The Wire · CalGunHub

ATF proposals would allow in-state home delivery of firearms and revise Form 4473

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A pending federal rule would let a same-state dealer complete a sale remotely with video identity verification and ship the firearm; a companion notice revises the 4473.

Written by the CalGunHub desk from public reporting

Who this affects: Neither proposal changes anything in California today, and even a final federal rule would not override state law. California requires transfers to be completed through a licensed dealer with the Dealer Record of Sale process, the 10-day waiting period, and in-person delivery requirements, so home delivery as the federal proposal envisions would not be available to California buyers unless state law also changed. The Form 4473 revisions, if adopted, would apply at California dealer counters as paperwork changes. This is general information, not legal advice.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is weighing a pair of proposals that would change how firearm purchases are papered and delivered, and both drew a fresh wave of local news coverage this fall as the public discovered them.

The first, "Revising Non-Over-the-Counter Firearms Transaction Requirements" (Docket ATF-2026-0266, RIN 1140-AB05), was published in the Federal Register on May 8, 2026 as part of the agency's spring reform package. Under the proposal, a dealer could complete a sale to a buyer in the same state without an in-person counter visit: the buyer would submit a Form 4473 with a copy of government-issued photo identification and verify identity through a video conference and a credential service provider meeting federal NIST standards, after which the dealer could ship the firearm to the buyer's address, according to the proposal and USA Carry's analysis. The standard background check requirement is unchanged.

The second is a Paperwork Reduction Act notice proposing significant revisions to Form 4473 itself (OMB control number 1140-0020), including streamlined identity and residence documentation and a doubled window for completing a transaction after a NICS check, per the agency's notice.

Some later television coverage, including an August report circulated in Florida, presented the waiting-period and law-enforcement-notification elements as new; USA Carry noted those are existing Gun Control Act requirements that would continue to apply, not features of the proposal. Neither proposal is final, and the home-delivery rule would take effect only after the comment process concludes and a final rule publishes.

Sources

  1. Federal Register: Revising Non-Over-the-Counter Firearms Transaction Requirements
  2. ATF: Revising Firearms Transaction Record, Form 4473 (RIN 1140-AA82)
  3. USA Carry: The Media Just Discovered the ATF's Ship-to-Home Gun Rule. Here's What They're Getting Wrong.
  4. AmmoLand: New ATF Rule Will Allow Firearms to be Shipped to Your Door

Informational only, not legal advice. Facts are attributed to the sources listed above.