Is it even possible to pay for a rifle transfer?

**Rural Ruger** · October 16th, 2009, 12:01 AM

Just saw a couple ads on the classifieds by the same person saying he'd do a bill of sale, but would prefer a full transfer. Not that I'm interested in the ads, but they made me wonder if it's even possible to "transfer" a rifle. I was under the impression that the only 2 options were to do a private sale, or to buy from a store. The way I understood it, the store doesn't really transfer ownership, it just does the background check. So is that all he means....a background check? Or is there actually a rifle transfer which could be done through a store?

**mojo** · October 16th, 2009, 08:16 AM

I believe when an FFL does a transfer for two people, they put it in their log books and store the paperwork. Similar stuff to what they do if they sold it directly to you. A sheriff could do it also.

**Xringshooter** · October 16th, 2009, 07:21 PM

A person wanting to do a "full transfer", means that he wants to go to a FFL, give the gun to the FFL so that the FFL records it in his books and then the FFL transfers it to the buyer, the buyer filling out the federal form (for a rifle, the federal form and the state form for a handgun) and undergoing the background check.

What this does is, if for some reason the gun was used in a crime and the BATFE or police have to trace the gun, the seller would not be the last owner shown, and thus (unless the crime was done prior to the transfer) would have an alibi that he did not commit the crime. The trace goes like this:

BATFE/Police collect the gun at the scene of the crime.

BATFE/Police contact the manufacturer of the gun

Manufacturer tells who they shipped it to (normally a wholesaler)

The Wholesaler tells who they shipped it to (the retailer or FFL)

The BATFE/Police visit the FFL to check the bound book to see who received the gun.

They go to the person who received the gun and that person may say "I sold it to Joe Blow"

The BATFE/Police go to Joe Blow and ask to see the gun. Joe Blow says "I sold that gun a year ago to Gary Do-Right and used XYZ Gunshop to do the sale"

The BATFE/Police go to XYZ Gunshop and examine their bound book to see who received the gun and then go to that person and ask to see the gun.

ETC., etc., etc. until they get to the last known owner.

Oh, and yes it is possible to do this (pay for a rifle transfer). Many people do it all the time.