The Business of Guns

A “private seller” is one who is “not engaged in the business,” defined as a person who “makes occasional sales, exchanges, or purchases of firearms for the enhancement of a personal collection or a hobby, or who sells all or part of his personal collection of firearms.” A 1999 ATF report noted that this ambiguous definition of a private seller tends to complicate the prosecution of illegal sales by “unlicensed dealers masquerading as collectors or hobbyists but who are really trafficking firearms to felons or other prohibited persons.”

Many states do not require a background check whenever the seller is not a licensed dealer.

The Business of Guns

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