I borrowed the post below from a member on one of our forums in Louisiana. Has anyone heard of a new law or is it just Academy? Thanks.


Today I went to purchase a rifle at Academy sporting goods. Seems simple enough. Well I was told that I couldn't purchase a gun from them. It seems that my driver's license has my middle initial on it instead of my full middle name. This has never been a problem with past purchases anywhere. The people in the gun department at Academy tell me that there is a new rule in place by the feds. They informed me that they cannot sell a gun to someone who's ID doesn't match the gun purchase form. They went on to explain that since the middle initial stands for my middle name and that middle name would be listed on the purchase form it doesn't match my driver's license which only has my initial. I was told that I must have an ID that shows my middle name spelled out.
Have any of you ever heard of such a thing?

And get this, they told me that I can simply go and fill out the paperwork for a hunting license there at academy and list my middle name instead of my middle initial and that would suffice as proof that I am who I say I am.

The manager on duty at Academy on Airline Highway told me that this was just another way that the feds are trying to tighten up the records on who is out there purchasing firearms.
Surely I must be on Candid Camera.

I've not heard of any new law and that sounds like a CYA thing for Academy. Up here we won't have Academy but have a store called Fin Feather Fur. They are similar with how everything on the 4473 has to be spelled out: street, avenue, road, spell state name out (not 2 letter abbreviation) and any box not answered most have N/A (I can abbreviate on any other 4473 and I don't put my SSN down and have never been asked to write in N/A or spell the full word out at any other place) but at Fin I must put N/A and spell the full words out. Not the end of the world but a PITA AFAIC.

Ohio also has a law if you got your CCW after a certain date in 2015 the FFL doesn't have to run the background check as long as you show them your valid CCW. I received my CCW after the date and of course Fin still runs the report. Fin is the only place I've ever encountered with being this particular and it sounds like Academy may be doing the same/something similar. I like Fin the store but hate buying guns there.

quote:

Originally posted by remsig:
I've not heard of any new law and that sounds like a CYA thing for Academy. Up here we won't have Academy but have a store called Fin Feather Fur. They are similar with how everything on the 4473 has to be spelled out: street, avenue, road, spell state name out (not 2 letter abbreviation) and any box not answered most have N/A (I can abbreviate on any other 4473 and I don't put my SSN down and have never been asked to write in N/A or spell the full word out at any other place) but at Fin I must put N/A and spell the full words out. Not the end of the world but a PITA AFAIC.

Ohio also has a law if you got your CCW after a certain date in 2015 the FFL doesn't have to run the background check as long as you show them your valid CCW. I received my CCW after the date and of course Fin still runs the report. Fin is the only place I've ever encountered with being this particular and it sounds like Academy may be doing the same/something similar. I like Fin the store but hate buying guns there.

WE have the same deal about the 5 year permit in Louisiana too. I've had a CHP for about 22 years but my last renewal fits the new law about the date.

The guy that had the problem at Academy has a Louisiana CHP and they didn't care.

My AZDL and my AZCCW permit both have my middle name initial....but one gun shop in Tucson I deal with wants gun buyers to spelled out their middle name on the ATF 7743 form.

Their rules.

quote:

Originally posted by remsig:
I've not heard of any new law and that sounds like a CYA thing for Academy. Up here we won't have Academy but have a store called Fin Feather Fur. They are similar with how everything on the 4473 has to be spelled out: street, avenue, road, spell state name out (not 2 letter abbreviation) and any box not answered most have N/A (I can abbreviate on any other 4473 and I don't put my SSN down and have never been asked to write in N/A or spell the full word out at any other place) but at Fin I must put N/A and spell the full words out. Not the end of the world but a PITA AFAIC.

Ohio also has a law if you got your CCW after a certain date in 2015 the FFL doesn't have to run the background check as long as you show them your valid CCW. I received my CCW after the date and of course Fin still runs the report. Fin is the only place I've ever encountered with being this particular and it sounds like Academy may be doing the same/something similar. I like Fin the store but hate buying guns there.

