How to get a C&R License
From TFRWiki
There are a number of different types of Federal Firearms Licenses. A FFL01, for example, is a dealer license which allows a person, among other things, to sell guns to the public via a business. A FFL02 is similar to an FFL01, but for pawn brokers, while a FFL09 is for importers of firearms. What we're interested in, however, is the FFL03: Collector of Curios and Relics, most commonly known as a C&R License. They are good for three years at a time, at which point they may be renewed.
First off, why would you want a C&R? Put simply, having a C&R allows you to act as your own FFL for any purchase or sale involving a "curio or relic" firearm. This means no transfer fee, no background check fee, and you can order directly from other FFL holders (all of them, FFL01 through FFL11) and have your new gun shipped directly to your house. This can add up to quite a sizable saving, especially if you live in an area where dealers want $30 and more for the transfer. Using the example of gunbroker, instead of having to find an FFL to send his information to the seller you would simply mail a copy of your own documents and have whatever you purchased mailed to your home.
A C&R also allows you to conduct business across state lines. Some states get very squeemish about selling guns to non-residents, but pulling out a C&R license (as long as it's a C&R eligible gun) makes all those problems go away. While driving from Oregon to North Carolina, for example, I came across a beauty of a deal on a 1910 Kar 98 Mauser. Having my C&R with me made purchasing it quick, hassle free, and cheap (no background check).
This sounds great, but what exactly is a "curio or relic" firearm? The ATF has a list of guns that it considers curios (i.e. there's something odd about it that makes it uniquely collectible - very few guns qualify as this) or relics (for all intents and purposes it's a relic if it began production more than 50 years ago - although there are exceptions to this). This means that just about every military surplus gun under the sun is on this list. One entry in particular makes "All Original military bolt action and semiautomatic rifles mfd. between 1899 and 1946" C&R eligible, while another specifically allows all M1 Garand rifles made prior to 1956. For a milsurp geek this really is a wonderful thing. Do note, however, that the gun must be in its "original configuration." This means that any permanent alteration done to the gun, including sporterizing, will render it C&R ineligible.
As an added bonus many websites, including Midway USA, offer discounts for FFL holders, even people "only" having a C&R. This alone can make recouping the initial application fee very easy.
Now that we know what a C&R license is, let's talk about what it isn't. It is most certainly NOT a license to sell firearms. C&R holders are permitted to sell any guns that they own, like everyone else, but they are not allowed to earn a significant amount of their income from them. This rule is very hazy and intentionally so. If the ATF finds out that you've sold a couple of rifles that you didn't want, or sold off a chunk of your collection to fund getting another gun, they won't care. It's only when "dealer-like" activity, such as purchasing a bunch of the same gun at once and immediately re-selling them for profit, starts to crop up that they take notice. So if you're imagining picking up crates of $60 Mosins and earning beer-money by selling them to your idiot college friends for $80, don't.
One of the most common questions that I'm asked is how you go about getting one of these wondrous documents. The process itself is fairly straight forward and easy. First off, you must be eligible. to get a C&R you must be:
- 21 years old or older
- You must be legally able to own and transfer guns (e.g. not a felon)
- You have not willfully violated the Gun Control Act
- You have not willfully falsified the application or made false statements on it.
Now that you know you're not a 19 year old, bank robbing, auto-sear manufacturing, form falsifier let's get the appropriate paperwork.
http://www.atf.gov/forms/dcof/ is where you want to go to request the paperwork. The form you want is "F 7CR (5310.16) - Application for License (Collector of Curios and Relics) Under 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, Firearms." A week or so after requesting the form a nice envelope from the BATFE will show up on your doorstep with all the paperwork you'll need.
Now let's fill out the form. The information I'm going to give you here is correct as of July 27, 2007. The ATF likes to change these forms for no good reason every couple of years, so if you're reading this some time in the distant future take a look at your version of the form and try to figure it out yourself. Most of the fields are fairly self explanatory anyway.
- #1-#6: This stuff is all personal info and pretty easy to figure out. Use you full, given name, not any sort of nicknames you go by. The ATF doesn't care if everyone calls you "Chuck," they want to see "Charles" as it stands on your birth certificate.
- #7: You're going to check off "individual." There's no real compelling reason to set up a trust for C&R collecting, and if you're already part of a trust you probably know more about how to fill out this spot than the people manning the Q&A lines at the ATF.
- #8: Credit card stuff. If you're paying your $30 fee with one, fill it out. If you're sending a check, leave it blank. I sent a check when I got mine and it took the same amount of time as everyone else's.
- #9: Basically like 1-6, but you need to do it again. There are multiple slots in case the license isn't for an individual but a corporation or a trust. The only really notable bit here is when they ask for "position." Put whatever you want that sounds right. I put "owner/collector" on mine and they accepted that just fine.
- #10: Just your name if you're a US citizen. If you're a non-citizen you need to fill out a bunch more info. Chances are that if you're interested enough in collecting guns as a non-citizen to be getting a C&R you already know roughly what needs to go in there.
