SwampYankee said:
If you actually are going to own a storefront and legitimately do a gunsmithing business, getting an FFL is not a problem, assuming you pass the background check, etc. Years ago, a lot of people would get FFL's just for the convenience and run a "shop" from their kitchen table. The BATFE starting cracking down on this 20 years ago but if you have a storefront, it's generally not a big deal- aside from all the darn paperwork and rules....
You can have a FFL without a storefront. Many people do have a FFL without one. Do they make it easy for you to do so? Just speaking locally, the ATF inspector meets with the zoning folks, then goes to meet with the city/town manager and speaks to them about "their" concerns, etc. Locally, due to the concerns of the ATF, my local city is refusing to re-issue business licenses for home based FFL's. Yes the ATF may say "their" regulations are this, but I can speak to the local fact that they do meet with zoning officials and the city manager before they come do the initial inspection. Please do not believe that a FFL is available anywhere no questions asked. In order to have an FFL though you must meet local regs too, and at least here, this is how they seem to "discourage" any possible FFLs. While they may not be able to force federal law in some regaurds, they can push the local officials to deny, or revoke any local permits. How do I know? About a week after I had my initial with the ATF, I recieved a letter in the mail from the city stating they were revocing my business license due to "unforseen zoning issues," and a few days later I recieved my FFL in the mail. Then had a fight on my hands in order to stay legal. How did I manage to squeak by it years ago? I have a long time family friend high up in beauty control cosmetics, and had a long list of not only them, but also other companies that have home based sales people who host "parties." It came down to what was politically allowable at the end of the day. Yes, I did have a huge list, and was ready to sue. They blinked and I won. Why was my business license revoked? Because of the ATF's "concerns."
Also to dogtown_tom, while the ATF may not make it impossible from the outside, once you deal with the after effects of being approved, and then having everything revoked, and fighting for what should be legal, you have no idea. As I have said before, I am glad things work out a 100% for you, but please dont lead others to believe that the
ATF has no problem with home based or "kitchen table" dealers....
I am one that had to fight the battle. There is no 100% when it comes to the ATF. If you or anyone else can provide a 100% bullet proof end all be all with everything dealing with the ATF, I for one would love to see it. From my experience there is a whole lot of "grey areas" they use to their advantage when they can. Not picking a fight, but what may work for you in one part of the country, may not work for another in another part of the country. We are dealing with the government of course.
I for one, tend to advise others to look locally and speak with the ATF inspectors in his/her area, and to proceed from there. Also, please do seek legal advice from a knowledgeable lawyer in your area on this. It may not be a problem, but then again it can come down to a threat of, or an actual lawsuit that you may or may not win, or worse. In all honesty, from my experience, I can not give a "blanket statement" that is good for all 50 states and every city therein.
I have great respect for the OP for asking advice. What it basically comes down to is are you actually "gunsmithing" per the regs, or even in a way that may be interpreted. If so, it is my advice that you should obtain a FFL and all local and state business licenses before you start your business.