Interesting discussion here, and a little timely. I had occassion just a week or so ago, to talk with an ATF agent in relation to a local case involving a FFL who had scammed a number of people for firearms. Agreeing to have them coated or taking the guns on consignment for sale. The guns just disappeared, a few showing up in a couple pawn shops, the rest just gone!

So, I asked the agent just what has been asked and answered here; what happens to FFL records?

The answer the agent gave me was that as long as a dealer is in business, he maintains possession of his records. The records are subject to occassional ATF inspection and audit.

The agent goes on to tell me that the procedure is that if a dealer goes out of business they are required to send those records to ATF, "out of business records", all A&D books, all 4473's.

The agent added that the records sent to their "out of business records" are warehoused and none are scanned or digitized and that requesting something from stored business records usually takes a long time because somebody, somewhere is going to be sifting through a bunch of paper to find whatever has been requested.

In the case at hand you ask? The dealer, when asked for his records by that agent, had conveniently mailed everything he had to the out of business records section. Just a day or so before the agent showed up to ask for them.