Bravo Store Systems · Free Compliance Toolkit

The ATF Form 4473 Compliance Checklist

A line-by-line readiness checklist for every Form 4473 you complete, so a missing box or a mismatched date never turns into an inspection finding.

FFL · Pawn + FFL Updated 2026 Print & post at the counter

Inspectors do not read your 4473s looking for what you got right. They scan for the same handful of recurring errors, and an empty “must answer” box carries the same weight as a wrong answer. Run this checklist on every transfer and you close those gaps before they ever reach a file.

Section 1 of 4

Before the buyer signs

  • You are using the current revision of Form 4473 (check the bottom-right of page 1). A superseded form is an automatic finding even when every entry is correct.
  • The buyer completed every “must answer” field in Section B before signing. Blanks are cited at the same severity as wrong answers.
  • Name, address, and date of birth on the 4473 match the photo ID exactly. Abbreviations and nicknames that do not match the ID are a common citation.
Section 2 of 4

Background check

  • The NICS Transaction Number or state equivalent is recorded on the form. 27 CFR 478.124. The most-checked single field.
  • The buyer signature date matches the date NICS was contacted. A signature that predates the check is a sequencing finding.
  • Delays, denials, and 3-day default proceeds are documented with date and outcome. Default proceeds are legal but must show the original delay date.
Section 3 of 4

Dealer completion

  • Section D firearm description matches the firearm and the A&D book entry exactly: manufacturer, model, serial, type, caliber. A mis-transcribed serial creates an “unaccounted-for” firearm on paper.
  • The employee who conducted the transfer signed Section D, not whoever was nearest the counter. The certifying signature must be the person who ran the transfer.
  • The disposition is logged in the A&D book within seven days of the transfer. 27 CFR 478.125(e).
Section 4 of 4

Retention & self-audit

  • Completed 4473s are retained 20 years; denied or cancelled 4473s are retained 5 years. Filed in a way an inspector can pull on request at the licensed premises.
  • A quarterly self-audit of a random sample of 4473s is signed and dated. A clean self-correction log is the strongest defense in a hostile inspection.
Tip: roughly four out of five 4473 findings come from blanks, mismatched dates, and transcription errors, not from anything complicated. Catching them at the counter is far cheaper than explaining them to an inspector.

Want every 4473 error-checked before it is filed?

Bravo’s electronic 4473 auto-fills buyer details, flags missing answers, and writes the disposition straight to your A&D book, so the errors above never reach a file. See it in a short demo.

See the 2-minute demo Or call us at (888) 407-6287. More resources at bravostoresystems.com/compliance.