im thinking about getting my 01 FFL..

[Squashua]

im thinking about getting my 01 FFL.. any advice to go about that..?
ive been talking with my family about it..im just not sure where to begin.. talk to my city? state? ATF?

[JRJCP]

What are California's licensing requirements for firearms dealers?

California firearms dealers must obtain and maintain the following:

A valid FFL,
A valid Seller's Permit issued by the State Board of Equalization,
A valid COE issued by the DOJ,
Any regulatory business license, or licenses, required by local government,
A local license granted by the duly constituted licensing authority, valid for one year from the date of issuance, and in one of the following forms:
In the form prescribed by the Attorney General;
A regulatory or business license that states on its face, "Valid for Retail Sales of Firearms" and endorsed by the signature of the issuing authority; or
A letter from the licensing authority stating that the jurisdiction does not require any form of regulatory or business license or does not otherwise restrict or regulate the sale of firearms. After obtaining the above licenses, an Application for Centralized List and appropriate fees are submitted to the DOJ. Upon approval of the application, the dealer will be given a CFD number and placed on the Centralized List of firearms dealers.
A listing on the DOJ Centralized List of Firearms Dealers.

For more information on dealer licensing or to obtain an Application for Centralized List of Firearms Dealers, contact the Firearms Licensing and Permits Unit at (916) 227-3694.

[johnthomas]

My son in law is a police officer. A few years ago he went through all the trouble of becoming a dealer. The first year costs the most for your fed and state license, business license and everything you need to get started. Then you have renewal fee's due every so often. You need separate safes for customers. You need signs made in the place you do business. My son in law sold mostly to fellow officers, he didn't really have time to do a regular business. He also decided he didn't want people coming to the house he shares with my daughter and his daughter. Some wholesale sellers won't give the discount unless you have a store front. I would talk to another dealer for better information.

[kemasa]

The place to start is with your local government as that can be either the most expensive or just a plain no go on it, depending on where you live. It could also be that there is no problem and it is cheap, but it is also what others can't help you with unless they live in the same county and/or city.

[jtmkinsd]

^^^This. You must get a business license from your local government and it must specifically state "valid for retail sales of firearms". If you are, for instance, in an unincorporated part of a county and there are no regulations regarding the sale of firearms, you must have that in writing from the county government. Without the business permit you will not be able to get access to the DROS system and everything else is worthless...unless you just want to do gunsmithing.

[halifax]

Did you see this sticky?

How to become an FFL (gun dealer) in California