Transfers for Internet or Interstate Purchases You've searched online and found the gun you want at a good price. You know that the federal government requires that interstate sales go through a Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL).

Here's how the process works

1. 1. All purchasing financial and shipping details are between you and the seller.


2. 2. Email us with the following information. Our address is info[AT]AdAstraArms.com — replace the [AT] with the @ symbol.
   1. - Your name.
   2. - A telephone contact number for you.
   3. - Whom you are buying from.
   4. - A short description of what you are getting.
   5. - An order or auction number (if any).


3. 3. The seller must have a signed copy of our license before shipping the firearm.
   
   1. If the seller has us — Ad Astra Arms — listed on their website (for example, as a "Preferred" FFL), usually with a drop-down box for selection, then they already have a copy and we don't need to send them another. You still need to contact us (see previous section.)
   2. If the seller does not have us listed, include their email address along with the information in the previous section. We will email them a signed copy of our license.
   
   
4. 4. The seller should ship the firearm. Please copy us on any tracking information.


5. 5. When we receive the firearm, we'll complete the receipt paperwork (this involves opening the shipping container to verify the manufacturer, model, serial number, etc.). We then call you to set up an appointment. Since we work out of our home to keep expenses down, at times there will be a missed delivery. In most cases, the delivery is successful the next day.


6. 6. Most appointments are in the late afternoon or early evening, 5:30 PM through 7:00 PM, although we've been able to accommodate weekends and even mornings at times.


7. 7. At the appointment, you will fill out the required paperwork. The following are required.
   
   1. A. If you are a legal resident of the state of New Mexico:
      
      
      1. A government issued photo ID with your current (yes, that's in bold for a reason) residential address and birthdate. Examples of these include a New Mexico Drivers license (including the valid temporary renewal print-out), a New Mexico ID card, or a New Mexico Concealed Handgun License.
      
      
      2. A federal or state-issued photo ID not showing your current residential address plus one of the following the does show your current residential address:
         • A current valid New Mexico motor vehicle registration card.
         • A current valid New Mexico hunting or fishing license.
         • A valid New Mexico voter registration card.
         • A water bill issued by a government authority within the past 45 days.
         • Other government issued document showing your current residential address.
      
      
      3. If you are not a United States citizen, also bring your "green card".
   
   
   2. B. If you are a member of the Armed Forces on active duty stationed in New Mexico:
      
      1. A copy of your PCS orders (TDY orders are not acceptable); and
      
      
      2. Your military identification card.
   
   
   3. C. If you are not a U.S. citizen and have a nonimmigrant visa, please call to establish what additional documentation is required.


8. 8. We will review the paperwork, and should all be well, we'll contact the FBI for the instant background check ("NICS Check"). This normally takes about five minutes.


9. 9. The NICS Check can have three results.
   
   

   Proceed.

   We can proceed with the transfer.

   
   

   Delayed.

   The transfer is delayed while the FBI continues the background check. If no resolution is received after three business days have elapsed, then the transfer can proceed.

   
   

   Denied.

   The transfer is denied. We will provide information on how to appeal, but we are by law (for privacy reasons) not allowed to assist.

   
   

10. 10. To proceed, we complete the paperwork (fortunately, you don't have to do any of it) and collect our fee.


11. 11. You then leave with your latest firearms acquisition.

Private transfers

You are either the buyer or the seller for a non-commercial sale between two individuals.

We can perform a background check ("NICS check") for the sale. We have done this in the past, when the seller desired an extra assurance concerning a sale. As of recently, the government of New Mexico now requires such a check for private sales. We acknowledge that this change in New Mexico law is not intended to reduce crime, but is intended to hassle innocent citizens. Our intention is to make compliance with the law as straightforward and easy as possible. (Like many FFLs and almost all sheriffs in New Mexico, We lobbied against the requirement.) Given the current environment, we would like to make the process as unobstructive as possible and still meet the requirements of current legislation until it can be repealed or overturned.

The actual official text of the legislation can be found at SB-8, Final Version

We are not lawyers, so we will interpret the legislation in accordance with its plain meaning until the state government informs us otherwise.

Here's how the process works

1. 1. All purchasing financial details are between the buyer and the seller.


2. 2. Email us with the following information. Our address is info[AT]AdAstraArms.com — replace the [AT] with the @ symbol.
   1. - Your name.
   2. - A telephone contact number for you.
   3. - Whom you are buying from.
   4. - A short description of what you are getting.
   5. - An order or auction number (if any).
   
   
   6. (Most appointments are in the late afternoon or early evening, 5:30 PM through 7:00 PM, although we've been able to accommodate weekends and even mornings at times. We work out of our home, which helps keep expenses down.)


3. 3. If the seller desires, he or she may come earlier and leave the firearm with us.
   
   
   
   1. - The upside is that the seller doesn't have to coordinate an appointment with the buyer.
   
   
   2. - The downside is that if the sale falls through for any reason, then the seller would have to undergo a background check and pay the fee in order to get the firearm back.
   
   
4. 4. In any case, we will examine the firearm to ensure that we can do the transfer.


5. 5. The buyer will fill out the required paperwork. The following are required.
   
   1. A. If the buyer is a legal resident of the state of New Mexico:
      
      
      1. A government issued photo ID with your current (yes, that's in bold for a reason) residential address and birthdate. Examples of these include a New Mexico Drivers license (including the valid temporary renewal print-out), a New Mexico ID card, or a New Mexico Concealed Handgun License.
      
      
      2. A federal or state-issued photo ID not showing your current residential address plus one of the following the does show your current residential address:
         • - A current valid New Mexico motor vehicle registration card.
         • - A current valid New Mexico hunting or fishing license.
         • - A valid New Mexico voter registration card.
         • - A water bill issued by a government authority within the past 45 days.
         • - Other government issued document showing your current residential address.
      
      
      3. If the buyer is not a United States citizen, also bring the "green card".
   
   
   2. B. If the buyer is a member of the Armed Forces on active duty stationed in New Mexico:
      
      1. A copy of the PCS orders (TDY orders are not acceptable); and
      
      
      2. The military identification card.
   
   
   3. C. If the buyer is not a U.S. citizen and has a nonimmigrant visa, please call to establish what additional documentation is required.


6. 6. We will review the paperwork, and should all be well, we'll contact the FBI for the instant background check ("NICS Check"). This normally takes about five minutes.


7. 7. The NICS Check can have three results.
   
   

   Proceed.

   We can proceed with the transfer (This is the most common occurrence). We will take possesion of the firearm (if we don't have it already), do the required paperwork, and complete the transfer.

   
   

   Delayed.

   The transfer is delayed while the FBI continues the background check. If a final determination is not received after three intervening business days, we can continue the transfer.
   
   

   - If the seller has not already delivered the firearm to us, he or she may retain it. However, it must be brought back to us prior to transferring the firearm.

   
   

   - If the seller opts to leave the firearm with us, we can complete the transfer without the seller returning. However, should the deal fall through, the seller would have to successfully complete a background check in order to retake possession of the firearm.

   
   

   Denied.

   The transfer is denied. We will provide information on how to appeal, but we are by law (for privacy reasons) not allowed to assist.