The Fin does that so they don't have any hassle with the BAFTE for paperwork violations. Takes a little more time but not that big of a deal.
When Gander Mtn was here in town they constantly had violations with the MAN.

The FFL that I used to use several years ago was similarly anal about not using any two letter state abbreviations, for some reason.

IIRC, the latest version of the 4473 specifically states that abbreviations are acceptable.

Chains all have weird chain specific rules. Rural King will NOT accept a CCDW in lieu of a NICS back ground check as state law allows. They claim that it is illegal to do so, and that everybody has a background check to comply with federal law.

They have stupid rules, but the only one that seems to be willfully stupid is Dick's. I had a manager refuse to open the books (bound book and 4473s on a specific stolen firearm)to which he is required to do by LE request, and he cited HIPPA as the reason why he couldn't. Yeah, HIPPA. I didn't even get the chance to tell him he had no choice in the matter as hard as I busted out laughing. And yes, he was dead serious.

Keep in mind that Academy Sports is being sued over the Sutherland church shooting. Conjecture on my part but it wouldn't surprise me if they have implemented new more stringent transfer requirements.

I mentioned the Academy Sports suit in this thread.

https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...35/m/5700017723/p/14

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
The FFL that I used to use several years ago was similarly anal about not using any two letter state abbreviations, for some reason.

IIRC, the latest version of the 4473 specifically states that abbreviations are acceptable.

Years ago I did transfers through a couple FFLs that were ultra cautious about abbreviations. I remember one of them taking one 4473 I did where I inadvertantly used an abbreviation after I was warned not to and I had to start over and fill out another form. They acted as though this mistake was a significant one and they weren't supposed to let me fill out another form but were supposed to just reject my transfer and that they were doing me a favor.

I ran into two odd incidents.

First at a large gun shop in Kentucky.
I typically use my own pen to fill out the form, contains black ink. The store clerk told me it was an BATFE requirement that I use blue ink so they would know it was the original form and not a copy which could have been altered.

Second with a friend in Ohio at a fairly large shop.
The clerk told my friend the BATFE advised them to run the background check no matter what the CCW license date is. He said the Ohio State Patrol is responsible to collect the licenses that have been revoked but they are usually slow in doing this. Running the background check covers the sale regardless of the license status.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
They have stupid rules, but the only one that seems to be willfully stupid is Dick's. I had a manager refuse to open the books (bound book and 4473s on a specific stolen firearm)to which he is required to do by LE request, and he cited HIPPA as the reason why he couldn't. Yeah, HIPPA. I didn't even get the chance to tell him he had no choice in the matter as hard as I busted out laughing. And yes, he was dead serious.

Ha ha!

quote:

Originally posted by hi-power man:

Second with a friend in Ohio at a fairly large shop.
The clerk told my friend the BATFE advised them to run the background check no matter what the CCW license date is. He said the Ohio State Patrol is responsible to collect the licenses that have been revoked but they are usually slow in doing this. Running the background check covers the sale regardless of the license status.

I get it, but I still think it's stupid to run the check when they don't have to. Ultimately though, their house, their rules.

quote:

Originally posted by hi-power man:

The store clerk told me it was an BATFE requirement that I use blue ink so they would know it was the original form and not a copy which could have been altered.

I guess they never heard of a color copier.

Pawn Shop Guy -- the FFL who takes care of transfers for me -- is really anal about this stuff. He has never said anything about blue ink. I use my own pen, black ink. If blue ink were a BATFE requirement, he would have insisted on it.

Seems like a bunch of nonsense.

But then again, you ARE at Academy... They suck.

My hologram AZ operators license has my full name and photo. My hologram AZ CCW has my full name but no photo. I had to establish AZ residency to get either. Those two state government forms of ID have always been sufficient to purchase a firearm in AZ with no additional background check.

I don't know when it was implemented but the shop owner whom I've dealt with for years said a recent ATF requirement (about 2 years ago?) was an "official government issued ID" such as a county voter registration card was required in addition to the state operators license and/or CCW. I tried to use my hologram LE retirement ID with full name and photo but the shop owner said that ATF wouldn't accept it.

