FirearmCart includes an FFL directory that allows customers to select their preferred FFL dealer for firearm transfers at checkout.
Where the Directory Comes From
The FFL directory is platform-wide data imported from the ATF’s published licensee list — it is not a per-store list you build or maintain. Every store searches the same directory, and dealer records are managed centrally by FirearmCart rather than from your store’s admin.
Each import reconciles the directory against the new ATF file: renewed licenses are recorded as a new license period, and dealers that have dropped off the list are retired.
Only license types that can receive a transfer on behalf of a retail buyer are shown to shoppers: dealers (01), pawnbrokers (02) and manufacturers (07). Importers and destructive-device licensees are held in the directory for matching marketplace orders but are never offered to buyers.
What you can manage from your store is the certified copy of a dealer’s license — upload one from the FFL card on an order, and it is filed against that dealer’s current license period.
How FFL Selection Works
- Customer adds firearm to cart
- At checkout, FFL selection appears
- Customer enters their address
- Customer selects receiving FFL
- You ship to the selected FFL
- Customer picks up from FFL and completes transfer
When FFL Is Required
FFL selection appears based on your checkout settings:
| Setting | Behavior |
|---|---|
| When Required | Shows only when a cart item requires an FFL under your FFL rules |
| Always | Shows for all orders |
| Never | FFL selection disabled |
Configure in Settings > Checkout. The default is When Required.
Searching for a Dealer
At checkout the search is anchored on the customer’s shipping ZIP:
- By ZIP + radius — results are ordered by distance from the ZIP
- By name — matched against dealers within the radius
If a search returns nothing, the radius automatically expands to 50 miles and runs again.
The staff-facing pickers (order details, order create, customer profile) search the same directory by name, city, or license number, or by ZIP and radius.
FFL Information
Each FFL listing shows:
- Business name (falling back to the license name)
- Address
- Distance in miles, for ZIP searches
On the order page, the dealer card additionally shows the license number, a link to ATF eZ Check for verification, the dealer’s phone number, and whether a certified copy of the license is on file.
Customer Saved FFL
Customers can have a preferred FFL saved:
- Pre-selected at checkout for returning customers when the cart has no dealer chosen yet
- Admins can set a customer’s preferred FFL from the customer profile, or from the order page when confirming a dealer
- Customers can change FFL during checkout
FFL on Orders
When an order contains items requiring an FFL:
- Selected FFL appears in order details
- FFL address is used for the FFL-bound fulfillment
- Items requiring an FFL are rated as a separate shipment from items going to the customer
Changing the FFL on an order updates every fulfillment that already carries one. Once an FFL-bound fulfillment has been handed to a distributor or carrier, the dealer is locked and can no longer be changed.
State Rules Shipped by Default
New stores are seeded with the following state rules. They are defaults, not fixed law — you can change, remove, or add to any of them in Settings > FFL Rules.
| State | Default rule |
|---|---|
| CA | Magazine capacity limit 10; semi-automatic action type restricted; ammunition, magazines, barrels and listed accessories require an FFL |
| NY | Magazine capacity limit 10; semi-automatic action type restricted; ammunition and magazines require an FFL |
| NJ | Magazine capacity limit 10; ammunition and magazines require an FFL |
| MA | Magazine capacity limit 10; ammunition and magazines require an FFL |
| CT | Magazine capacity limit 10; ammunition and magazines require an FFL; FOID required |
| HI | Magazine capacity limit 10; magazines require an FFL |
| IL | Magazine capacity limit 15; ammunition requires an FFL; FOID required |
| DC | Magazine capacity limit 10; ammunition and magazines require an FFL |
| CO | Magazine capacity limit 15 |
| DE | Magazine capacity limit 17 |
| MD, OR, RI, VT, WA | Magazine capacity limit 10 |
No states are blocked outright by default, and no category exclusions are configured by default — those are yours to add.
Related Documentation
- FFL Rules - Configuring these rules
- Shipping Firearms - Shipping compliance
- Checkout Settings - FFL collection settings
- Fulfillment - Order fulfillment