FFL Elite keeps the acquisition and disposition record a licensed dealer is required to keep, and it is built so the record survives a correction, a migration, a backup, a restore and an inspection unchanged. Here is exactly what that means, and exactly where it stops.
Each of these is a behaviour of the software you can check for yourself inside the product, with the authority that creates the obligation stated beside it.
Record integrity
Your bound book cannot be quietly rewritten.
Committed acquisition and disposition entries are append-only. A mistake is corrected by a recorded void or amendment that keeps both the original and the new value, with who changed it and when. Regulatory rows cannot be deleted — the database itself refuses.
Corrections keep the before and after value, not just the result
Deletion of a committed regulatory record is blocked at the database, not just in the interface
Every entry carries the user and timestamp that produced it
27 CFR 478.125(e); ATF Ruling 2016-1
Validation before commit
Problems are caught before they enter the record, not after.
Every acquisition and disposition is re-validated on the server at the moment of commit, not only in the browser. Missing serials, contradictory identity data and impossible dates stop the commit and say exactly what to fix.
Server-side commit gates, so a bypassed form cannot write a bad record
Serial and identity consistency checks on intake
Findings state what to do, not just that something is wrong
27 CFR 478.125(e)
Action-first findings
Nothing is flagged without telling you what to do about it.
Findings are graded into blocked, needs review, review recommended and informational. Anything that requires action states the action and offers it. Informational notes stay collapsed and are never presented as a blocker.
Four attention classes with a stated resolution for every actionable finding
A guided queue that walks the open items one at a time
Confidence is always stated with the reason behind it
FFL Elite product control — not an ATF requirement
Deadline awareness
Recording deadlines are computed, not remembered.
Acquisition and disposition recording windows, privately made firearm marking deadlines and multiple-sale reporting obligations are calculated from your premises time zone and surfaced on the day they matter.
Regulatory dates use your premises local time, not the server's
Marking and reporting obligations appear on the Day Board
The obligation is stated with its authority so you can verify it
27 CFR 478.125(e); 478.92; 478.126a
Backup and recovery
Your records are backed up, verified, and provably restorable.
Snapshots run on a schedule with checksum and read-back verification. Restores are rehearsed against a real backup artifact in an isolated target, and rehearsal evidence is treated as expiring — old evidence stops counting.
Scheduled snapshots with verification, not just a copy
A documented restore procedure that has been exercised end to end
Backup health is visible to you inside the Suite
ATF Ruling 2016-1
Inspection readiness
An inspection is a read-only session, not a fire drill.
Inspection mode opens a read-only view of the committed record, logs what was accessed during the visit, and produces a paginated regulatory print view with licence, premises, print date and page numbering.
Read-only inspection sessions with an access log
Printable A&D rendering built from the same canonical ledger as the screen
Export on request during the visit
27 CFR 478.121; 478.125(e); ATF Ruling 2016-1
Record portability
The records are yours, in and out.
A complete export carries the ledger, correction history, a Form 4473 index and a manifest that reconciles expected against exported counts. A short read fails the export rather than handing you an incomplete file. The same package covers an out-of-business submission.
Manifest with expected-vs-exported reconciliation
No row ceiling and no silent truncation
Committed records stay readable and exportable even without an active plan
27 CFR 478.127; ATF Ruling 2016-1
Security and tenant isolation
Your records are visible to your people only.
Every regulatory table is protected by row-level security scoped to your organization, enforced in the database rather than in application code. Anonymous access to regulatory data is revoked outright, and privileged operations verify the caller's role first.
Database-enforced tenant isolation on regulatory tables
No anonymous read path to regulatory data
Role-verified privileged operations with an audit trail
ATF Ruling 2016-1 (access control); FFL Elite security control
Smart Import integrity
Migrated history is reviewed before it becomes your record.
Legacy files are mapped value-by-value, anomalies and duplicates are classified, and disposed firearms keep their full lifecycle. Staged rows are never called imported: nothing is part of your bound book until you commit it.
