ATF Changes Rules for Dealers Importing Firearms

By Justin Stakes

Washington, DC -(Ammoland.com)- Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has advised Reeves & Dola that the agency is now requiring licensed dealers who regularly import firearms on behalf of customers to obtain a Type 08 federal firearms license (FFL) as an importer.

This is a significant change in policy that will require dealers to obtain an importer’s license and to mark the firearms they import with their name, city, and state.

Background – GCA Requirements for Persons Engaged in Business of Importing

The Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) requires persons “engaged in the business” of importing firearms to obtain a license as an importer. The term “engaged in the business” as applied to importers is defined in 18 U.S.C. 921(a)(21)(E) as follows:

“…as applied to an importer of firearms, a person who devotes time, attention, and labor to importing firearms as a regular course of trade or business with the principal objective of livelihood and profit through the sale or distribution of the firearms imported;…”

Persons engaged in the business of importing firearms must comply with all marking requirements specified in ATF regulations, …Read the Rest

Source:: AmmoLand