FastBound: Receiving a Firearm & Completing a 4473

FastBound is a cloud-based compliance bound book solution built exclusively for the firearms industry.
It helps FFLs acquire and dispose of firearms, complete 4473s, and stay ATF-compliant — all in one place.

Everything catalog-related in OtterOrder — services, inventory, and range products — lives in the Catalog section. All products are organized under categories, making it easy to keep your offerings logically separated at the counter.

Common categories for FFLs and service-focused shops include services (e.g., gunsmithing), range products, transfer fees, ammo, and targets. Transfer fees in particular are recommended to be split by type (e.g., rifle vs. handgun) to minimize mistakes at checkout.

Firearms are managed through FastBound rather than OtterOrder, though the integration allows firearm products to be pulled in automatically. OtterOrder also supports custom inventory setups, where it can periodically sync with an external inventory source of truth to keep product availability up to date.

Key capabilities include:

• Bound book acquisition and disposal logging
• Digital 4473 completion with buyer self-service
• NICS background check integration (direct API and browser extension)
• Support for 15 point-of-contact states
• ID scanning and FFL contact verification
• Audit trail for all changes per ATF Ruling 2016-1

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Part 1: Receiving (Acquiring) a Firearm

Step 1 — Create a New Acquisition

1. Log in to your FastBound account.
2. Navigate to Acquisitions and select Create Acquisition.
3. Enter the acquisition date.
4. Select the appropriate Acquire Type (e.g., standard inventory, gunsmithing, pawn/trade-in, manufacturer). Each acquire type maps to a separate bound book. You can create as many as needed.
5. (Optional) Add internal notes — for example, noting a transfer is for a specific customer. These notes are internal only and do not appear on the bound book.

Step 2 — Select the Transferring FFL

1. In the Acquire From field, begin typing the transferring dealer’s name (e.g., “Lipsey’s”).
2. FastBound will pull in the dealer’s information from its FFLs.com database, including a copy of their license if one has been uploaded and verified.
3. Confirm the FFL information is correct before proceeding.

Note: FastBound updates its FFL database daily. If a dealer’s license has expired or they’ve gone out of business, the system will flag this so you can follow up before completing the acquisition.

Step 3 — Add the Firearm

You can add a firearm using any of the following methods:

Method	How To Use
Smart Search	Start typing the make/model; previously acquired items will populate automatically.
UPC Scan	Scan the firearm’s UPC barcode to pull up all ATF-required fields.
Serial Scan	Scan the serial number directly using a barcode scanner.
Manual Entry	Build the item from scratch by entering all fields manually.
Copy/Paste	Paste data from a spreadsheet when receiving multiple firearms at once.

Recommended: A 2D barcode scanner ($50–$100 on Amazon) allows you to scan both firearm barcodes and customer driver’s licenses.

Step 4 — Complete the Acquisition

1. Review the pending acquisition. If there’s an error, you can delete it at this stage — no audit trail is created until the acquisition is finalized.
2. Click Acquire to officially log the firearm in your bound book.
3. The firearm will now appear in your bound book and is ready for transfer.

Important: Once acquired, edits and deletions are permitted but are permanently recorded in the audit log per ATF Ruling 2016-1. A strikethrough with the date and change details will appear. This is normal and expected — it is always better to correct an error than leave it as-is before an audit.

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Part 2: Completing a 4473

Step 1 — Add the Firearm to Section A

1. Open the 4473 form and navigate to Section A.
2. Scan or enter the firearm’s serial number.
3. Confirm all ATF-required fields are correct.
4. Lock Section A for the buyer.

Step 2 — Send the Buyer to Section B

1. FastBound will generate a 3-digit PIN for the buyer (e.g., 328).
2. Direct the buyer to your designated device (iPad, Chromebook, or computer) where your FastBound buyer URL is set up.
3. The buyer enters their PIN to access Section B.

Step 3 — Buyer Completes Section B

The buyer will:

• (Optional) Enter their email address for your records.
• Fill out all required personal information. FastBound recommends using ID scan to auto-populate and reduce errors.
• Answer all disqualifying questions.
• Digitally sign and submit — the date must be today’s date; past or future dates are not accepted.

Built-in validation checks include:

• Invalid county entries are blocked.
• Age restrictions are enforced (under 21 cannot purchase a handgun; under 18 cannot purchase any firearm).
• Unanswered required questions will stop the buyer from proceeding.
• If the buyer answers Yes to any disqualifying question, the form is flagged and you will be blocked from proceeding — preventing an accidental transfer.

After submission, any errors are highlighted for the buyer to correct before the form is finalized.

Step 4 — Dealer Review & ID Verification

1. The completed 4473 appears in your queue as Pending.
2. Click the transaction to open it. A checklist will show you what still needs to be completed.
3. Search for the buyer as an existing contact or add them as a new contact.
4. Click Verify ID and scan the buyer’s ID (if using a barcode scanner) or enter the information manually.
5. Click Save — the ID verification step (26A) will be marked complete.

Step 5 — Run the Background Check

NICS (Federal): Click NICS Web to open the FBI background check site. FastBound’s browser extension will auto-fill the buyer’s information. Submit and receive a response in three clicks.

Point-of-Contact States: If you are in a POC state (e.g., California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Tennessee, Washington), the appropriate state button will appear instead. Click it, log in to the state site, and use the browser extension to fill in the buyer’s details.

Supported POC states include: CA, CO, WA, PA, NY, TN, FL, and others.

Step 6 — Record the Background Check Result

1. Enter the date of the background check.
2. Enter the NTN, DRO, or FDLE number returned from the background check.
3. Mark the result as Proceed (or complete the appropriate exemption — see below).

Special Cases:

Situation	Action
Selling a suppressor (NFA item)	Check the NFA bypass box to skip the NICS check.
Buyer has a qualifying concealed carry permit (e.g., Texas)	Check the CCP exemption box and enter the permit information.

Step 7 — Finalize and Transfer

1. Sign and date the dealer section of the 4473.
2. (Optional) Generate a TTSN (Transfer Transaction Serial Number) — this appears at the top of the 4473.
3. Print the 4473, or store it digitally through 4473 Cloud (FastBound’s partner service). With digital storage and ATF notification, you are not required to print after the 60-day waiting period.
4. Click Complete Transaction to dispose the firearm from your bound book.

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