Arming dealers to win the battle

Shooting Industry, Sept, 2005 by Bill Dunn

"Knowing is half the battle," the old saying goes. Dealers in the firearms business probably would agree that knowing is more than half the battle.

Identifying potential criminal purchases, staying up to date on current firearm issues, keeping current on government rules and regulations, ensuring all log book entries are made correctly and always being ready to pass an unannounced inspection by the ATF can be overwhelming to the average gun dealer.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

However, gun dealers don't have to face these challenges alone. There is plenty of help available--and it's free!

One of the best options to assist gun dealers is a free, one-day seminar offered by the ATF and the National Association of Firearms Retailers (NAFR).

NAFR, the retailer division of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, (NSSF) first teamed with the ATF five years ago to develop the "Partnership for Progress" program. Since then, seminars have been conducted throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

The Partnership for Progress seminars cover all the basics a gun dealer needs to know.

Richard Smith, a gun retailer in the Seattle area, said he makes it a point to attend the events whenever they pass through his state.

"You get brought up to date on the things you think you know, but you don't," Smith said.

The seminars cover a full range of topics from how to pass an ATF inspection with flying colors to getting up-to-date on rules and regulations governing the sale of firearms.

Many dealers who register for ATF and NAFR's Partnership for Progress seminars already have in mind what they wish to gain by attending.

For Chris Ballduzzi, it was getting up to speed on the ATF's expectations of how to log and record firearm purchases.

"We've only been in business for a couple years and we wanted to make sure we were doing everything correctly," said Ballduzzi, owner of Fat Cat Trading & Armament Co. in High Springs, Fla. "There were some things in my log book that I wasn't doing correctly. For example, I didn't know that both the importer and manufacturer had to be in there. I picked up a lot of good information."

For Smith, it was learning troubleshooting techniques if his store's computer record-keeping system should go down.

"They discussed all the latest information on computer systems," said Smith, owner of Specialty Gun Works LLC in Graham, Wash.

Meeting face to face with and learning from local ATF officials also ranks high on what retailers say they get out of the seminars.

"I know my ATF guys fairly well. If I have a problem, they're the first ones I call," Ballduzzi said. "It's very helpful to know who you're speaking to and for them to know you, because it just makes life easier."