Texas Star Arsenal FAQ

The term "FFL" is actually an acronym used interchangably to mean "Federal Firearms Licensee" or "Federal Firearms License."

• When used to refer to a Licensee, "FFL" means an individual or a company licensed by the United States Government to engage in the business of manufacturing, importing, or selling firearms and ammunition that has been issued a Federal Firearms License.

• When used to refer to a license, "FFL" means a license issued by the United States Government that allows the licensee to engage in the business of manufacturing, importing, or selling firearms and ammunition.

We are actually a Type 7 FFL with an 02 SOT.

As a Type 7 FFL, we are a licensed manufacturer of firearms which means we can build rifles, shotguns, and pistols for sale. Adding an 02 SOT increases our capabilities and allows us to build NFA items (we are not licensed to manufacture Destructive Devices.*).

So what is an SOT?

SOT is an acronym for "Special Occupational Taxpayer", which is big city lawyer talk for a person who pays a fee so they can deal in or manufacture NFA items. As an 02 SOT, we can manufacture silencers, short barrel rifles, short barrel shotguns, and select fire weapons (AKA machineguns). 

So why are you called a "Class 3" dealer?

It's a misnomer that's been around forever. What people incorrectly call a "Class 3 Dealer" should really be known as a "Class 3 SOT" which is somebody who deals in (but doesn’t manufacture) NFA items. We would be a "Class 2 Dealer" who can deal in and manufacture NFA items.

* For the purposes of the National Firearms Act, the term “Destructive Device” means:

• A missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than 1/4 oz.

• Any type of weapon ... the barrel or barrels of which have a bore greater than one-half inch in diameter.

Title II weapons, also called NFA weapons or Class 3 weapons, are defined in the National Firearms Act and amended in the Title II section of the Gun Control Act of 1968. While there are others, for our purposes here NFA weapons are Short Barrel Rifles, Short Barrel Shotguns, Select-Fire Rifles, and Suppressors.

1. A Short Barrel Rifle is a rifle with a barrel less than 16" and an overall length of less than 26".

2. A Short Barrel Shotgun is a shotgun with a barrel less than 18" and an overall length of less than 26".

3. A Select-Fire Rifle, also known as a machinegun, briefly stated, is any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.

4. A Suppressor, also known as a silencer, briefly stated, means any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm.

A straw purchase is illegal and occurs when one person, let's call him "Fred", buys a firearm for another person, let's call this guy "Barney", who is known to "Fred" to be unable to pass (or just plain unwilling to undergo) a background check.

Let's use an example: Barney wants to buy an AR-15 for hunting Wildebeest on the wild savannas of Plano, but everyone knows that Barney hates the government and he doesn't want them "knowing" he's buying an evil black rifle. So Barney calls Fred and asks if Fred would buy the AR-15 for him. That means paying for it and filling out the Federal Form 4473 as if Fred were buying it for himself. Fred knows Barney so he says he will.

Fred and Barney have now conspired to make a straw purchase.

To them, they are just not letting the government know that Barney is the true buyer of the AR-15. We sympathize. The government is in our lives way too much already. However the law says you cannot just choose to avoid a background check and since we are too pretty to go to jail we follow the law.

Straw purchases are illegal because criminals and other prohibited people who cannot pass a background check often get folks who can pass a background check, to buy guns for them. Straw purchases are a big source of illegal firearms and as dealers we have a responsibility to help stop those from occurring.

Yes we sell Suppressors, Short Barrel Rifles, Short Barrel Shotguns, and Select Fire weapons (aka Machine Guns / Fully Automatic Weapons).

NOTE: We do not maintain an inventory of Select Fire Weapons. Select Fire Weapons are a cost-prohibitive item for most people given the exclusivity of inventory so we operate on a case-by-case basis with customers who are seeking to procure these items.

Every time we hear this question, we have to stop and count to ten not because we are being asked a silly question (far from it) but because we are forced to recognize how well the anti-gun movement and their media allies have brainwashed our country with their rhetoric. Contrary to what many people believe, firearms are not registered to anyone. At least, not at the Federal level. The only items registered with the Federal government are NFA items like suppressors, Short Barrel Rifles, Short Barrel Shotguns, etc. Registration of firearms does exist in anti-freedom states like CA, HI, NJ, NY, etc. but that is at the state-level. In those states, you will need to use an FFL to transfer the item to you. Luckily in the state of Texas, as in most of the country, a firearm is not registered to anyone. If a relative gifts you a firearm or leaves it to you in their will, you simply take possession of the item and go about your business. If the firearm in question is in another state, you will need to use an FFL to arrange transfer to you.

Short Answer:

• Length of barrel and whether there is a stock on it or not.

Deeper Answer:

An AR-15 rifle has a barrel at least 16” in length and has an overall length of at least 26”. A rifle also has a stock allowing the rifle to be shouldered.

An AR-15 pistol has a barrel that is shorter than 16” and has an overall length that is less than 26”. A pistol cannot have a stock that allows it to be shouldered, that would make it a Short Barrel Rifle and would be subject to the NFA which means you need to register it with the Feds and pay them $200 for a little tax stamp that takes a long time to get.