Every committed row keeps its source provenance
Duplicate and anomaly classification you review before commit
Disposed firearms are preserved, never collapsed away
ATF Ruling 2016-1
Transparent product scope
We tell you what we do not do.
FFL Elite is built for the dealer record set. Manufacturing, importing, destructive device and NFA record sets are not implemented, and we say so here, in onboarding and inside the product rather than letting you discover it later.
Every workflow below states its limitation in plain language
Licence types we do not serve are listed, not hidden
We never file a form with ATF on your behalf and never claim to
FFL Elite disclosure commitment
Every workflow, and where it stops
Most vendors publish what they support. This is the whole list, including what we do not do.
Title I A&D record
Supported
One canonical firearm record with acquisition, disposition and possession cycles, gap-free transaction references, premises-local regulatory dates, field-frozen ledgers and delete-blocked history.
27 CFR 478.125(e); ATF Ruling 2016-1
Acquisitions
Supported
Guided intake with counterparty identity, serial gates and commit-gate re-validation on the server.
27 CFR 478.125(e)
Dispositions
Supported
Four-step disposition workflow with double-disposition protection, special-reporting findings and void/amend history.
27 CFR 478.125(e)
Form 4473
Supported, with a stated limit
Buyer session, dealer review, certification capture, immutability after completion and an append-only correction trail.
FFL Elite is not an ATF eForms filing channel. The licensee remains responsible for the form's accuracy and for retaining it; FFL Elite never submits a form to ATF.
27 CFR 478.124
Background check (NICS) support
Supported, with a stated limit
Background check records, delay and proceed tracking, and the outstanding-check queue.
FFL Elite does not connect to NICS or E-Check. The dealer runs the check with FBI/state systems and records the outcome here.
27 CFR 478.102
Smart Import (legacy migration)
Supported, with a stated limit
Value-aware mapping, anomaly detection, duplicate classification, disposed-firearm preservation and full provenance on every committed row.
Migrated data can only be as accurate as the source file. Staged rows are never called imported until they are committed, and the dealer reviews every finding before commit.
ATF Ruling 2016-1
Regulatory print view
Supported
Read-only paginated A&D rendering from the canonical ledger builder, with licence, premises, print date, page x of y and continuation marking.
27 CFR 478.125(e); ATF Ruling 2016-1
Regulatory export
Supported
Complete ledger, correction history and manifest with expected-vs-exported reconciliation; a short read fails the export rather than shortening the file.
ATF Ruling 2016-1
Inspection mode
Supported
Read-only inspection session over the committed record with export on request.
27 CFR 478.121; ATF Ruling 2016-1
Backup
Supported
Scheduled daily and incremental snapshots with checksum and read-back verification, plus a live health model.
ATF Ruling 2016-1
Restore
Supported, with a stated limit
Documented restore procedure and an append-only rehearsal ledger; a rehearsal has been performed against a real artifact in an isolated target.
Restore evidence ages. A rehearsal older than 90 days stops counting as current evidence and the Evidence Center raises attention.
ATF Ruling 2016-1
Retention
Supported
Permanent retention: no purge or expiry job exists and every regulatory table is delete-blocked.
27 CFR 478.127; 478.129
Out-of-business portability
Supported
Portability package containing the ledger, correction history, Form 4473 index and manifest, rehearsed end to end.
27 CFR 478.127
Theft / loss
Supported
Incident workflow, ATF control number capture and an append-only A&D annotation on every affected entry.
27 CFR 478.39a; 478.125(e)
Multiple-sale reporting
Supported, with a stated limit
Detection of multiple handgun and certain rifle dispositions inside the reporting window, raised on the A&D path with what to do.
FFL Elite detects and states the obligation; the licensee files Form 3310.4 / 3310.12 with ATF. FFL Elite never files it.
27 CFR 478.126a
Personal collection holding clock
Supported, with a stated limit
The holding is persisted when the firearm leaves business inventory and evaluated on every later disposition, with phase, days held, days remaining and the record path that applies.
The clock is advisory. It decides which record set applies; it never blocks a transfer, and it cannot know about a firearm that left inventory outside FFL Elite.
