The ATF Form 4473 is the "Firearms Transaction Record" a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) uses when it sells or transfers a gun to someone who doesn't have an FFL. If you've bought a gun at a gun store, it's the form you filled out at the counter.
I'm a firearms attorney who specializes in ATF/FFL compliance under federal law, and I've helped thousands of people get their FFL and stay out of trouble with the ATF. Here are straight answers to the questions I get most about the 4473.
Form 4473 Quick Answers
- What is it? The federal form a licensed dealer must complete for every gun it transfers to a non-licensee.
- Who fills it out? You complete Section B (and Section D if needed). The dealer completes Sections A, C, and E.
- Is there a background check? Usually, yes. The dealer contacts NICS and gets a proceed, delayed, or denied response.
- How long does the dealer keep it? Under current federal rules, for as long as the dealer is in business.
- Does it register my gun? No. The dealer keeps it; it isn't sent to ATF.
- Current version: ATF Form 4473 (5300.9), revised August 2023.
What Is ATF Form 4473?
The official name is the Firearms Transaction Record, ATF Form 4473 (5300.9). Under 27 CFR 478.124, a licensed dealer, manufacturer, or importer can't sell or otherwise transfer a firearm to a non-licensee unless it records the transaction on a 4473.
The form does two jobs. It helps the dealer decide whether it can legally hand you the gun, and it creates a record of the transaction that the dealer has to keep.
Federal law is the floor. Rules can vary by state, and some states add their own requirements on top of the 4473.
Who Fills Out the 4473?
You and the dealer each complete different sections:
| Section | Who completes it | What's in it |
|---|---|---|
| A | Dealer (before you start) | The gun(s): manufacturer, model, serial number, type, caliber or gauge |
| B | You, personally | Your information and the yes/no eligibility questions, then your signature |
| C | Dealer | Your ID, the background check, and the NICS response |
| D | You (only if needed) | Re-certification if the transfer happens on a different day than you signed Section B |
| E | Dealer | The dealer's certification, signature, and transfer date |
The form says Section B "must be completed personally" by the buyer. The dealer can't fill it out for you, and a good dealer won't coach you on your answers.
What Does the 4473 Ask? (Section B in Plain English)
Section B starts with your information: name, current residence address (not a P.O. box), place of birth, height, weight, sex, date of birth, ethnicity and race, and citizenship. Your Social Security number is optional, but the form says it "will help prevent misidentification."
Then comes question 21, the yes/no questions most people mean by "the 4473 questions." Here they are in plain English. The official wording on the form is what you're actually answering, so read it carefully.
- 21.a. Are you the actual buyer? If you're buying the gun for someone else, the answer is no, and the dealer can't sell it to you. That's a straw purchase. Under the form's instructions, buying a gun with your own money as a genuine gift is OK, as long as the person getting it isn't prohibited.
- 21.b. Do you intend to sell or give the gun away to further a felony, terrorism, or drug trafficking?
- 21.c. Are you under indictment or information for a felony or other crime punishable by more than a year?
- 21.d. Have you ever been convicted of a felony or other crime for which the judge could have imprisoned you for more than a year, even if you got less?
- 21.e. Are you a fugitive from justice?
- 21.f. Are you an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any other controlled substance?
- 21.g. Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution?
- 21.h. Were you dishonorably discharged from the military?
- 21.i. Are you subject to a qualifying restraining order involving an intimate partner or child?
- 21.j. Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence?
- 21.k. Have you renounced your U.S. citizenship?
- 21.l. Are you in the U.S. illegally?
- 21.m. Were you admitted on a nonimmigrant visa, and if so, does an exception apply?
- 21.n. Do you intend to sell or give the gun to someone described above?
Many of these terms have specific legal definitions, and the instructions list exceptions (for example, certain pardons and expungements). If you're not sure how a question applies to you, get legal advice before you answer. My guide to prohibited persons goes deeper.
The 4473 Marijuana Question
Question 21.f trips up a lot of people in states with legal marijuana. The form answers it directly:
"The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside."
ATF Form 4473 (5300.9), Revised August 2023, question 21.f
In January 2026, ATF updated its definition of "unlawful user" to focus on regular use "over an extended period of time continuing into the present," and said isolated or sporadic use doesn't count (27 CFR 478.11). The question on the form didn't change. If it applies to you, talk to a lawyer first.
What ID Do You Need for a 4473?
The dealer has to verify your identity with a valid government-issued photo ID showing your name, residence address, and date of birth. A state driver's license or ID card is typical. If your ID doesn't show your current address, the dealer can accept another government-issued document that does. A Social Security card doesn't work.
The 4473 Background Check (NICS)
After you complete Section B, the dealer checks your ID and contacts the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), either through the FBI or through a state agency, depending on your state. You'll usually get one of three answers:
- Proceed. The transfer can go forward.
- Delayed. NICS needs more time. Under federal law, if three business days pass without a denial, the dealer may transfer the gun (27 CFR 478.102). It isn't required to, and state law may add requirements.
- Denied. The dealer can't transfer the gun to you.
A NICS check is good for 30 days. If you pick up the gun on a different day than you signed, you'll complete Section D and show your ID again.
What to Do If You’re Denied or Delayed
Denied? If you think it's a mistake, get the NICS Transaction Number (NTN) from the dealer. Then request the reason and challenge the denial with the agency that ran the check. For FBI checks, that's the FBI CJIS portal at edo.cjis.gov. The FBI recommends including fingerprints. If you really are prohibited, though, an appeal won't fix that.
Delayed again and again? This often happens with common names or incomplete old records. Apply to the FBI's Voluntary Appeal File (fingerprints required). If you're approved, you'll get a Unique Personal Identification Number (UPIN) to write in question 17 on future 4473s.
How Long Do FFLs Keep the 4473?
Under 27 CFR 478.129, dealers keep each 4473 "until business or licensed activity is discontinued." The old 20-year destruction rule went away in 2022. That includes forms for transfers that were denied or never completed. (See how long FFLs need to keep their records for the other required records.)
When a dealer goes out of business for good, its records go to ATF's Out-of-Business Records Center within 30 da