What is the process of buying a gun?
Before a licensed firearms dealer can sell a firearm, the purchaser must complete, under penalty of perjury, a Firearms Transaction Record (Form 4473). Once the form is completed, and before any firearm is transferred, the purchaser must pass a mandatory background check through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which is run by the FBI. Once the purchaser passes the background check establishing that he/she is not a prohibited person, the firearm may be transferred. Federal law requires a licensed dealer to report (Form 3310.4) multiple sales of handguns (more than one handgun to the same purchaser within a five-day period) to ATF and local law enforcement by the close of business. Federal law prohibits the sale of handguns across state lines. For example, a New York resident cannot purchase a handgun in New Jersey.
