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Gun Dealer Reform

    Solutions

    Gun Dealer Reform

    What does it solve?

    Laws on how gun stores conduct their business have not been strengthened since the 1960s. Congress should pass comprehensive gun dealer reform.

    Gun dealer reform should include requiring updated best practices for store security, record keeping, training, and ensuring that gun dealers who violate the law and endanger public safety can be swiftly held accountable. In addition, the federal agency that regulates gun dealers, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), needs the resources and authority to protect the public.

      Dealer License Required

      Which states require all gun dealers to get a state-issued license?

      AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY

      Alabama has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      No
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      No

      Alaska has not adopted this policy

      Arizona has not adopted this policy

      Arkansas has not adopted this policy

      California has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      Yes
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      Colorado has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      Yes
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      Connecticut has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      Yes
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      Delaware has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      Yes
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      No

      Florida has not adopted this policy

      Georgia has not adopted this policy

      Hawaii has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      No
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      No

      Idaho has not adopted this policy

      Illinois has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      Yes
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      Indiana has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      No
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      No

      Iowa has not adopted this policy

      Kansas has not adopted this policy

      Kentucky has not adopted this policy

      Louisiana has not adopted this policy

      Maine has not adopted this policy

      Maryland has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      No
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      Massachusetts has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      Yes
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      Michigan has not adopted this policy

      Minnesota has not adopted this policy

      Mississippi has not adopted this policy

      Missouri has not adopted this policy

      Montana has not adopted this policy

      Nebraska has not adopted this policy

      Nevada has not adopted this policy

      New Hampshire has not adopted this policy

      New Jersey has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      Yes
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      New Mexico has not adopted this policy

      New York has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      No
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      North Carolina has not adopted this policy

      North Dakota has not adopted this policy

      Ohio has not adopted this policy

      Oklahoma has not adopted this policy

      Oregon has not adopted this policy

      Pennsylvania has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      No
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      No

      Rhode Island has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      No
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      South Carolina has not adopted this policy

      South Dakota has not adopted this policy

      Tennessee has not adopted this policy

      Texas has not adopted this policy

      Utah has not adopted this policy

      Vermont has not adopted this policy

      Virginia has not adopted this policy

      Washington has adopted this policy

      Does the state law require employees to pass a background check?
      Yes
      Does the state law require the dealer to have physical security?
      Yes

      West Virginia has not adopted this policy

      Wisconsin has not adopted this policy

      Wyoming has not adopted this policy

      Myth

      There is nothing a gun dealer can do to stop a criminal from getting a gun.

      Fact

      Laws requiring record keeping, videotaping and store security, and regular inspection can help make sure gun dealers are not susceptible to straw purchasers or gun traffickers. Intrastate gun trafficking was 64% lower in places with strong gun dealer regulations and oversight.

      How it works

      Comprehensive gun dealer reform would help stop guns from getting into the wrong hands.

      Gun dealers can stop firearms from getting into the wrong hands. They can do this with best practices in selling firearms and securing stores. Common-sense laws can ensure that all gun dealers are protecting the public and that gun dealers that ignore the law can be held accountable.

      There are nearly 78,000 gun dealers in the United States, more than the number of McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, and Wendy’s locations in the country combined. The laws regulating these sellers are outdated. The ATF—the federal agency responsible for regulating gun dealers—is under-resourced and hampered by restrictions written by the gun lobby.

      As a result of these restrictions and shortage of resources, only a small number of gun sellers are inspected each year. In fiscal year 2020, ATF inspectors found violations in just under half of inspections.1ATF, “Firearms Compliance Inspection Results FY 2020,” last reviewed May 9, 2023, https://bit.ly/3VWJtP8. These violations range from the failure to keep full and accurate inventory and failing to complete the required forms necessary for crime gun tracing, to a failure to conduct background checks. Additionally, gun dealers must be required to use security practices that will ensure they are not susceptible to theft.

      By the numbers

      Victories

      You might be wondering…

      1. 1 Are most gun dealers law-abiding?

      Learn More

      Inside the Gun Shop: Firearms Dealers and their Impact Resource
      Who is Manufacturing Crime Guns? Resource
      Unchecked: An Investigation of the Online Firearm Marketplace Resource
      The Gun Industry’s Power Broker: A Closer Look at the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the Front Group for America’s Gun Makers and Sellers Resource
      Update Background Check Laws Resource
      The Firearms Industry and the Paycheck Protection Program Resource
      Five Things to Know About Crime Guns, Gun Trafficking, and Background Checks Resource
      The Danger of No-Questions-Asked Gun Sales Between Strangers Resource
      Armed and Dangerous: How the Gun Lobby Enshrines Guns as Tools of the Extreme Right Resource
      Untraceable: The Rising Specter of Ghost Guns Resource
      Stolen Guns Pose a Tremendous Risk to Public Safety Resource
      Business As Usual Resource
      40%

      Did you know?

      Nearly 40 percent of crime guns recovered in states with the most gun dealers per capita were bought at a dealer less than ten miles from the crime.

      Everytown Research analysis of ATF, “NFTCA, Volume II: Crime Gun Intelligence and Analysis—State Reference Tables.”