Other comment is mostly right, but I’d just like to expand. In this case, FFL actually means Federal Firearms Licensee, as in, the person/company who has a Federal Firearms License. The Federal Firearms License is the license you can get which allows you to sell guns commercially. Any business that sells guns has one. Also some individuals have one.
When you buy a gun online, you can’t get it shipped to your door. You have to have it shipped to a Federal Firearms Licensee and they will do what is called an “FFL transfer” to actually hand it off to you. It’s just a bit of paperwork and then they hand you your package that was shipped by the actual seller. The FFL will charge a (hopefully small) fee for this, anywhere from like $15 to $50. My local pawn shop does it for $15.
Basically, before you buy a gun online, just call up your local stores that sell guns and ask them if they do FFL transfers and how much it costs and whether they need advance notice before the gun shows up. When you’ve figured out what FFL you want to use, then you give their address to the seller when you buy the gun. The seller ships it to the FFL, and then when the package arrives you show up and ask for it and fill out the paperwork.
Other comment is mostly right, but I’d just like to expand. In this case, FFL actually means Federal Firearms Licensee, as in, the person/company who has a Federal Firearms License. The Federal Firearms License is the license you can get which allows you to sell guns commercially. Any business that sells guns has one. Also some individuals have one.
When you buy a gun online, you can’t get it shipped to your door. You have to have it shipped to a Federal Firearms Licensee and they will do what is called an “FFL transfer” to actually hand it off to you. It’s just a bit of paperwork and then they hand you your package that was shipped by the actual seller. The FFL will charge a (hopefully small) fee for this, anywhere from like $15 to $50. My local pawn shop does it for $15.
Basically, before you buy a gun online, just call up your local stores that sell guns and ask them if they do FFL transfers and how much it costs and whether they need advance notice before the gun shows up. When you’ve figured out what FFL you want to use, then you give their address to the seller when you buy the gun. The seller ships it to the FFL, and then when the package arrives you show up and ask for it and fill out the paperwork.