Copying Form 4473?

[Theohazard]

Why would you want one?

Anymore, most are going paperless anyway

To verify the submission was error free.

You don’t need a photocopy to do that. I ask every customer to check their portion of the 4473 before they sign it.

I dont see the reason for wanting a copy. The face page is all your info. You have the guns make, model & SN. You have a receipt with the FFL’s info. What else do you need for any records keeping you want?

This. In my experience, when a customer asks if they’re supposed to get a copy of the 4473, it’s out of ignorance. Many customers seem to think that the 4473 is a registration document, and the gun they’re buying is now “in their name” and they need to be able to provide proof that the firearm is theirs.

I really can’t see any reason why the OP would want a copy of his portion of the 4473. So he needs a record of his own name, address, place of birth, height, weight, sex, birth date, SSN, ethnicity, race, and a list of the various crimes he hasn’t committed?

 

[dogtown tom]

Theohazard Quote:.....I really can’t see any reason why the OP would want a copy of his portion of the 4473. So he needs a record of his own name, address, place of birth, height, weight, sex, birth date, SSN, ethnicity, race, and a list of the various crimes he hasn’t committed?

Rebates.
Some manufacturers ask for a copy of the first three pages of the Form 4473 as proof of purchase for their rebate.

I hate those manufacturers.

 

[FITASC]

Who? I have never seen a mfg, ask for a 4473; the sales receipt, the bar code, etc., some downloaded form, yes.

 

[Theohazard]

Rebates.
Some manufacturers ask for a copy of the first three pages of the Form 4473 as proof of purchase for their rebate.

I hate those manufacturers.

I know that manufacturers often require a copy of the 4473 for gun store employee sales incentive points, but I’ve never had a customer ask for a copy of the 4473 for a consumer rebate. They’ve always been fine with just a regular receipt.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Who? I have never seen a mfg, ask for a 4473; the sales receipt, the bar code, etc., some downloaded form, yes.

There have been two mentioned in the course of this discussion. The BATFE advisory specifically mentions it, so it's not like it never happened:

PROVIDING COPIES OF ATF
FORM 4473 AS PART OF
COUPON/REBATE OFFERS
ATF has received numerous inquiries from FFLs
asking whether they may provide copies of the
ATF Form 4473 “Firearms Transaction Record”
to firearms purchasers participating in coupon/
rebate programs. Licensed dealers are required to
record firearms transactions on ATF Form 4473
and retain all records prepared for the sale or
other disposition of firearms as under 27 CFR
178.124 and 27 CFR 178.129, respectively. The
Federal firearms laws do not prohibit an FFL from
providing a photocopy of the ATF Form 4473 to
the buyer at the buyer’s request. If you have any
questions about this information, please contact
the Firearms Programs Division at (202) 927-
7770.​

 

[kozak6]

Yeah.

A small gun shop is unlikely to have a copy machine, and even an all-in-one printer could be unnecessary. Some people would rather bluster than admit that they just didn't have a convenient way to make you a copy.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

A small gun shop is unlikely to have a copy machine, and even an all-in-one printer could be unnecessary. Some people would rather bluster than admit that they just didn't have a convenient way to make you a copy.

Based on a widespread sampling of two small gun shops I deal with, both in (different) small towns, I have to disagree with you. There are a lot of things that even very small businesses encounter that require either copies or scans. The two shops I know are both basically hole-in-the-wall size shops. One is a one-man operation, the other has two separate companies run by two separate FFLs, both operating out of a tiny storefront in a town with a main street that's all of two blocks long. Both have copier/scanners in house.

I fully understand that a sampling of two is hardly representative of the industry/trade as a whole, but since you're not likely to find a gun shop smaller than these, I think it's safe to use them as [allegedly anecdotal] evidence to show that it's not unlikely to find a small gun shop with a copier.

 

[Theohazard]

I agree with AB. Considering it’s safe to say that the vast majority of small gun shops offer transfer services, that means it’s highly likely that they’re going to have a printer/fax machine. And most printer/fax machines are also capable of copying too. So I think it’s unlikely that you’re going to come across an FFL that isn’t equipped to make copies.

 

[osbornk]

Yeah.

A small gun shop is unlikely to have a copy machine, and even an all-in-one printer could be unnecessary. Some people would rather bluster than admit that they just didn't have a convenient way to make you a copy.

Nearly all businesses and even private homes have a printer/copier. Mine is a wireless HP printer that was about $50, I've seen printers that can copy for under $40 at Walmart.

 

[dogtown tom]

Theohazard

Quote:
Originally Posted by dogtown tom View Post
Rebates.
Some manufacturers ask for a copy of the first three pages of the Form 4473 as proof of purchase for their rebate.

I hate those manufacturers.

I know that manufacturers often require a copy of the 4473 for gun store employee sales incentive points, but I’ve never had a customer ask for a copy of the 4473 for a consumer rebate. They’ve always been fine with just a regular receipt.

ATIhttps://www.americantactical.us/catalyst.aspx?st=110000&e=viewcontent&dynamiccontentcode=r_disclaimer

FNUSAhttps://www.galleryofguns.com/ConsumerPromo/Images/PromoImages/fns.pdf

LWRChttps://lwrci.com/support/forms/aimpointform.pdf

Beretta, Browning and a slew of others have done it in the past as well.

 

[dogtown tom]

kozak6 Yeah.

A small gun shop is unlikely to have a copy machine, and even an all-in-one printer could be unnecessary. Some people would rather bluster than admit that they just didn't have a convenient way to make you a copy.

I stopped making copies for rebates.
Everyone that has a cellphone has a camera and can easily take a photo of the three pages they need.

 

[Theohazard]

Dogtown: Oh, I believed you, I’ve just never seen it myself. Seems odd; I spent 5 years working full-time and the last two years working part-time and I’ve never had a customer ask for a copy of the 4473 for rebate purposes. And that’s all at high-volume shops.

 

[Tom Servo]

A small gun shop is unlikely to have a copy machine, and even an all-in-one printer could be unnecessary.

Actually, it's a necessity that you have the capability to send and receive faxes. The ATF prefers that dealers fax copies in for a trace, and there are still (in the 21st century!) dealers who don't have access to email.