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- Ask questions of all prospective purchasers to ensure they are the actual purchaser, whether they have firearm training, and what is their intended use.
- Evaluate a prospective purchaser’s history of firearms transactions
- Deny the sale of firearms to anyone that indicates they are not the actual buyer, that they are involved in unlicensed firearm dealing or illegal trafficking, or that they’re prohibited
- Maintain records of those believed to have engaged in illegal purchases to conduct enhanced vetting
- Ensure the name on the method of payment matches the name of the prospective purchaser
- Prohibit anyone who did not fill out the paperwork or undergo the background check from contributing to the payment or receiving any firearms
- Limit purchases of firearms to one per 30 days per customer with limited exceptions
- Prohibit the use of cell phones and other electronic devices at the counter
- Check and record ID information of every person who wishes to handle a firearm, holding onto the ID for the duration of the transaction
- Don’t allow, or require advanced screening for, gift sales
- Maintain records of the names of purchasers who appear in law enforcement trace requests and conduct enhanced vetting or refuse the sale where any suspicions exist
- If an employee transfers a disproportionate number of guns subject to trace requests, monitor and review the employee’s transactions and require additional training as needed.
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- Refuse to transfer a firearm until a background check is completed and a purchaser is cleared
- Refuse to transfer guns or ammunition to anyone whose observable actions/behaviors indicate they are intoxicated, using drugs, or mentally unstable
- Refuse to transfer guns or ammunition to anyone where there is a question as to if they may be a minor or prohibited from possessing that firearm or ammunition or if a staff member has information that person may be a danger to themselves or others
- Refuse to sell firearms, ammunition, and other related items at gun shows unless all firearm sales at such shows require the completion of a background check and screening
- Conduct background checks for private sellers for a reasonable fee where permissible
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- Develop and implement a plan to protect inventory with adequate locks, lighting, surveillance, alarms, and other anti-theft measures
- Keep all firearm inventory locked and unloaded
- Regularly monitor the surveillance system
- Keep firearms inventory acquisition and disposition records electronically with backups
- Conduct a daily electronic inventory check
- Immediately notify local law enforcement and the ATF of all loss or theft of firearms
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- Require employees to pass a pre-employment background check, including a criminal history check
- Require employees that transfer firearms to be of legal age and status to possess the firearms they are selling
- Conduct continual employee training
- Require at least a two-level review of every firearms transactions to screen for a straw purchase or other illegal sale
- Maintain a roster of customers who have purchased handguns (and long guns in southern states) within the last five business days and ensure multiple handgun sales are reported to the ATF
- Terminate any employee who participates in a clear or obvious illegal sale
- Annually review and update compliance policies, procedures, and training materials
- Refuse to use sales quotas and if commissions are paid, award employees who refuse to complete suspicious transactions
- Conduct weekly reviews of firearm sales by reviewing video surveillance
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- Require employees to attend a training upon hire and at least semi annually thereafter
- Conduct training for mental health screening upon hire and at least annually thereafter
- Empower employees to refuse to transfer firearms if there is a suspicion that the customer is engaged in straw purchasing or illegal trafficking.
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- Post warnings about the consequences of improperly storing firearms, including with respect to child access
- Provide information on secure storage and mental health resources with all firearm transfers
- Offer storage devices for sale or free with purchase and provide information on other places customers can acquire storage devices
- Post a notice at all point-of-sale locations and entrances warning customers about the risks associated with firearms in the home
- Screen all customers seeking to purchase a firearm to confirm they aren’t having suicidal thoughts or are in crisis
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- Refuse to sell ghost guns or privately made firearm kits
- Refuse to sell conversion devices that increase a firearm’s rate of fire
- Report any illegal firearms to ATF and local law enforcement
- Refuse to sell large-capacity magazines and ammunition storage devices
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- Notify state and local authorities, the ATF, and other gun stores in the area of any suspected straw purchasers or prohibited purchasers who attempt to obtain a gun
- Notify local, state, and federal authorities of any multiple firearm purchases by the same customer within a thirty-day period
- Respond to trace requests from law enforcement immediately and with all information
- Review footage of transactions that are subject to a trace request for any indicators of an illegal sale and notify the ATF if any are found
- Report to ATF and state or local law enforcement any individual whose purchase patterns suggest they are illegally dealing firearms
Gun dealers can help keep their communities safe by ensuring firearms are only transferred to responsible, law-abiding individuals who are legally permitted to bear arms.
Gun violence is driven in part by unsafe, irresponsible, or illegal sales practices that divert guns to the criminal market.
Most gun dealers want to sell guns responsibly, but others require education and, sometimes, pressure. That’s why Brady developed the Gun Dealer Code of Conduct, a tool intended to help firearms dealers identify business practices to minimize the likelihood that firearms will be used in crime.
