By Randy Peterson

As I write this, Turkey day will soon be upon us. The weather here has been fairly nice for this time of year. A little rain a little cold and VERY little snow which is right up my alley. Me and cold and snow just don’t jive. I didn’t get any hunting license’s this year but all my friends and people I have talked too are having a very successful season so far. Deer season starting this weekend and I do hope everyone fills their tags. Seems to be a lot of road kill. I added to that number the other night as Bambi’s Great Grandfather pulled out on the highway and crossed paths with me in my Dodge Intrepid. It was the biggest Buck I have EVER seen that close up. Pretty sure I ruined someone’s trophy deer plans. And who needs a high power rifle when you’ve got a car. So I wager to guess that even without a deer license I bagged my limit…
Now, to get onto this months topic, the Curio and Relic. In this case Curio and Relic is dealing with firearms. To purchase a rifle or pistol straight from the distributor you normally have to have a Federal Firearm’s license. And with an Ol FFL you have to pay a good sum of money, go through a background check and submit your fingerprints. Seems like a pretty big hassle to save a few bucks on a gun purchase here or there. So the Ol FFL is designed for the gun shop owner or someone who would buy a lot of guns and sell.
Then there is a Federal Firearms called the 03 FFL. It’s called a Curio and Relics license and is for people who collect older firearms. Since this is sort of the category that I’m interested in, I went online to see how in the blazes I get one of these licenses and if it was gonna be a pain in the butt. Well it was quite simple. On the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms) website was all the info I needed. It had a Question and Answer section that pretty much told me what I needed to know. For one, it’s a lot simpler to get and two, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper. After reading through everything I decided to send an email to the BATF. I got no reply back after a couple of days so I figured I must have to call. Well on the third day, I received a packet in the mail with the application forms. The form was simple and similar to the form you fill out when purchasing a gun from a gun store. After it’s filled out, just send it back to the BATF, envelope provided, with $30. You also have to give a copy of the application to the local police chief. In this case I dropped the copy off at the sheriffs office.
The $30 fee is the cost for the license and it’s good for three years. I figure this is pretty cheap when you can buy a gun for cost from the wholesaler. So, the way I figure, one gun purchase should be more than worth the price of the license. About a month after sending in my application I received books on gun laws for every state in the USA and a book that states which firearms are Curio and Relic. A couple days later the license showed up in the mail.
You don’t sign the original, go and make a bunch of copies then sign those copies and send to any wholesalers you are interested in buying from. They put you in their file and put you on their mailing list for SALES and any other specials. Any firearms purchased with or acquired while having an 03 FFL C and R has to be logged into a log book and kept on personal file while having the license. If the BATF does a check, you can show what you have bought or disposed of.
The Curio and Relics license does not allow for buying and selling guns to make a profit. It’s for making a collection. You can sell or trade to upgrade or enhance your collection.
In general for a firearm to be eligible to be a Curio and Relic, it has to be 50 years old or older, or be on the list as a collectible if it is newer. As of today I have only made one purchase with my 03 FFL Curio and Relic’s license. It was different to have a rifle shipped right to my door. The best part was I figured I saved about $80 by not having to go to a gun show or dealer to get a gun to fill a slot in my collection. I think, in the long run, the license will save me a lot of money.
That’s all for this month. If anyone is interested in getting a Curio and Relics license or has a question you can just contact me through The Outdoorsmen Magazine.
Till next month. Havin a Blast Preservin the Past...
Randy L Peterson