27 C.F.R. § 478.125
(e)
Firearms receipt and disposition by dealers. Except for adjustment or repair of a firearm that is returned to the person from whom it was received on the same day, each licensed dealer shall enter into a record each receipt and disposition of firearms. In addition, before commencing or continuing a firearms business, each licensed dealer shall inventory the firearms possessed for such business and shall record the same in the record required by this paragraph. The record required by this paragraph shall be maintained in bound form in the format prescribed below. The purchase or other acquisition of a firearm shall, except as provided in paragraphs
(g) and
(i) of this section, be recorded not later than the close of the next business day following the date of such purchase or acquisition. The record shall show the date of receipt, the name and address or the name and license number of the person from whom received, the name of the manufacturer and importer (if any), the model, serial number (including any associated license number either as a prefix, or if remanufactured or imported, separated by a semicolon), type, and the caliber or gauge of the firearm. In the event the licensee records a duplicate entry with the same firearm and acquisition information, whether to close out an old record book or for any other reason, the licensee shall record a reference to the date and location of the subsequent entry (e.g., date of new entry, book name/number, page number, and line number) as the disposition. The sale or other disposition of a firearm shall be recorded by the licensed dealer not later than seven days following the date of such transaction. When such disposition is made to a nonlicensee, the firearms transaction record, Form 4473, obtained by the licensed dealer shall be retained, until the transaction is recorded, separate from the licensee's Form 4473 file and be readily available for inspection. When such disposition is made to a licensee, the commercial record of the transaction shall be retained, until the transaction is recorded, separate from other commercial documents maintained by the licensed dealer, and be readily available for inspection. The record shall show the date of the sale or other disposition of each firearm, the name and address of the person to whom the firearm is transferred, or the name and license number of the person to whom transferred if such person is a licensee, or the firearms transaction record, Form 4473, transaction number if the licensed dealer transferring the firearm sequentially numbers the Forms 4473 and files them numerically. The format required for the record of receipt and disposition of firearms is as follows:
Notes, amendments, and revision history
Amendments
[T.D. ATF-270, 53 FR 10503, Mar. 31, 1988, as amended by T.D. ATF-273, 53 FR 24687, June 30, 1988; T.D. ATF-313, 56 FR 32508, July 17, 1991; T.D. ATF-389, 62 FR 19445, Apr. 21, 1997; ATF-11F, 73 FR 57241, Oct. 2, 2008; ATF-22I, 77 FR 33634, June 7, 2012; ATF-19 F, 79 FR 45092, Aug. 4, 2014; ATF 2015R-26, 81 FR 38071, June 13, 2016; ATF-2021R-05F, 87 FR 24745, Apr. 26, 2022; 87 FR 51250, Aug. 22, 2022]
Authority
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552(a); 18 U.S.C. 847, 921-931; 44 U.S.C. 3504(h).
Source
Source: 33 FR 18555, Dec. 14, 1968, unless otherwise noted. Redesignated at 40 FR 16835, Apr. 15, 1975, and further redesignated by T.D. ATF-487, 68 FR 3750, Jan. 24, 2003.
Amendments
[T.D. ATF-270, 53 FR 10503, Mar. 31, 1988, as amended by T.D. ATF-273, 53 FR 24687, June 30, 1988; T.D. ATF-313, 56 FR 32508, July 17, 1991; T.D. ATF-389, 62 FR 19445, Apr. 21, 1997; ATF-11F, 73 FR 57241, Oct. 2, 2008; ATF-22I, 77 FR 33634, June 7, 2012; ATF-19 F, 79 FR 45092, Aug. 4, 2014; ATF 2015R-26, 81 FR 38071, June 13, 2016; ATF-2021R-05F, 87 FR 24745, Apr. 26, 2022; 87 FR 51250, Aug. 22, 2022]