18 U.S.C. 923(c); 27 CFR 478.125a
Pawn intake and redemption
Supported, with a stated limit
Pawn intake, redemption and forfeiture phases with their ledger effect, recording trigger and Form 4473 / background-check consequences.
Loan terms, maturity and any statutory holding period are state and local law. FFL Elite records what the dealer enters from the pawn ticket and never computes a state term.
27 CFR 478.125(e); 478.124
Privately made firearm marking
Supported
The marking deadline is computed by the deadline engine and surfaced on the firearm record and the Day Board.
27 CFR 478.92; 478.125(e)
Manufacturer records
Not offered
The manufacture event and its timing are modelled and tested, and an NFA/PMF firearm still lives on the canonical firearm record.
No manufacturing workflow, canonical writer or manufacturer export column set has shipped. A Type 07 must not keep its manufacturing record here.
27 CFR 478.123
Importer records
Not offered
The import event, its identities and its 15-day timing are modelled and tested.
No import workflow has shipped and Forms 6 / 6A are not represented. A Type 08/11 must not keep its importation record here.
27 CFR 478.122
Destructive devices
Not offered
None.
Destructive device recordkeeping sits under Part 479 as well as Part 478 and is not implemented. Types 09, 10 and 11 are not offered.
27 CFR 478.125; 27 CFR Part 479
NFA / SOT records
Not offered
An NFA firearm is carried and flagged on the canonical firearm record, so it participates in A&D, corrections, inspection, export and backup.
Part 479 registration and the Form 2/3/4/5 workflows are not implemented, and FFL Elite never files a form with ATF. An SOT keeps those records elsewhere.
27 CFR Part 479
Licence types we serve
Type 01 — Dealer in firearms
Dealer A&D recordkeeping is implemented end to end with timing rules, commit gates, corrections, print, export, backup and restore evidence. A-03, A-08/A-09 and G-01 are closed with cited evidence, so the dealer record set is production ready.
Type 02 — Pawnbroker
Pawn intake, redemption and forfeiture phases are modelled on the dealer record set with their ledger effect, recording trigger and Form 4473 / background-check consequences (G-02). Loan terms and any statutory holding period are state and local law and are recorded from the pawn ticket, never computed.
Type 03 — Collector of curios and relics
The collector timing rule is implemented in the deadline engine, but FFL Elite does not offer a collector workflow surface.
Type 06 — Manufacturer of ammunition
Ammunition manufacture is outside the firearm A&D record set FFL Elite implements. No workflow is offered.
Type 07 — Manufacturer of firearms
The manufacture event and its 7-day (next business day for NFA) timing are modelled and covered by tests, but no manufacture workflow, canonical writer or export column set has shipped. A Type 07 licensee must not rely on the dealer workflow for manufacturing records.
Type 08 — Importer of firearms
The import event, its foreign-manufacturer and importer identities and its 15-day timing are modelled, but no import workflow has shipped and Forms 6 / 6A are not represented.
Type 09 — Dealer in destructive devices
Not offered. Destructive device recordkeeping under Part 479 is not implemented.
Type 10 — Manufacturer of destructive devices
Not offered. Requires both the unshipped manufacture domain and destructive device recordkeeping.
Type 11 — Importer of destructive devices
Not offered. Requires both the unshipped import domain and destructive device recordkeeping.
NFA firearms / Special Occupational Taxpayer workflows
An NFA firearm is carried on the canonical firearm record and flagged, so it participates in A&D, corrections, inspection, export and backup. The Part 479 registration and Form 2/3/4/5 workflows are not implemented, and FFL Elite never files a form with ATF.
Where our responsibility ends and yours begins
The licensee is responsible for their records. FFL Elite records, validates, warns and preserves; it does not file forms with ATF, does not run background checks, and does not replace the dealer's judgment or their counsel.
FFL Elite is not affiliated with, endorsed by, approved by or certified by the ATF, the FBI or any government agency, and nothing here is legal advice. Regulatory citations are provided so you can read the authority yourself.
Questions about a specific obligation? Ask us directly — we would rather tell you we do not cover something than let you find out during an inspection.