Of coarse I didn't have my card with me so I spent an hour at the county getting another card before I could complete the purchase. My voter registration card has my full name but is paper without a photo and no hologram.

It probably wouldn't be difficult to make one up on a color printer. Illegals probably figured that out already.

I'm not going to say never buying there again but Cabela's in Dundee is on my list.

Last year I had some points on my card to burn and they were advertising Anderson AR lowers under 40 bucks. Sales associate took me over to the 4473 line and I completed the paperwork and gave them my drivers license and CPL.

So I wait and wait. Over an hour. My wife is starting to get antsy, I'm starting to get peeved as Michigan CPL negates the need for a NICS check. I ask the associate why the delay and he goes to the back to check. About ten minutes he comes out with what I assume was a manager. The other person then asks me if I was born in "City" Tennessee. I'm now truly irritated as I reply to him "No, "City" MICHIGAN (I emphasized) just like I put on the 4473 form".

They then go into the back again and return in a minute or two and escort me to a cashier to pay. No explanation, no nothing, no sorry for the delay. I should have told them to keep it but at that point with my name on the 4473 and the serial number I was not leaving without it.

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
My hologram AZ operators license has my full name and photo. My hologram AZ CCW has my full name but no photo. I had to establish AZ residency to get either. Those two state government forms of ID have always been sufficient to purchase a firearm in AZ with no additional background check.

I don't know when it was implemented but the shop owner whom I've dealt with for years said a recent ATF requirement (about 2 years ago?) was an "official government issued ID" such as a county voter registration card was required in addition to the state operators license and/or CCW. I tried to use my hologram LE retirement ID with full name and photo but the shop owner said that ATF wouldn't accept it.
Of coarse I didn't have my card with me so I spent an hour at the county getting another card before I could complete the purchase. My voter registration card has my full name but is paper without a photo and no hologram.
It probably wouldn't be difficult to make one up on a color printer. Illegals probably figured that out already.

The *only* time I've used another govt issued ID was when my DL address didn't match my current address.
I provided either my hunting license or my county voter ID that had the correct address.

In the last year I've used my new AZ DL with current address 2-3 times to get handguns and used the CCW permit to negate the NICS check. (per 27 cfr 478.102d) No other ID was needed or even hinted at.
In and out in 30 minutes if I didn't have to wait on someone else filling out a 4473 or 'window shopping'.

Don't know where that shop is or the name but they're full of shit. Take your business elsewhere unless they have the only smoking deal in town.
- - -
@remsig - spelling out the state name in the 1/4" space provided is a joke right?
2 letter abbreviations are OK - it says so right on the form (as Rogue JSK noted) after "Current State of Residence and Address '(U.S. Postal abbreviations are acceptable. Cannot be a post office box.)'"

The NSSF list failure to spell out the middle name as the most common error on 4473 forms. I contacted the NICS service center when e heck form was updated to require a dealer to certify that the ID of the purchaser was an exact match to information on the form. I was advised that the middle name should be spelled out but The ID could be accepted with an initial. . Some people will have a middle initial only and this should noted as "initial only" if no middle name or initial the form should noted as "no middle name" YMMV

quote:

Originally posted by KMitch200:
@remsig - spelling out the state name in the 1/4" space provided is a joke right?
2 letter abbreviations are OK - it says so right on the form (as Rogue JSK noted) after "Current State of Residence and Address '(U.S. Postal abbreviations are acceptable. Cannot be a post office box.)'"

Agreed. I feel sorry for someone who lives in a state that has a long name like Mississippi or something like that

quote:

Agreed. I feel sorry for someone who lives in a state that has a long name like Mississippi or something like that

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I had to fill the 4473 out numerous times. I am conditioned to pencil whipping forms at the doctor's office and writing illegibly. The guy at the counter was really ANAL and stupid too. Even though Academy is three minutes from me I order their ammo online and have it shipped. Spelling MISSISSIPPI is hard enough much less squeezing it into a tiny space.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
...Spelling MISSISSIPPI is hard enough much less squeezing it into a tiny space.

There's something to be said for living in Iowa!

Yep Ha ha