FFL Transfers

Bought a firearm online or from another seller? Have it shipped to Lightning Armory, a 07 FFL in Bastrop, Texas. Start your transfer and pay the fee before it ships, and we will let you know as soon as it is ready to pick up.

Start an FFL transfer

Transfer prices

Standard transfer
Handgun or long gun, per serialized firearm, transfer order completed before it arrives. Processed within 2 business days of arrival.		$34.99
Expedited transfer
Handgun or long gun, per serialized firearm, transfer order completed before it arrives. Processed the same business day it arrives, and we call and email you.		$49.99
Non-firearm item
Ammo, accessories, or optics shipped to us that are not part of a firearm order, per package.		$14.99
Blind transfer
Per serialized firearm that arrives without a completed transfer order. Charged at pickup.		$69.99
Storage
Any item still here on day 11, counted from the day it is received and logged in our bound book. Charged through the end of that calendar month, then on the 1st of each month. See Storage and abandoned items below.		$24.99, then $49.99 per month

Sales tax is added at checkout where required. NFA items (suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns) are not accepted for transfer through this page; email us first.

How it works

  1. Make sure you can legally own it. You must be eligible to receive the firearm under federal, Texas, and local law, and you must be the actual buyer.
  2. Buy your firearm from the dealer, website, or seller of your choice, and have it shipped to Lightning Armory.
  3. Start your transfer here before it ships. Tell us what is coming and who is sending it, and pay the transfer fee. One order per firearm type; set the quantity for multiples.
  4. Wait for our email. A carrier “delivered” notice only means the box reached us. We email you (and call, for expedited transfers) once it is logged in and ready.
  5. Pick it up in person. Bring a valid government photo ID, and your Texas License to Carry if you have one. You complete ATF Form 4473 at pickup. If you hold a valid Texas License to Carry, you do not need a NICS background check; otherwise we run it then. Pickup is by appointment only: when we tell you your item is ready, reply or call to set a time.

What the shipper must include

Every firearm shipped to us needs paperwork in the box or taped to it: an invoice or a note showing who sent it and who it is for, the sender’s phone and email, and a copy of the sender’s FFL (or, for a private seller, their driver’s license). A firearm that arrives without this, or without a completed transfer order from you, is handled as a blind transfer.

Dealers who need a copy of our FFL can request one at ffl@lightningarmory.com.

Transfer rules

  • All transfers are completed in person at our shop, by appointment only. We do not ship transferred firearms to homes or businesses that are not FFLs.
  • Handguns can be transferred only to Texas residents. Rifles and shotguns can be transferred to residents of other states where that state’s laws allow it.
  • The person named on the transfer order must be the person who takes possession of the firearm. We refuse any transfer that appears to be a straw purchase.
  • A transfer is completed only after a Proceed response on a NICS background check. A customer with a valid Texas License to Carry does not need a NICS check. If your background check is delayed, there is no extra charge for the delay, but storage still starts on day 11, the same as every other item. A delay leaves plenty of time after the Brady date to arrange pickup. If your background check is denied, see below.
  • Lightning Armory is not responsible for items damaged or missing in shipping. Inspect your firearm at pickup.

Storage and abandoned items

  • Days are counted from the day your item is received and logged in Lightning Armory’s bound book. The same rules apply to every item, whatever the firearm type.
  • Storage starts on day 11: a flat $24.99 covers day 11 through the end of that calendar month. On the 1st of every month after that, a $49.99 storage fee is charged.
  • Monthly storage is not prorated or partly refunded. For example, the $49.99 charged on June 1 applies whether you pick up on June 1, June 2, or June 30.
  • No firearm is released without a Proceed background check response (or a valid Texas License to Carry in its place) and payment of all storage fees.
  • No item is transferred on or after day 90. On day 90 the item is considered abandoned by the customer and the selling or sending FFL. Lightning Armory keeps it as compensation for the administrative cost of recording and storing it. It stays in the acquisitions section of Lightning Armory’s bound book, and its disposition is at Lightning Armory’s sole discretion.

If your background check is denied

  • The transfer fee paid to Lightning Armory is not refunded.
  • You must arrange with the selling FFL to have the firearm returned. The selling FFL must supply a prepaid shipping label or carrier pickup within 10 days of the denial.
  • Storage fees apply as described above ($24.99 from day 11 through the end of that month, then $49.99 on the 1st of each month) until the firearm leaves Lightning Armory’s premises.
  • A firearm not removed from Lightning Armory’s premises before day 90 is considered abandoned by the selling or sending FFL and the customer. Lightning Armory keeps it as compensation for the administrative cost of recording and storing it. It stays in the acquisitions section of Lightning Armory’s bound book, and its disposition is at Lightning Armory’s sole discretion.

Questions about a transfer? Email ffl@lightningarmory.com or call 512.838.3400.