I’ve filled out more ATF Form 4473s than I can count, so let me save you some searching: buying a gun in Texas is straightforward once you know the steps. I’m Lance Rankin, owner of Western Sport, an FFL dealer and gunsmithing shop in Roanoke, just north of Fort Worth. My wife Donna handles our compliance paperwork, which means this process runs through our shop every single day. Here’s how it actually works.
Buying in a store: the simple version
Walk into a Texas gun shop, pick your gun, and the dealer hands you ATF Form 4473. You fill out your section, show a government-issued photo ID, and the dealer runs a background check through the FBI’s NICS system. If it comes back “proceed,” you pay and take the gun home the same day. Texas has no state waiting period and no purchase permit. Once the check clears, you’re done.
One useful wrinkle: if you hold a Texas License to Carry, the LTC can substitute for the NICS check on purchases. That’s one of several reasons the license still earns its keep even with constitutional carry on the books; I cover the rest in my Texas concealed carry guide.
Buying online: where the FFL transfer comes in
Federal law since the Gun Control Act of 1968 says a firearm shipped from out of state, or from any online retailer, can’t come to your door. It has to ship to a licensed dealer in your state, who logs it in, runs your background check, and transfers it to you. That dealer is the FFL, and if you’re fuzzy on what that means, my post on what an FFL dealer is explains the license itself.
The process looks like this:
- Pick your receiving FFL first, before you buy. Ask their transfer fee and pickup policy up front.
- Buy the gun online and give the seller your FFL’s information. Most sellers have dealers like us on file already.
- The seller ships to the FFL, and the FFL logs the gun into their books and calls you.
- You come in, fill out the 4473, pass the NICS check, pay the transfer fee, and take your gun home.
I wrote a full walkthrough of the online side in how to buy a gun online, including how to spot a good deal and what to check before you click buy.
The 4473 and the background check
The 4473 is a federal document and accuracy matters. The mistakes I see weekly: writing “USA” where the form wants your county, skipping one of the yes/no eligibility questions, and handwriting nobody can read. Every question needs an answer, and answering falsely is a federal crime, not a paperwork foul.
NICS returns one of three answers. “Proceed” means you’re done. “Denied” means the sale stops, and you can appeal if you think it’s an error. “Delayed” means the FBI wants more time; if they haven’t resolved it within three business days, the dealer may legally complete the transfer at their discretion. Most delays clear quickly, and most buyers never see one.
What transfers cost
Transfer fees aren’t set by the government; every dealer prices their own. Around DFW I’ve seen everything from $25 to $75 or more, sometimes with storage fees stacked on top if you’re slow to pick up. Here’s ours, in plain numbers: $40 per transfer plus $10 for the NICS check. No games, no weekly storage charges for reasonable pickup times. I broke down how fees work and what’s fair in my Texas FFL transfer fee guide. Whoever you use, get the fee in writing before the gun ships. Surprises at pickup sour the whole experience.
NFA items: suppressors, SBRs, and patience
Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and other National Firearms Act items follow a different path. You need a dealer with a Special Occupational Tax status on top of their FFL; we’re a Type 07 FFL with SOT, so this is routine for us. The transfer runs on ATF Form 4 with fingerprints and photos, and then you wait for ATF approval, which takes months rather than days.
The money side changed recently. The $200 tax stamp that applied to suppressors and SBRs for decades was cut to $0 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The paperwork and wait remain, but the tax is gone as of this writing. NFA law is a moving target right now, so confirm the current rules before you plan a purchase, or just ask me.
Private sales
Texas allows private face-to-face sales between residents without a background check, as long as neither party is a dealer and you have no reason to believe the buyer is prohibited. Legal isn’t the same as smart, though. A bill of sale costs you nothing, and running a private sale through an FFL buys you a documented, checked transfer for the price of lunch.
Ready when you are
That’s the whole process. If you’re buying online and need a receiving dealer in the Fort Worth area, we’d be glad to be your FFL. Local pickup is by appointment at our gun store in Roanoke, TX. Email [email protected], call 817-393-4000, or browse the online store and we’ll handle the rest.
Lance Rankin is the owner and Chief Gunsmith of Western Sport, a family-run Type 07 FFL and Class 3/SOT dealer in Roanoke, Texas, serving shooters since 2007. Born and raised in Texas with over 50 years of experience handling firearms, Lance purchased Western Sport in 2017 and turned his lifelong passion into his profession. He specializes in AR-15 and AR-10 platform rifles, manufactures Western Sport’s own AR-15 line under the Rankin Industries brand, and runs the shop’s in-house Cerakote coating operation. When he’s not behind the counter or the workbench, you’ll find him on his ranch deep into the night, hunting coyotes with an AR-15 and thermal optics. Lance holds an MBA and personally shoots and tests the products Western Sport sells.
