Buying Multiple Handguns: What is ATF Form 3310.4?

Have you ever walked out of your local gun store (LGS) with more hardware than you’d intended? We’ve all been there. Sometimes, while you’re checking out, you decide to pull the metaphorical trigger on another firearm – after all, it’ll save you money on background checks, right?

What you may not know is that every time you buy multiple handguns, you’re leaving a paper trail. Let’s take a look at the ATF’s Form 3310.4 and what it means for people buying guns today.

The ATF says that Form 3310.4 is an important tool in preventing gun crimes.

What is Form 3310.4?

Like the Form 4473 (which an FFL must complete every time someone buys a gun from them), Form 3310.4 is a way for the ATF to track firearms purchases.

However, instead of monitoring every single gun purchase a buyer makes, the 3310.4 keeps track of people who buy many handguns at once. Every time someone buys 2 or more handguns in a 5-day span, the FFL they purchase from needs to fill out a 3310.4. Additionally, an FFL must complete a Form 3310.4 every time they dispose of multiple guns.

FFLs must complete this form in triplicate (make 3 copies). One goes to the ATF, one goes to the CLEO (usually city or county jurisdiction depending on the applicant's address), and the FFL must keep the third for their records. The ATF requires an FFL to keep copies of every 3310.4 they complete for a minimum of 5 years.

If an FFL is located in a state that shares a border with Mexico, they have even more stringent rules to follow. In addition to pistols, FFLs in California, Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona must complete a Form 3310.4 every time they sell more than a single pistol or rifle above .22 caliber.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 first introduced Form 3310.4. That means they’ve been around for more than 50 years. The ATF contends that they’re still an important tool in preventing crime, since the number of guns used in crimes that came from a multiple purchase incident has steadily increased in recent years.

Final Thoughts

I’ve written about backdoor gun registration before. Form 3310.4 definitely walks a fine line, and could be considered an example of this underhanded tactic. However, because your LGS can destroy 3310.4 records after 5 years, it’s a bit of a backdoor gun registration gray area.

Regardless of how you feel about this rule, you’re going to have to live with it. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to avoid the effects of this law. If you need to buy multiple handguns, just space your purchases out over more than 5 days. It may cost you a little more money (since you’ll need to run multiple background checks), but it’ll ultimately allow you to keep a lower profile than if you purchased multiple guns at once.

Fortunately, I rarely have enough disposable income to buy a single gun these days, let alone more than one at once, so I don’t need to worry about Form 3310.4.