TRANS database application was developed by our staff to assist in managing the various forms/documents that are created during sales and delivery functions. At the beginning of a sale transaction, the application is opened, a new record screen displayed and a unique file number label is printed and applied to the folder that will contain documents generated during the transaction. Figure 8 indicates the various activities involved with recording data in the SI-TRANS application and the filing of documents in the customer's file folder. It should be noted that because of the importance of complying with state and federal laws and regulations, an auditing function is conducted by a member of our staff. Following Figure 8 is an example of the SI-TRANS screen. Customer folders are stored in a filing cabinet in the gun shop office.
As a licensed firearms dealer, SOLANO'S also provides testing and issuance of firearms safety certificates. Details of this program are provided in the reference documents listed below.
Firearm Forms and Publications:
ATF Form 4473 Firearms Transaction Record
State DROS Worksheet BDF 929
State DROS Entry User Guide
State Gun Safe/Lock Box Affidavit BOF 978
State Safe Handling Demo BOF 039
SOLANO'S Firearms Safety Rules
Firearms Safety Certificate Manual
Firearms Safety Test Guide