FFL Compliance Manager

Record keeping sucks. It’s tedious and boring, humans are notoriously bad at it, but it remains totally necessary for any successful business. This is especially true of gunsmiths or other firearm sellers as a failure to track transactions and comply with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives can create legal problems, thus adding to the paperwork burden.

The Government Paperwork Elimination Act along with industry requests led the ATF to develop e Form 4473 for Windows and Mac OS X operating systems to ease completing Federal Firearms Transaction Records (ATF Form 4473.) However, as of January 16, 2017 the e Form 4473 is deprecated and no longer available for download from the ATF due to anew version of the ATF Form 4473 being released and a lack of update to the existing software to use the new format.

Many businesses and tech-savvy entrepreneurs have found cloud-based solutions to be an ideal fit. While it makes for a popular buzzword, cloud computing is simply using someone else’s computer and software via a network, commonly the Internet. Such systems can then be accessed with any Internet-enabled computer and a common browser, eliminating the need to install, update, store, and backup your own software and data for a given use.

Epicor Software (Epicor.com) has created such a system specifically for FFL compliance in conjunction with Orchid Advisors (OrchidAdvisors.com). Epicor specializes in industry-specific software for manufacturing, distribution, retail, and service businesses with both cloud and on-premises tools. Orchid Advisors specializes in software, growth, and compliance solutions to the firearms and outdoor sporting goods industries and has a staff that includes attorneys and ATF advisors to stay up on current policy.

Epicor’s FFL compliance system is designed to streamline transaction entry, reduce non-compliance risk, and generate the necessary reports for ATF inspections or inquiries. Accounts are established and priced according to business size. Anew user creates an account based on their sales numbers. A Home Based FFL account works for one FFL holder with up to 250 firearm transactions per year. Standard FFL works for a business with multiple FFL holders and up to 2,500 annual transactions.

Large FFL doubles this to 5,000 transactions and this can be expanded for larger Enterprise-level businesses. Each account is accessible with one user, however, additional users can be added. Once logged in to your account, firearms transactions are logged using a built-in "assistant" that steps through the process. ATF-compliant reports for inspections and traces can be generated with one click. Bound book accuracy or inventory reconciliation can be done any time with the included tools.

Your customers can supply their information through your account just as easily on a tablet, laptop, or other Internetcapable device. The FFL Compliance Manager also integrates with Epicor’s Eagle retail business management system. This includes inventory management tools, integrated accounting, real-time analytics on sales and inventories, and personalized customer contact management. For FFL holders with retail shops, the combination of both provides dealers a comprehensive solution for the entire business.

To learn more about the Epicor FFL Compliance Manager, email Epicor at or call AG