Yes, you can buy a gun online in the United States, but with narrow exceptions the firearm will not arrive at your doorstep. Federal law requires nearly every online firearm purchase to route through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) in your state, who runs a background check and hands you the gun in person. Buying guns online is legal; picking one up without a licensed middleman usually isn’t.
How an Online Gun Purchase Actually Works
Two federal rules shape the whole process. It is illegal for anyone other than a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to ship firearms across state lines as a business, and licensed dealers cannot sell a firearm to someone who is not physically present at the dealer’s premises.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Together, those rules force online sales through a local intermediary.
In practice, the transaction moves in this order:
- Pick the firearm on the retailer’s site.
- Find a local FFL willing to receive the transfer. Most dealers charge a transfer fee, commonly $25 to $75.
- Send the seller your FFL’s license information.
- The seller ships the gun to your FFL, never to you.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
- You go to the dealer in person and complete ATF Form 4473, the Firearms Transaction Record.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record
- The dealer runs a background check. If it clears, you leave with the firearm.
Age matters at the counter. A licensed dealer cannot sell a handgun or handgun ammunition to anyone under 21, or a rifle, shotgun, or their ammunition to anyone under 18.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts Some states raise the floor for certain firearms.
A dealer generally cannot sell any firearm directly to a buyer who lives in a different state; the gun must ship to a dealer in the buyer’s home state.2Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide One narrow exception: a dealer may sell a rifle or shotgun to an out-of-state buyer in person if the sale complies with the laws of both states.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
Who Cannot Legally Buy a Gun
The background check exists to screen for federal prohibitions. You cannot legally receive a firearm if you fall into any of these categories:
- Convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison, which covers most felonies and some serious misdemeanors.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Under indictment for such a crime.
- An unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. This can include simple assault or battery against a spouse, former spouse, co-parent, or someone you lived with in a similar relationship, even if the offense wasn’t labeled “domestic violence” at the time.4United States Department of Justice. Restrictions on the Possession of Firearms by Individuals Convicted of a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence
- Subject to a qualifying domestic violence protective order.4United States Department of Justice. Restrictions on the Possession of Firearms by Individuals Convicted of a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violenceli>
Other prohibited categories include people involuntarily committed to a mental institution, anyone who has renounced U.S. citizenship, individuals dishonorably discharged from the military, and anyone in the country illegally. The domestic violence bar catches many buyers off guard: an old misdemeanor assault conviction can disqualify you if the victim was in one of the covered relationships, no matter how long ago the case closed.
What Happens During the Background Check
When you sit down at the FFL, the dealer runs your Form 4473 information through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), maintained by the FBI under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act.5Federal Bureau of Investigation. About NICS The check comes back one of three ways.
A proceed response lets the dealer complete the transfer. A denied response means you are prohibited from receiving the firearm. A delayed response means the FBI needs more time. If the FBI does not return a final decision within three business days, federal law permits the dealer to complete the transfer, though the dealer is not required to and many wait for a definitive answer.5Federal Bureau of Investigation. About NICS
If you’re denied, you can appeal. File electronically through the FBI’s CJIS Division portal or by mail to the FBI NICS Section in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The FBI must respond within 60 calendar days, either sustaining or overturning the denial.6Federal Bureau of Investigation. Challenges / Appeals
Buying From a Private Seller You Found Online
Federal law draws a line between dealer sales and private sales. When two people who live in the same state arrange a sale, even one that began as an online listing, federal law does not require a licensed dealer or a background check.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts The buyer and seller can meet in person and complete the transfer directly, unless state law says otherwise.
Cross a state line and the rule flips. Federal law prohibits an unlicensed person from transferring a firearm to someone who lives in another state.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts If the classifieds seller is in another state, the gun still has to route through an FFL in your state.
There’s also a threshold at which private selling becomes dealing. In 2024, the ATF finalized a rule broadening the definition of who is “engaged in the business” of dealing firearms. Anyone who intends to predominantly earn a profit from repeated firearm sales may now need a federal license, even if it isn’t their main livelihood.7Federal Register. Definition of Engaged in the Business as a Dealer in Firearms Selling off a personal gun is one thing; regularly flipping firearms for profit without a license can lead to federal charges.
What Can Ship Directly to Your Door
A few things sold on firearms sites don’t trigger the FFL requirement under federal law.
Antique Firearms
Federal law excludes antique firearms from its definition of a firearm, so they don’t need a licensed dealer to transfer. An antique firearm is a gun manufactured in or before 1898, a replica not designed to fire modern rimfire or centerfire ammunition, or a muzzle-loading black powder weapon that cannot accept fixed ammunition.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 921 – Definitions A Civil War-era musket or a black powder revolver can ship straight to your address under federal law. State law may still restrict the delivery.
Ammunition
Federal law does not require ammunition purchases to go through an FFL or a background check, so online ammo can ship to your home in most states. Some states require an in-person transaction, a background check, or a permit for ammunition sales; retailers usually block orders to those addresses.
State Rules Layer on Top
Federal law is the floor. States add waiting periods between purchase and delivery, permit requirements for certain firearms, bans on specific categories of weapons like some semi-automatic rifles, magazine capacity limits, and, in a growing number of states, background check requirements for private sales between residents. Your FFL applies both federal and state rules at the counter, but knowing your state’s requirements before you order is on you. An order that clears at checkout can still hit a wall at the transfer.
Penalties Worth Knowing Before You Click Buy
A few federal offenses come up often in online sale contexts, and the penalties are steep.
Straw Purchases
A straw purchase is buying a firearm on behalf of someone else, typically because that person can’t pass a background check or wants no paper trail. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 created a specific federal prohibition carrying up to 15 years in prison, rising to 25 years if the buyer knows or has reason to believe the other person plans to use the firearm in a felony, act of terrorism, or drug trafficking.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 932 – Straw Purchasing of Firearms10Congress.gov. Gun Control – Straw Purchase and Gun Trafficking Provisions in PL 117-159
Lying on Form 4473
Every question on the Firearms Transaction Record is a federal question. A false statement on Form 4473 is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.11Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Prosecutors Aggressively Pursuing Those Who Lie in Connection With Firearm Transactions Misstating your identity, denying drug use, or claiming to be the actual buyer when someone else is paying all qualify. Prosecutors bring these cases even when the transfer never completes.
Dealing Without a License
Regularly selling firearms for profit without an FFL is a federal crime punishable by up to five years in prison,10Congress.gov. Gun Control – Straw Purchase and Gun Trafficking Provisions in PL 117-159 whether the selling happens at gun shows, on online marketplaces, or from home.
Spotting Scams on Firearms Sites
The FFL requirement doubles as a fraud filter. A legitimate online seller will always agree to ship to a licensed dealer. Anyone insisting on shipping straight to your house, skipping the FFL, is either uninformed or running a scam. Other warning signs: pressure to pay by cryptocurrency, peer-to-peer payment apps, or wire transfers, none of which offer buyer protection. Established retailers accept credit cards and process payment before shipping to your FFL. If the price is unusually low, the seller pushes for irreversible payment, or the “store” has no verifiable physical address or FFL number, walk away.