ATF Compliance Details (Ruling 2013-5)

1. Required Information

Virtual Gun Shop records the following information about each firearm:

Acquisition Date
The date the firearm was acquired.
Acquired From
The name and address of the non-licensee the firearm was acquired from, or the name and FFL number of the licensee the firearm was acquired from.
Firearm Type
What kind of firearm—handgun, semi-auto rifle, pump-action shotgun, silencer, etc.
Importer
The company or person who imported the firearm.
Make
The company or person who manufactured the firearm.
Model
The model designation of this firearm.
Caliber
The caliber or cartridge this firearm is designed to fire.
Serial Number
The unique serial number of the firearm.
Record Type
Whether the firearm is new, used, consigned, a transfer, or in for repair.
Disposition Date
The date the firearm left the shop.
Dispositioned To
The name and address of the non-licensee the firearm was dispositioned to, or the name and FFL of the licensee the firearm was dispositioned to.

2. Audit Trail

Every modification made to a firearm record is tracked and stored by the database. This makes it possible to see the exact state of a record at any point in its history. In addition to the complete audit trail, Virtual Gun Shop also tracks the last user to edit a particular record so that management can get a clear idea of who is doing what in the system.

3. Self-contained

The firearm records contained in Virtual Gun Shop are entirely self-contained and do not rely on any other system, physical or electronic, to provide the complete set of information required by the ATF.

4. Search

Currently, all records can be searched by loading up the Acquisition & Disposition page in your browser and using your browser's search function to find any information quickly. Future updates will include an interface for more direct querying.

5–8. Printouts and Backups

Your records will be printed and mailed to you:

  1. on a semi-annual basis in accordance with ATF guidelines
  2. when your subscription to Virtual Gun Shop expires
  3. upon termination of your business

Records can be downloaded in digital form at any time and you are of course welcome to print them yourself.

It is the responsibility of the licensee to retain the paper copy sent by Virtual Gun Shop until the next copy is received.

You may opt not to receive physical printouts. In this case, you will be responsible for downloading the acquisition and disposition files regularly.

9. Server Location

The Virtual Gun Shop servers are located in Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX.

It is the responsibility of the licensee to ensure that there is a workstation or other computing device at the shop premises with access to the Internet. This is a prerequisite to obtaining a Virtual Gun Shop subscription anyway and so should never be an issue.

10. Backups, Disaster Recovery, and Record Retention

The Virtual Gun Shop databases are backed up to an off-site location every 24 hours. They are transmitted over an encrypted connection and stored on a secure system. On a periodic basis, the backup copies are archived in a safe deposit box in a bank. These records contain not only the required ATF information, but also all data associated with your Virtual Gun Shop account - invoices, photos, users, shop settings, special orders, customers, payments. Everything.

11. ASCII Records and Final Printout

Upon termination of your Virtual Gun Shop account, whether simply to discontinue service or due to exiting the firearms business, an ASCII-format file with all firearms records will be sent to the licensee, and a final printout will be mailed.