ATF Form 4473 Explained: What It Asks and How to Fill It Out

What is Form 4473?

Form 4473 is the Firearms Transaction Record. Before a licensed dealer transfers a gun to an unlicensed person, the dealer has to confirm the buyer can legally receive it and has to run a background check. ATF describes Form 4473 as the tool buyers use to give dealers the information needed for both. You fill it out for a gun bought in the store and for an FFL transfer of a gun bought elsewhere.

ATF revised the form in 2023 to reflect the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the NICS Denial Notification Act and ATF’s frame or receiver rule. Many shops, ours included, use an electronic system, but the questions are the same.

What’s on Form 4473?

The buyer completes the personal information and eligibility questions. The dealer completes the rest.

• Firearm details. The dealer records the maker, model, serial number and type.
• Your information. Full legal name, current residence address, place of birth, height, weight, sex, date of birth, and optional fields like Social Security number and UPIN.
• Eligibility questions. Yes or no questions about whether you’re the actual buyer and whether any federal prohibition applies to you.
• Your certification and signature.
• Dealer sections. ID verification, the NICS check result and the dealer’s certification.

The actual buyer question

The first eligibility question asks whether you are the actual transferee/buyer. The form’s instructions say you are if you’re buying the gun for yourself or as a legitimate gift for someone else. You are not the actual buyer if someone else gave you money, services or anything of value to get the gun for them. The ATF example: Mr. Smith gives Mr. Jones money to buy a gun for Mr. Smith. Mr. Jones is not the actual buyer. That’s a straw purchase, and it’s a felony. See gifting a gun and straw purchases.

The prohibition questions

The rest of the eligibility questions track the categories in federal law (18 U.S.C. 922(g) and (n)). They cover things like:

• Being under indictment or information for a felony, or having a conviction for a crime punishable by more than one year.
• Being a fugitive from justice.
• Unlawful use of or addiction to controlled substances. The form warns that marijuana remains unlawful under federal law even where a state has legalized it.
• Having been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution.
• Being subject to certain domestic violence restraining orders, or having a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction.
• Dishonorable discharge, renounced citizenship, and immigration status.

Read each question fully. If you don’t understand one, ask the dealer to point you to the instructions, but they can’t answer it for you. If an answer means you’re prohibited, the dealer has to stop the sale.

What ID do you need for Form 4473?

You need a valid government-issued photo ID showing your name, date of birth and photo. Your current residence address has to match what you write on the form. If your license shows an old address, ATF allows a combination of valid government-issued documents, such as a vehicle registration, to establish your current address.

At Condition Red Tactical, buyers bring a valid Indiana driver’s license or ID with their current address.

Military members: ATF guidance says active-duty service members may use the state of their permanent duty station as their state of residence, with official orders or similar documentation.

What happens after you sign?

The dealer checks your ID against the form and runs a NICS check. Indiana dealers contact the FBI’s NICS directly. The result is proceed, delayed or denied. A NICS check can be relied on for one transaction for up to 30 calendar days (27 CFR 478.102). If more time passes, the dealer must run a new one. Delays are covered in background check delays.

Tips for filling out Form 4473 correctly

• Use your full legal name. The instructions tell you to write NMN if you have no middle name.
• Use your residence address, not a P.O. box.
• Double check your date of birth and every yes or no box before you sign.
• Don’t guess. Read the instructions for any question you’re unsure about.
• If you made a mistake, tell the dealer. Don’t sign something you know is wrong.

Is lying on Form 4473 a crime?

Yes. Knowingly making a false statement on the form to acquire a firearm is a federal felony under 18 U.S.C. 922(a)(6), and straw purchasing is its own federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 932, with penalties up to 15 years in prison.

Laws and agency guidance change. This guide is general education, not legal advice. If you’re unsure about your situation, ask the shop before you buy or talk to an attorney.