Texas-Book-Gun Law Armed And Educated - Flipbook - Page 125
ensure that the purchaser is not prohibited from the purchase or
possession of a firearm under federal law.
When purchasing through a dealer, the first thing a prospective
buyer will do is select a firearm. Once a selection has been made, the
prospective purchaser is required to show proper identification and
complete ATF Form 4473. This form requires the applicant, under
penalty of law, to provide accurate identifying information, as well
as answer certain questions in order to establish whether a person
may legally purchase a firearm. The information provided on Form
4473 is then provided to the National Instant Criminal Background
Check System (“NICSˮ) for processing and approval in order to
proceed with the transfer (however, no NICS background check
may be required if the transferee is legally exempt for reasons such
as possessing a state-issued firearms license like a Texas LTC). An
FFL dealer can submit the check to NICS either by telephone or
through the online website, and only after the FFL completes all of
these steps successfully is a purchaser/transferee allowed to take
possession of the firearm.
B. What is Form 4473?
ATF Form 4473 is known as the Firearms Transaction Record, which
must be completed when a person purchases a firearm from an FFL
dealer. See 27 CFR § 478.124. Form 4473 requires the applicant
provide their name, address, birth date, state of residence, and other
information including a government-issued photo identification.
The form also contains information blanks to be completed,
including the NICS background check transaction number, the
make, model, and serial number of the firearm to be purchased,
and a series of questions that a person must answer. See 27 CFR §
478.124(c). This series of questions and the corresponding answers
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