A pistol can have what is known as a brace, a contraption that was created to assist disabled and weak-handed individuals in holding the pistol horizontally so it can be fired one-handed. Most braces look and operate very much like a stock but they're not stocks, they're braces so your AR-15 pistol legally remains a pistol. Oh, did we mention you can shoulder your brace? Yeah, you can, at least until the ATF changes it's mind again and issues another "Determination" (they usually "determine" previously determined determinations when a rival party wins the White House).

Putting a stock on your AR-15 pistol requires a $200 tax payment and a long waiting period to receive a Federal Tax Stamp. Until you get that little stamp, you cannot put a stock on your pistol without becoming a felon.

Clear as mud?

Handgun and NFA item = 21 years old.

Rifles and Shotguns = 18 years old.

Some states may have different ages but these are the most common. It is best to check your local state laws to confirm before setting out to buy anything.

We are an online business with no retail storefront. There is no showroom you can visit. There is no place to physically drive to and explore the products we carry. Our catalog of products offered is hosted on our e-Commerce Website, texasstararsenal.com. There you can view the competition-related products we carry. You can create an account and add items to a wishlist. You can view past orders, check the status of current orders, manage your payment methods, and more.

Our ordering process is no different from any other e-Commerce store: browse our catalog, add items you want to purchase to your cart, and checkout. We'll ship your purchase to you unless it's a firearm. Firearms purchased must be sent to an FFL you designate or, if you are in our area, we will arrange an appointment for you to come and pick it up. Regardless of who transfers your firearms purchase, there will be a background check performed. Non firearms-related purchases will be shipped by us if we have it in our local inventory or it shall be drop-shipped directly from our distributor. Generally, we strive to ship purchases the same day but due to a variety of factors shipping may be slightly delayed.

Being a niche store allows us to focus and support one segment of the shooting community rather than trying to keep up with the entire shooting industry. We also mitigate the reputational risk from frustrated customers who are looking for everyday items only to find we have a very curated catalog.

No. We are an online store so we will process your order and ship it to the address that matches your credit card.

A 2020 paper published on the National Institutes of Health website titled "Brain health consequences of digital technology use
" offers a likely cause for your neurological condition.

Let us paraphrase some information in that article.

Emerging scientific evidence indicates that frequent digital technology use has a significant impact on brain function and behavior. Potential harmful effects of technology use include impaired emotional and social intelligence and impaired brain development.

To summarize, we're an online business with no showroom; our offices are for transfers and pre-arranged appointments only.

NOTE: This FAQ was necessary because instances have occurred where persons have come to our location and, despite seeing it was not a retail establishment, demanded to be waited on because a search engine listed us as a gun store. This should serve as a reminder to the rest of us that no election is too small and that these people vote.

Congratulations! We are happy to be able to serve your Second Amendment needs.

There are a couple of avenues we can take to get your purchase to you.

• If you live in the North Texas area, we will contact you and arrange a date and time for you to come in to our offices and pick up your purchase.

• If you live in the state of Texas, we will contact you and arrange a date and time for you to come in to our offices and pick up your purchase or determine which FFL we will transfer your purchase to.

• If you live outside the state of Texas, we will contact you to determine which FFL we will transfer your purchase to.

Buying a firearm online is very easy and perfectly legal. Despite what anti-gunners and their media allies say, no one buys a gun online without having a background check performed.

There are a small number of steps to buying a firearm online and they are pretty painless. Since we both sell firearms and perform transfers, there are two avenues of purchasing we will cover: buying from us and buying from another online retailer.

Buying from us:

• If you are local to North Texas, we will call you to arrange a time and day for transferring your purchase to you. You will come to our offices and we will perform a background check prior to transfer.

• If you are not local to North Texas, or are in North Texas but don't want to drive too far, you will need to locate a local FFL willing to accept transfers and arrange for them to accept our shipment for you.

• FFLs all have their own policies and fees so get as much info as you can before selecting anyone.

If buying online and using us as your transfer FFL:

• Arrange for the seller to ship your purchase to us. You may be asked to contact us and have us send the seller a copy of our FFL.

• Give us a call and let us know that you are purchasing a firearm and having it shipped to us.

• When you transfer comes in we will receive it and log it into our books. We will then call you to come to our offices for pick up at which time we will peform a background check.

• When coming to transfer your purchase, you must bring a government issued photo ID with your picture and current address and your LTC if you have one.

Sorry, that is not possible.

All firearms sold online must be shipped to a local FFL who will record receipt of the firearm and then "transfer" it to the person the item was shipped to. The transferee completes Federal Form 4473 and then a background check of the individual is performed. Upon successful completion, the firearm is transferred to the individual and the transaction is complete.

Yes, there is a 20% re-stocking fee that is applicable.

Texas Star Arsenal charges a 20% re-stocking fee, plus any applicable shipping fees, for the return of a firearm when the purchaser fails the background check. Any transfer fees paid by the purchaser to a transferring FFL are not in scope for this policy.

Our full Returns Policy can be read here.