The Brady Gun Dealer Code of Conduct helps protect our communities.
- Firearms dealers can consult Brady’s Gun Dealer Code of Conduct for a list of best practices to help ensure they are selling firearms safely.
- Lawmakers can use the tool to guide policy in their communities.
- Journalists can use the information to better understand the severely underreported “supply side” of America’s gun violence epidemic.
Making Responsible Business Practices the Law
While licensed gun dealers are required to follow federal, state, local gun laws and regulations, in most states there are no codified legal standards to ensure dealers operate responsibly.
Currently, most states do not have codified laws or regulations requiring gun dealers to keep inventory locked, have video surveillance, or even run background checks on employees and ensure they are properly trained. While Brady’s Code of Conduct is a voluntary tool to educate, empower, and encourage firearms dealers to adopt responsible business practices, Brady also works with state and federal legislators to establish safe business practices and certification requirements for gun dealers and their employees to curb the diversion of firearms into the illegal market. Making these provisions law, provides needed incentives to gun dealers.
Brady has previously supported the federal Firearms Retailer Code of Conduct Act, introduced by Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06). By creating a code of conduct for firearm retailers, this bill would help prevent dangerous firearm transactions such as straw purchasing and gun trafficking that drive gun violence.
Why is it Important for Gun Dealers to Operate Responsibly — Now More Than Ever?
Easy access to guns is a root cause of gun violence.
Gun dealers act as gatekeepers that can prevent the diversion of firearms from the legal market to the illegal market. Gun dealers that knowingly and seriously violate the law should not be allowed to sell guns to the public.
But the federal government, through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), only inspects a small percentage of gun stores each year — with some stores going as long as a decade without any inspection to ensure compliance with the law.
Even when gun stores are inspected, serious violations are often met with nothing more than a warning. As a result, negligent gun dealers are allowed to stay in business and continue to fuel gun violence.
Unfortunately, the Trump administration has been slashing ATF’s resources and gutting meaningful oversight of gun dealers. For example, the administration eliminated former President Joe Biden’s “zero tolerance” policy that allowed ATF to crack down on rogue gun dealers who wilfully broke federal law. The administration is also creating a new process to encourage gun dealers who had lost their licenses under the revoked zero tolerance policy to reapply and go back into business. And in June 2025, the Trump administration announced a plan to cut ATF’s gun dealer inspectors by two-thirds.
These cuts to gun industry oversight mean that gun dealers must do even more to keep their communities safe. More than ever, we need gun dealers to ensure they are selling firearms responsibly and preventing dangerous and risky transactions, including transfers to straw purchasers, firearms traffickers, prohibited purchasers, and others that intend to misuse weapons. And as community members, we can help apply pressure and advocate for state and local action to fill dangerous gaps in gun industry oversight and accountability.
The Brady Gun Dealer Code of Conduct aids firearms dealers to more effectively prevent sales to straw purchasers, firearm traffickers, prohibited individuals, and those in crisis.
Read the Full Gun Dealer Code of Conduct
The solutions in Brady’s Gun Dealer Code of Conduct are informed not only by research findings and current laws and regulations, but also by the experiences of gun dealers who took action to improve their business practices after making sales that resulted in deaths or injuries. Read the full Code of Conduct.
The Brady Gun Dealer Code of Conduct Includes Information on How To:
Incentivizing Safe Business Practices in Your Community
Taxpayers are the number one purchaser of firearms in America. Cities across the U.S. spend more than $5 billion a year on guns alone.
When public dollars are spent at firearm vendors, the public should be able to ensure that those dealers are operating in a way that promotes public safety, not compromises it. State and local executive branches have the power to choose which businesses to work with, providing a unique opportunity to promote and incentivize responsible practices from gun industry businesses vying for contracts.
To date, Brady has aided in the enactment of seven state and local procurement policies with ordinances in the City of San Diego, City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, City & County of San Francisco, City of Oakland, an executive order in New Jersey, and the first statewide law of the kind in Colorado.
You can encourage your state or local legislature to implement a procurement policy that incentivizes gun dealers in your community to adhere to safe business practices.
The Brady Gun Dealer Code of Conduct is intended to be tailored to fit the size, scale, and needs of a dealer’s business.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and gun dealers know their customers best. It’s important that dealers continually assess their practices and update safety protocols as needed.
Where the Guns Come From
The communities most impacted by gun violence are disproportionately Black and Brown communities. The suppliers of gun violence are a predominantly white gun industry that continues to funnel guns onto the streets with little to no consequence. Brady's Combating Crime Guns team aims to shift the burden of solving gun violence off of the communities most impacted and to the industry that is arming this epidemic through supply side solutions.