- Joined
- Jun 9, 2016
i started out that way pretty much. for running an FFL business out of your home you'll want to have a set area as the office and include secure storage there (knaack secure tool storage worked for me with abloy locks and hardened shackles). this separate area also had an independent security system just for it. you'll also need some space on the wall wherever your customer is doing paperwork various regulatory notices from the feds and your state, your seller's permit, any prices should be spelled out clearly and legibly from at least 10ft distance with average eyesight, have decent lighting and a method to secure pets or random foot traffic from wandering around, et c. buy a lot of rubber bands and keep a copy of relevant paperwork with the gun it's supposed to go with. do not have guns with missing paperwork.
also you will want to either be real on top of using dedicated FFL software (FastBound for example), or will want to be meticulous with paperwork. bear in mind that FFL inspections do happen. not super often and not without notice, but they happen - be clean, professional, and don't have stuff out you don't want the feds to see on their way to your home office. a lot of people turn their kitchen/dining area into this for the reason so their bathroom/hall/bedrooms dont' need to be inspected or seen. be prepared to have good paperwork for feds and state enforcement, have references for various civil and criminal codes you need to be a reporter for or be compliant with, et c. have some way to accept freight deliveries, get a dolly et c. you'll need to sign up for distributors as well (RSR, Cope's, Lipsey's, et c) as manufacturers.
good practice from experience is getting a cheap shit chromebook or netbook terminal that a customer can fill out forms on, a durable and cheap laser printer for documents with scanner (and preferably it's networked so you can send scans from it to a shared folder for emailing or storing as PDF or something). you'll want to lock down the chromebook and keep privacy as a concern so paying for that sort of service from an IT guy is very handy - and have table space for documents and space to store hand-outs like safety notices or whatever. i also store recall notices that i can hand out too as a safety thing. depending on if you're dealing with some older tech for transfers you might need a PIAB or analog POTS fax line. have a dedicated email address set up and preferably a domain and little microwebsite. you'll want to have posted hours and clear instructions and at least one parking space and appointment book. be prepared in the customer area to inspect any guns that are being privately transferred or going through your hands for safety or regulatory compliance - don't be a liability to yourself of family or to the business, know your customer reasonably enough to know when to refuse to do business. have a cheat sheet with phone numbers for regulatory agencies, local police or whatever, federal agencies, et c and keep your book in order for easy tie back to a given serial number or person. again, do not be a fall guy for someone else.
businesses normally operate under the owner's name which can be confusing or a bad idea so i recommend paying for a DBA (doing business as) which gives some separate between you and the business as legal entities and keeping the business as a separate entity that you pay yourself with from payroll via escrow or something. the business' money is not your money, you just happen to be the only employee and have final say on everything. do not co-mingle business and personal guns/ammo/property/money/paperwork. it will create a mess you don't to be a part of. be prepared and familiar with local laws regarding markings and signage.
there's probably a lot more, i did kitchen table FFL work for like 5-6 years before opening an actual storefront and there's a lot of other advice out there too. kitchen table ffl kits are a thing and not really worth it imho unless you need extreme hand holding. consider buying the business from the FFL that's shutting down. sure you'll inherit his problems, but you might be able to purchase any assets and the familiar name and so forth. it's a thought vs starting fresh.
there isn't a distinction for big or small gun dealers whether they carry inventory or not. all have to play by the same rules pretty much. some stuff you can skip if you don't carry inventory (or it's highly transient inventory like just a smaller secure storage if you're holding a gun for pick up for someone and you're not needing entire lockers of secure storage).
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