The federal government says it’s not building an illegal National gun registry—but if it looks like one, operates like one, and can be searched like one, then what is it really?
That’s the question at the heart of a heated debate about the ATF’s quiet move to digitize Form 4473 records from out-of-business gun shops. These are the forms that list your name, address, and firearm info when you buy a gun through an FFL (Federal Firearms Licensee). Normally, dealers keep these records on-site for 20 years, then they can destroy them. But now, the ATF wants them forever—and in digital format.
According to a paper by Del Schlangen at the Firearms Research Center, the ATF already has close to a billion records in its system. That’s not a typo—a billion. Many of those came from gun stores that went out of business and were forced to send in their paper files. Now, the ATF scans them and stores them digitally in Martinsburg, West Virginia.
Gun owners and lawmakers are calling this what it looks like: a de facto gun registry.
Why It Matters
Under the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act of 1986, the federal government is prohibited from creating any kind of national gun registry. But if the ATF is storing digitized records forever—records that can be searched by serial number and traced back to you—then what’s the difference?
Supporters of digitization claim it’s just about helping cops solve crimes faster. But here’s the catch: if it makes tracking down lawful gun owners easier, it makes confiscation easier too. History has shown that registration is always the first step.
Legal Problems Are Piling Up
In 2022, the ATF started requiring gun stores to keep all records indefinitely, no longer a 20-year limit. And they pushed a “zero tolerance” policy to yank FFL licenses for even small paperwork mistakes. That’s not regulation—that’s intimidation.
Now, Republican lawmakers are fighting back. Bills like the No REGISTRY Rights Act would force the ATF to delete old records and stop collecting new ones from closed businesses. Courts have also stepped in. A federal judge just blocked a new rule that tries to classify more people as gun dealers (which would require even casual sellers to keep records and do background checks).
What You Can Do
If you care about your Second Amendment rights, this isn’t something to sleep on. Once your name is in a searchable digital file, there’s no going back. And if history is any guide, today’s “trace” becomes tomorrow’s “confiscation.”
We encourage you to read the full paper, “The Debate Over the ATF Digitizing Gun Sales Records from Out-of-Business Firearms Dealers,” by Del Schlangen at the Firearms Research Center. It dives deep into the legal, historical, and constitutional problems behind what the ATF is doing—and what we can do about it.
The Debate Over the ATF Digitizing Gun Sales Records from Out-of-Business Firearms Dealers
Old Dealer’s Records Prompt Concerns of Backdoor Gun Registry
ATF Keeping 920+ Million Firearm Records with Almost All Digitized
I recently heard from my LGS that they have to scan all 4473s in addition to keeping a hard copy on-hand. Also, once they scan them & have a digital copy, they can’t get rid of the hard copy. ATF also wants them to scan “historical documents”.
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck it must be a duck. Ya know?!
ABOLISH the ATF!
liminate the ATF completely. I filled out a 4473 yesterday in Hagerstown Md. The NICS cleared in three minutes. They took an hour and a half for their internal audit. What bull shit
most members of atf need to be jailed,or hung ,the rest are alcohol and tobacco
Average gun owner to ATF: You can’t legally keep a registry of gun purchases.
ATF to average gun owner: But that’s not what we’re doing; it just looks like that’s what were doing.
Average gun owner to ATF: Well okay then. Carry on.
I keep hearing that they keep the records for 20 years. Why do I think that it was once 5 years?
Imagine what the ATF could do once Trump gets rid of the writ of habeas corpus and the agents become Judge, Jury and —