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Background Checks
Texas does not make you run a private sale through a dealer. Plenty of people would rather not hand a firearm to a stranger on trust — so we do the check, the federal paperwork and the record properly.
The FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System is not open to the public. Only a licensed firearms dealer can query it, and only in connection with an actual transfer of a firearm. We hold a Type 07 Federal Firearms License, so when a private sale comes through us it is checked exactly the way a shop purchase is.
What we cannot do — and nobody licensed can. We are not able to run a NICS check just to tell you whether you would pass. Federal law ties that query to a firearm actually changing hands; there is no lawful way to run one as a standalone service, and any dealer who offers it is risking their licence. If you need a personal background report for a job, visa, licence or immigration application, what you want is an FBI Identity History Summary — that starts with fingerprints, and we do those.
Seller and buyer together is simplest. Bring the firearm unloaded and cased, and hand it to us at the counter — not to each other.
The firearm is entered into our bound acquisition-and-disposition record. That entry is the paper trail — it is what makes this different from a handshake in a car park.A&D record
The same federal form used for any counter purchase. Bring a government photo ID showing your current Texas address.ATF Form 4473
Submitted while you wait. Most come back proceed in a few minutes.FBI NICS
We record the disposition to the buyer and the firearm goes home with them. Usually fifteen to twenty minutes from walking in.
A delay means the FBI wants more time; nothing has gone wrong and it is not our decision. A denial means we cannot release the firearm to that buyer, full stop — the firearm goes back to the seller and the sale simply does not happen. Denials are determined by NICS and appealed with the FBI, not with us. Our fee covers work already carried out either way, and we will tell you that before we start rather than after.
People do this for family sales, estate clean-outs and marketplace deals with strangers. The reasons are the same each time: a record that the firearm left your hands lawfully, and the knowledge that the person you handed it to cleared a federal check. For $75, plenty of sellers think that is a straightforward trade.
Background check
A firearm shipped to us by a dealer or online seller is a standard transfer at $35. This $75 covers a walk-in private sale, where the firearm is logged into our books and back out again.
Book a Background Check Call 832-488-3464Frequently asked
No. A private sale between two Texas residents does not legally require a dealer or a check. This is a service people choose — for the record, and because selling to someone who has just passed a federal check is a different proposition to selling to a stranger on trust.
No, and be wary of anyone who says they will. A dealer may only query NICS in connection with an actual firearm transfer — there is no lawful standalone version of it. If you are worried about a record that keeps causing problems, the FBI's Voluntary Appeal File exists for exactly that, and it starts with fingerprints.
No — that is a different industry with its own federal rules, and an FFL does not authorise it. What we do provide is the fingerprinting those applications usually need. The agency issues the report; we capture the prints.
The firearm does not transfer. It goes back to the seller and the sale is off. We cannot tell you why — NICS does not tell us either — and the appeal is made directly to the FBI.
Yes, per firearm. Selling several to the same buyer in one visit? Call first and we will sort out a price for the lot rather than charging you $75 five times.
It is easiest if you are. If not, the seller can drop the firearm with us and the buyer completes the paperwork afterwards — we hold it in the meantime, logged in our books. Tell us in advance so it is expected.
Ready when you are
No booking forms. Reach us on either number, or email if you would rather put it in writing — attach your paperwork and we will read it before you arrive.
Reviews
Reviews go to our American Patriot Outdoors LLC Google profile — the same profile that helps Houston find us for fingerprinting, transfers and NFA work.