We want you to be satisfied with your purchase so we allow returns, exchanges, or refunds on products sold up to 10 days from the date of purchase with the following exceptions:

• Installed goods, e.g., a riflescope mounted and/or assembled onto a weapon

• Special order items including promotional and corporate merchandise

• Hazardous items (as marked on our website)

• Firearms - Once a firearm is transferred or has been shipped, it is non-returnable and non-refundable

• Closeout Items - Closeout items are non-refunded

• Original shipping costs are non-refundable

Our full Returns Policy can be read here.

Yep. $10 a day.

We're not a warehouse.

For non-NFA items, clock starts on Day 15.

For NFA items, clock starts on Day 1 of year 2.

For those who need a map:

• A shotgun sold on Jan 1, 2000 starts being charged storage fees on Jan 15, 2000.

• A suppressor sold on Jan 1, 2000 starts being charged storage fees on Jan 1 2001.

It's not our responsibility to track you down and get you to come pick up your purchase or submit your NFA paperwork.

We can't imagine anyone buying something then abandoning it, but if that is the case, anything left over 3 years will be considered Abandoned Property and sold.

In addition to being big supporters of fine arts, we are keenly aware of the importance of being punctual. Society as a whole has lost a lot of it's class over the last couple of decades and we believe it began when we started arriving late everywhere.

Having said all that, sorry but we need you to complete the Federal form 4473 in store in front of us. I'm sure there are other places that have let you do that before but we are not them. We have the customer satisfaction ratings we do because we are honest and fair with all our customers. It would be honest and fair for us to say right now that this is our policy and we're not changing it for anyone.

We charge $25 for a non-NFA FFL transfer. If you transfer two or more non-NFA items at the same time, the first item is $25 and each subsequent item is $10. So transferring three pistols at once would be $45 ($25 + $10 + $10).

NOTE: This fee is payable only in cash. Please make a note of this prior to coming to pick up your transfer. Also, please have the exact amount. We do not make change.

We charge $75 for each NFA transfer. This fee is per item regardless of quantity transferred during one transfer. So, transferring one NFA item is $75, two NFA items = $150, three NFA items = $225, you get the idea.

NOTE: This fee is payable only in cash. Please make a note of this prior to coming to pick up your transfer. Also, please have the exact amount. We do not make change.

Asking about seeing me in a leotard screams "In Need of Psychiatric Help". Please contact your County Mental Health Crisis Hotline and explain to them that you are not well.

To answer your question, we have hung up our leotard for good.

While we appreciate your interest, and are saddened by your insanity, some things are just best put to rest permanently.

We are transfer dealers for Grab-A-Gun, Palmetto State Armory, Primary Arms, GunBroker and many other places. Just select us as your transfer destination and wait for us to call or text you that your purchase has arrived.

If you want to have your purchase transferred by us but the seller does not have our information, have them contact us either via email at sales@texasstararsenal.com or by phone at 855-705-5463 for a copy of our FFL license. We'll take it from there.

Regardless of how it gets here, once your transfer arrives, we will contact you to arrange an appointment for you to come and pick it up.

You will need to bring your Texas drivers license. You will need to bring your Texas License to Carry Handgun (LTC), if you have one. You will need to bring payment for the transfer (cash only).

NOTE: The transfer fee will be collected up front and is payable regardless of background check results.

3 Simple Steps

We will have you fill out your portion of the Federal Form 4473 and we will fill out the remainder.

• If you have a Texas LTC, it will serve in lieu of an NICS background check.

• If you do not have a Texas LTC, we will submit your information to the FBI via NICS and together we will while away the time discussing the similarities between Ezra Pound's poetry and Snoop Dogg's lyrics while your background check processes.

When your background check returns a result, we will capture it on Federal Form 4473.

There are only three outcomes to a background check:

• Proceed: you will be permitted to take your purchase with you

• Delayed: you will be advised of a three delay imposed by the FBI for further background checking

• Denied: you will be advised of a denial and will not be be permitted to take your purchase with you

NOTE: No, we do not know how long the background check will take. It can be instantaneous or it can take 30 minutes.

If you the initial background check resulted in a "Delayed" response, Federal law says an FFL has the option to deliver the firearm to the purchaser/transferee after 3 days if there has been no further response received from NICS.

Note the word "option". There is a mis-conception that after 3 days delay, a purchaser/transferee must have their purchase transferred to them. This is simply not true. Many dealers do transfer after the delay period if there has been no further NICS response. We do not. We will wait until we receive a NICS response before transferring a firearm.

Look, we like you. Seriously, we do. You're likely to be a really good person who eats their vegetables and takes their mother to church Bingo, I can tell. The bottom line though, is this is the policy we've adopted and we're ok with not everyone agreeing with it.

There is no law that stipulates the person who transfers the firearm must be the same person who paid for the firearm. However, our store policy states that we will only transfer a firearm to the person who's name is on the invoice (or to whom the firearm was sent to if an external transfer).

We understand that there are instances when a spouse or parent buys a gun for their significant other or child, however we insist the purchaser/addressee be the person completing the Federal Form 4473.

We understand the potential for Straw Purchases and will refuse a transfer if a straw purchase may be the ultimate goal.