Yes. If you are unsure of what is legal in your jurisdiction, consult BATF online, your State Attorney General’s web page, or other online resources. All States and most large municipal law enforcement agencies have local and state firearms regulations online. For California, Massachusetts, or Chicago Residents, click on the following links:
We are in Henderson, Tennessee, 90 miles East of Memphis, and 75 Miles North of Tupelo, Mississippi.
When I was very young, I used to go with my father and uncles to gun shows and flea markets. I have personally sold hand guns across the table at flea markets in Mississippi and Ohio without any paperwork. That was before the 1968 Gun Control Act, however. Since then, in order to buy a firearm from another state or through the mail, a person will have to recruit a Federally licensed firearms dealer who is willing to receive it. The easiest ones to get to do it, in our experience, are pawnbrokers or gunsmiths, but many dealers will receive. We try to make their life easy when they are willing. We already have a good many dealers’ licenses in our files who are willing to receive and transfer for a reasonable fee, so if you see something of ours that you like, just let us know, and we’ll be happy to see if we have your local dealer’s license. Guns America, Auction Arms, and Gun Broker all have easy to use lists of dealers who are willing to receive and transfer, and we are among them. Guns America’s is http://www.gunsamerica.com/FFLSearch.htm
The Federally Licensed Dealer has to send us a signed copy of their Federal Firearms License. It can be an actual hard copy, or a scan or fax so long as it’s legible. We always request that they specify which gun and which buyer so we don’t get confused. Some dealers want a copy of our license first; we are happy to send that along with an invoice proposal if we have the buyer’s full information for them: Name, address, contact phone number, e-mail address. To some transfer dealers, we fax the information we have along with a description of the gun and its serial number as well as a copy of our Firearms License. Sometimes, if an individual like yourself is buying the particular gun, the individual can address an envelope with order instructions and payment and then let the dealer mail his or her license all together. If a person pays via USPS Money order, or does a lay-away with personal check, etc., that is one good way to do it. We don’t mind faxing an invoice proposal or draft to the dealer along with our license for their file on the front end. Gander Mountain, for one, requires that and it is a reasonable requirement. We require it, too, for incoming shipments to transfer for West Tennesseans.
We accept different forms of payment. The fastest way to get a gun shipped, however, is by United States Postal Service Money Order or Discover or Mastercard or Visa. Discover, MC or Visa need to be faxed in or phoned in. We never keep buyers’ card numbers, we always obliterate any notes we take or faxes that customers send and attach them to the buyer’s invoice. We can accept Personal Checks, but we hold the shipments for 7 days in order for the check to clear. We also accept Cashier’s Checks or non-Postal Service Money Orders, but we hold them 10 days for clearance, because there are so many bogus ones floating around. There is no need to waste time and money on any cashier’s check or money order except from the United States Postal Service.
When we ship, we usually send the dealer an unpriced invoice, marked “transfer only” so that they are not liable to collect sales tax. If they don’t handle the money, they shouldn’t be liable for sales tax, and they are only acting as a Transfer Agent to keep us all in compliance with Federal Law. We also always send them a copy of our license for their files, not only for the possibility of a return, but also to keep their Federal inspectors happy. With handguns, we always include a gun lock and the federal brochure for the Youth Firearms Safety Act, because a dealer is required by Federal Law to give the buyer both these items at the time of purchase. For California customers, we always include a CA Compliant Gun Lock and are careful to send the Dealer a copy of the CA Dept of Justice Shipment Validation Document. We always insure firearms valued over $100.00, and try to furnish the USPS Delivery Confirmation numbers to the buyer when we ship; that way, the buyer can tell when it gets to his dealer.
From 1967 until 1994, Tennessee had a waiting period for handguns. It was two weeks statutory, but in many instances the Chief Law Enforcement Officers would sign the forms and authorize the sale. The Ellington and Clement Regimes in Tennessee were staunchly anti-Gun, as was Senator Al Gore, Sr., whom we helped defeat in 1970. With the onset of the Federal Instant Check, Tennessee no longer has a waiting period, but the State of Tennessee has a mandatory $10.00 instant check fee on every firearms transaction, including Pawn Redemptions. In most cases, it is indeed instant, 10 minutes or less. You may purchase the firearm directly from us in-store. You are required to fill out a 4473 Over-the-Counter Firearm Sale form, and undergo a background check through the TICS (TBI’s Tennessee Instant Check System). There is no waiting period; most transactions take 15 minutes or less. Non-Tennessee residents in many cases can purchase long guns over the counter from us, so long as their state or city of residence doesn’t have a law against it. Residents of the following jurisdictions may not purchase long guns over the counter from us: California, Connecticut, District of Colombia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico all are among jurisdictions whose residents may not buy long guns from us across the counter because there are state laws against it.
Robertson Trading Post will receive and transfer firearms from other dealers or even individuals provided they and the buyer or transferee adhere to certain rules. Foremost, the buyer who completes Federal Form 4473 must be the actual buyer and owner of the firearm, with her or his own funds. You cannot use your mother’s credit card, in other words, to buy a gun. The word “for” will stop a sale here. Buyer must be a resident of the State of Tennessee for handguns or other weapons such as cruiser grip shotguns, and at least 21 years of age; or a resident of Tennessee or of a contiguous state (Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri, or Arkansas) for a long gun, and at least 18 years of age. Buyer must pass a TICS, Tennessee Instant Check System, background check and must pay the State’s Fee of $10 for a single transaction, no extra if there are more than one firearm. Seller or source of the firearm must provide either a copy of their Federal Firearms License packaged in with the firearm; or a copy of their State Issued Photo Identification if they are not an FFL dealer. Seller or source must include a lock with a handgun. Transfer service is available Tuesday through Thursday from 9 AM until 2:30 PM; and Friday from 9 AM until 12 noon. This transfer and its fee, or the state fee, is Not Refundable if the buyer cannot pass the background check. Buyers should receive tracking numbers from the seller / shipper / supplier that tells them when the firearm gets here. Notifying transferees is not our responsibility. Receiving buyers should contact us to advise when they will arrive to complete the transfer. Buyers shall come to the front entrance of the store, press the doorbell, and one of us will assist momentarily. You will then receive the form and hand us a current ID and we will run the background check. This process normally takes 15 to 20 minutes. Once we have an approval, we will bring the firearm, and gun lock and YHSA paper if it is a handgun, to the lobby, along with a transfer invoice and the buyer’s / transferee’s identification. If the background check is delayed more than 30 minutes, there will be a possible need to return at a later time, the next day or something. That is beyond our control. If the background check is Denied, we will furnish a receipt with the TICS number, and an appeal form that the buyer or transferee can mail to Tennessee Instant Check System in Nashville. TICS almost always adjudicates denials in a timely manner, usually 10 days. There will be a $3.00 additional charge on handgun transfers if the shipper does not have the common decency to include a gun lock.
