NEW To assist its efforts in investigating and combating the illegal movement of firearms along and across the Southwest border, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is now requiring all licensed Type 07 manufacturers and Type 08 importers (in addition to Type 01 dealers and Type 02 pawnbrokers who are already so required) in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to submit record information concerning multiple sales or other dispositions of certain rifles. Read the letter here. (June 2024)
The Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968 requires federal firearms licensees (FFLs) to send a report to ATF when there is a sale or other disposition of multiple firearms to the same purchaser within a certain time period.
ATF uses the information gathered from multiple sales or other disposition transactions to investigate possible firearms trafficking cases. If one or more firearms recovered from a crime are part of a multiple purchase, this could be an indicator of potential firearms trafficking. Crime guns recovered shortly after a multiple sale is known as a short time-to-crime ratio.
Individual Sales
Under federal law, there are no recordkeeping requirements for transferring a firearm between two individuals who are not federal firearms licensees. However, there are individuals who cannot purchase or possess a firearm known as prohibited persons. As a seller, you should make every effort to ensure you are not transferring a firearm to a prohibited person.
Sales or Other Disposition of Handguns
Licensees must report the sale or other disposition of two or more handguns if they occur at the same time or within five consecutive business days of each other.
Reporting Process for Pistols and Revolvers
- Fill out three copies of ATF Form 3310.4, Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Pistols and Revolvers.
- Send the first copy to the ATF National Tracing Center no later than the close of business on the day that the multiple sale or other disposition occurs. Send by fax at 1-877-283-0288, email MultipleHandgunSalesForms@atf.gov, or mail to:
U.S. Department of Justice
NTC - MS
P.O. Box 0279
Kearneysville, WV 25430–0279 - Send the second copy to the Chief Local Law Enforcement Official (CLEO). The CLEO is a local or state official designated to receive this form. If you do not know your CLEO, contact your local ATF office to find out.
- Attach the third copy to the corresponding Firearms Transaction Record ATF Form 4473, executed upon delivery of the pistols or revolvers [Regulation 478.126a]
Sales or Other Dispositions of Rifles
In August 2011, ATF was authorized to enforce the reporting of multiple firearms sales or other dispositions for certain types of rifles from FFLs in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.
Effective October 1, 2024, ATF is also authorized to enforce the reporting of multiple sales or other dispositions for certain rifles from licensed Type 07 manufacturers and Type 08 importers also located in Arizona, California, New Mexico or Texas.
FFLs (Types 01, 02, 07 and 08) in these states must report the multiple sales of the following types of rifles:
- Semiautomatic rifles capable of accepting a detachable magazine and with a caliber greater than .22 (including .223 or 5.56 mm)
Reporting Process for Rifles
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Fill out two copies of the ATF Form 3310.12, Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Certain Rifles.
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Send the first copy to ATF’s National Tracing Center by fax at 1-877-283-0288, email MultipleLonggunSalesForms@atf.gov, or mail to:
U.S. Department of Justice
NTC
P.O. Box 0279
Kearneysville, WV 25430-0279 -
ATF recommends that the licensee retains the second copy and attaches it to the back of the Firearms Transaction Record ATF Form 4473 that covers the transfer of the firearms.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the multiple sale or other disposition reporting process, please contact your local field office, the National Tracing Center at (800) 788-7133 or ATF’s Firearms Industry Programs Branch.
If you are a FFL and need to order more ATF Forms 3310.4 or ATF Forms 3310.12, please contact the ATF Distribution Center at (240) 828-5316 or fill out the online order form.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Must a licensee advise ATF if two or more pistols or revolvers are sold or otherwise disposed of to an unlicensed person?
- Does a licensee need to complete and submit a multiple sales form after selling, within five consecutive business days, two or more frames or receivers?
- Does a licensee have to prepare a multiple sale report for the return of two or more pistols or revolvers to the same person from whom they were received?
- How long may Chief Law Enforcement Officers (CLEOs) retain multiple sale reports?