ATF Compliance Guides for FFL Dealers
Plain-English references on the recordkeeping rules that actually affect your license — written by an active FFL dealer, not a marketing team. These are educational guides, not legal advice.
How Long Must an FFL Keep Form 4473s?
Since August 2022 the answer is no longer 20 years. What 27 CFR 478.129 actually requires, and why the 20-year figure is a storage-location rule rather than a destruction date.
Read the guide → Bound BookA&D Bound Book Requirements: What to Record and When
The fields 27 CFR 478.125(e) requires, and the two deadlines that trip dealers up because they are different lengths: next business day for acquisitions, seven days for dispositions.
Read the guide → InspectionsWhat to Expect in an ATF Compliance Inspection
How often ATF can inspect under 27 CFR 478.23, what an Industry Operations Investigator reviews, the inventory reconciliation that runs in both directions, and the findings dealers get cited for most.
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideBest FFL Software in 2026: An Honest Comparison
Six systems compared with pricing verified in July 2026, including where competitors are the better choice. Written by a vendor, and it says so up front.
Read the guide → Buyer's GuideHow Much Does FFL Software Cost?
Verified 2026 pricing from six vendors, the five costs that never appear on a pricing page, and what a subscription actually totals over three and five years.
Read the guide → ATF RulingsKey ATF Rulings, Explained
What Rulings 2016-1, 2016-2, and 2022-01 actually allow: keeping your A&D bound book electronically, completing Form 4473 on-screen, and the conditions for storing 4473s digitally.
Read the guide → RecordkeepingATF Recordkeeping & Compliance
How the A&D bound book, Form 4473 workflow, and inspection-readiness tools map to the requirements in 27 CFR Part 478 — and what stays your responsibility as the dealer.
See the workflow → AnswersFrequently Asked Questions
Licensing, data ownership, NICS submission, backups, pricing, and migrating from another system — the questions dealers ask us most, answered directly.
Browse the FAQ →Questions About Your Specific Setup?
Compliance rules have real nuance. If you're weighing how FFL Command Center fits your operation, talk to the dealer who built it — no sales pressure.
Honest Head-to-Head Comparisons
Side-by-side pages where the competitors genuinely win some rows — because a comparison where the publisher wins everything convinces nobody.
vs. Bravo Store Systems · vs. FastBound · vs. FFL Boss · vs. FFLSafe · vs. Orchid POS · All six compared · What FFL software costs · Cerakote shop software vs. generic job-shop tools