imported post
Well, I'm nearly through my very first ATF audit. There were some bookkeeping/administrative "issues" that they will probably document for corrective action, but no missing guns or unregistered silencers, or any such eggregious violations, so I think we'll be OK. It is unnerving, though, having to answer to The Man about every last damned detail of things that happened before I even worked here, and trying to take care of business while they're pouring over the books and inventory at the same time.
I appreciate better the complaints about arbitrary enforcement from dealers - different inspectors place different emphasis on different things (e.g. do you need to execute a 4473 form for black-powder purchases?). There's a lot of room to get violated, despite any amount of good faith, andrepeat violations of any kind are routinely considered deliberate even given that past inspections didn't necessarilyflag problems.
Since there's no continuing education requirement for FFLs as such, it is incumbent upon licensees tokeep themselves current on any and all changes in laws and policies. Little things like posting a copy of the Youth Handgun Safety Act on the wall, in addition to supplying a copy with every handgun purchase, having and offering trigger locks, checking ID for ammo purchases (just to verify age), asking pertinent questions to frustrate "straw purchases" - these add up. There's no end of ways to get in trouble.
So, the next time you're in a gun shop and you don't see the Youth Handgun Safety Act on the wall, or they don't card you for ammo,say, remind them politely that it's in their interests to be fully compliant about all these things. There are spies who go into shops trying to embroil the operators in shady dealings, and I'd hate to see another mom & pop that's been in business for decades go under for anything less than outright criminal malfeasance.
-ljp
Well, I'm nearly through my very first ATF audit. There were some bookkeeping/administrative "issues" that they will probably document for corrective action, but no missing guns or unregistered silencers, or any such eggregious violations, so I think we'll be OK. It is unnerving, though, having to answer to The Man about every last damned detail of things that happened before I even worked here, and trying to take care of business while they're pouring over the books and inventory at the same time.
I appreciate better the complaints about arbitrary enforcement from dealers - different inspectors place different emphasis on different things (e.g. do you need to execute a 4473 form for black-powder purchases?). There's a lot of room to get violated, despite any amount of good faith, andrepeat violations of any kind are routinely considered deliberate even given that past inspections didn't necessarilyflag problems.
Since there's no continuing education requirement for FFLs as such, it is incumbent upon licensees tokeep themselves current on any and all changes in laws and policies. Little things like posting a copy of the Youth Handgun Safety Act on the wall, in addition to supplying a copy with every handgun purchase, having and offering trigger locks, checking ID for ammo purchases (just to verify age), asking pertinent questions to frustrate "straw purchases" - these add up. There's no end of ways to get in trouble.
So, the next time you're in a gun shop and you don't see the Youth Handgun Safety Act on the wall, or they don't card you for ammo,say, remind them politely that it's in their interests to be fully compliant about all these things. There are spies who go into shops trying to embroil the operators in shady dealings, and I'd hate to see another mom & pop that's been in business for decades go under for anything less than outright criminal malfeasance.
-ljp