- #11: Have you had a FFL before? If yes, you need to do some extra explaining about why you don't have it any more. If not, move on.
- #12: Yes or no. You should be able to figure this out.
- #13: Basically the same as #12.
- #14: Here you need the name and address of your Chief Law Enforcement Officer. Who is this mysterious man? Ask yourself this simple question: if you dialed 911 for a police emergency who would respond to the call? City police? County sheriff? Now who is the head of that? Chief of police? Sheriff? That person is your CLEO. If in doubt try calling a police station, giving your address, explaining your situation, and asking who your CLEO would be. They'll know who's jurisdiction you're in if anyone will.
- #15: Basically you're giving the ATF permission to do a background check on you.
Sign and date everywhere that it's appropriate.
Now move on to the next form. Surprise! It's the same as the last one! This is an exact copy (minus the credit card info I believe) of the ATF form. Fill this one out the same as the last one. Mail the first form to the ATF at the address that they give you along with $30. Mail the second form to your CLEO. He doesn't actually have to do anything with it, but you're still required to send it to him. If you're a known trouble maker in the area he might phone the ATF and tell them to take a closer look at you, but in every case I've ever heard of the CLEO form simply disappeared into the unknown, never to be seen or heard from again.
Now sit around and wait. Getting your C&R takes anywhere between a month and two and a half months. There's a lot of background checks to be run on you, so this can take a while. Why such the long wait? Well, this license DOES allow you to purchase guns without a background check at the time of purchase, so I guess they want to be EXTRA sure that you're not a terrorist. While you're waiting I recommend browsing Gunbroker to find a C&R gun to break in your new license with.
Eventually you'll get two packages from the ATF. One of them is a blue envelope containing your license, while the other is a big fat package full of all sorts of random forms, books, pamphlets, regulations, and other government publications. Save this stuff. In addition to being handy toilet reading there's a lot of commonly requested forms in there, such as the change of address form. This stuff will come plus or minus a week from when you get your C&R - I got mine 3 days before my license showed up, while other people get theirs a few days after.
Once your license arrives the most important thing you must remember is this: DO NOT SIGN THE ORIGINAL. Let me repeat for the dimmer members of the audience: DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING ON IT. Most dealers will want a "wet signed" copy of it, which means one that has actually had pen put to paper. If you sign the original no one will want to take it and you'll have to order a replacement from the ATF. Make 40 or 50 copies, tuck the original in your gun safe, and start mailing them out.
Who should you mail them out to? Basically everyone. Look around the internet for online gun retailers. AIM Surplus, Classic Arms, Midway USA, and Southern Ohio Guns are all good examples of places that you should mail off to. Send them a short form letter asking to have your C&R placed on file for future purchases and for a copy of their catalog along with a signed copy of your C&R.
Now for the sticky part that causes so much confusion: The bound book requirement. Basically the ATF requires you to keep records of all the guns that you purchase or sell with your C&R license. This means that all C&R eligible guns which you buy or sell after the date on your license need to be entered into a log book. What about non-C&R guns? They don't go in the book. What about C&R guns that you owned before getting the license? They don't go in the book right off, but they'll need their own line if you ever sell them.
The requirements for the book itself are fairly simiple. It has to be a book. It has to be bound somehow. I've heard tons of different ways of setting one up. Some people print off forms from their computer and bind those with a needle and heavy gauge thread. Some people use lab notebooks or blank diaries and enter the info by hand. Others go the easy route and just buy a FFL record book from Brownells for $4. I recommend springing the $4 for a nice book. That's what I did and it's fairly idiot proof. They even include specific instructions for C&R holders.
Keep your bound book with your guns. The ATF can ask to see your records any time they want too, but they tend not to do this with C&R holders. Basically, as long as you don't do anything to crop up on their radar they'll leave you alone, but it's good to be prepared in case they do want to see what you've been up to. If they do ask to see your records it's supposed to be a fairly hassle-free experience which consists mainly of them looking at it and making sure that you're not buying and selling more like a business than a collector.
That's all there really is to it. Feel free to ask any questions you can come up with. Getting a C&R license is not only really easy to do, it will also pay for itself with your first C&R gun purchase. I'm sure mine has saved me well over $300 in FFL transfer fees alone. Additionally, having a C&R satisfies that pesky shooting qualifications requirement over at the CMP, making getting guns from them even easier than it was before. Having a C&R is pretty much a win-win proposition even if you just want dealer discounts over at SOG and Midway and a virtual necessity if you want to actively collect military surplus guns.
Edit: I've done some research on behalf of a CA-dwelling friend of mine. As it turns out C&R licenses DO work in CA, but they're slightly gimped because of the handgun restrictions there. The short version is this: you can buy and have shipped to you any long gun that's C&R eligable. You can buy any C&R pistol you want out of state so long as you personally import it to CA and register it within 15 days or so. So all you California residents that want a nice P38 or Cz/Vz-82 can drive over to Oregon or Nevada, pick one up, and bring it back with you.
More info on California C&R issues can be found here.
