As a gun seller, you’re probably well aware of how important it is to keep an accurate record of ATF Form 4473.
After all, some of the most frequently cited violations involve failing to properly complete and maintain a record of 4473s. But let’s be honest. This is often easier said than done, and it can be a real headache for gun sellers.
Getting everything filled out accurately, both on your end and your customer’s, and saving the information can be burdensome, especially when you’re doing it at scale. If this is an area you’ve ever struggled with, you’ll be excited to hear about FastBound’s new partnership with 4473 Cloud to provide the most efficient 4473 storage solutions yet.
What is 4473 Cloud?
“4473 Cloud is the firearm industry’s leading ATF-approved, attorney-backed compliant, digital storage solution.” And their goal is simple. To give all FFLs the ability to digitally store 4473s in the Cloud, while simplifying operations and saving time and money. They cater to businesses of all sizes — everyone from small-scale collectors and independent gun shops to pawnbrokers and nationwide chains.
This platform offers convenient, secure cloud storage for 4473s that’s fully compliant with the ATF and offers an attorney-backed compliance guarantee. It’s highly flexible and comes with a variety of pricing options that tailor to the needs of each individual gun seller. Whether you need to complete less than 100 forms a year or thousands, you can find a plan that can grow along with your business.
In terms of company background, 4473 Cloud was developed by Silencer Shop, a company known for streamlining NFA paperwork for both dealers and customers. Chairman and CEO Dave Matheny — and Vice President of Business Development and Sales Travis Glover have over 40 years of combined experience in the firearms industry and are continually looking for new ways to make operations easier and more innovative for gun sellers. That’s why they branched out to developing this software.
Partnership Details
The partnership between FastBound and Cloud 4473 began back in July 2021. Travis Glover said “We’re excited to be partnering with FastBound to provide the most efficient 4473 storage solutions. Together, FastBound and 4473 Cloud bring FFLs the benefit of a fully digital compliance solution that is both ATF-approved and FFLGuard ASP certified.”
Since then 4473 Cloud has become fully integrated with FastBound, and a seamless digital storage solution is now available to gun sellers nationwide. “With the integration to 4473 Cloud, our clients will now have a truly digital experience that is backed by the same 100% compliance guarantee. This will save FastBound customers real money on printing costs and on-site storage,” writes Jamison Collins, VP of Sales at FastBound.
The purpose of forming this strategic partnership is to provide our customers with an ultra-efficient solution to securely storing 4473s in the Cloud. FastBound provides the electronic form and 4473 Cloud allows them to conveniently store it and have access during audits to simplify the process. Rather than having to deal with mounds of paperwork, which is costly, prone to inaccuracies, and easy to misplace, this solution makes it simple to organize and store these forms in a secure digital storage vault. This means no more messy paperwork and piles of documents stored in boxes.
Besides the overall quality and user-friendliness of the 4473 Cloud platform, one of the reasons we decided to partner with them is because they’re ATF approved, and through using Fastbound, offer the same compliance guarantee through FFL Guard.
And that’s incredibly important given there were 5,827 firearms compliance inspections and 39,449 criminal investigations involving firearms cases initiated in 2020. We know when our customers’ compliance is on the line, they want a company they know has their back if there’s ever an issue, and 4473 Cloud offers that peace of mind.
4473 Cloud Features
For starters, there’s 4473 Easy Search, which makes it super simple to search through your database. There are a few different ways to look through your 4473s, including by name, address, TSN, or serial number. If you’ve ever spent too much time sifting through paper documents, you’ll really be able to appreciate this feature. This can literally shave hours off your week so you can spend less time searching for documents and more time on what’s really important — running your business.
Next, this platform offers maximum security in a Tamper Evident file format. In a world where digital security is of the utmost importance, especially in an industry like firearms, this is the most secure digital format available today and is far more secure than storing paper 4473s in cardboard boxes.
And as we mentioned earlier, 4473 Cloud is fully compliant and automatically retains documents to ensure they meet Federal Regulations and surpass the ATF’s minimum requirements. This means there’s no wondering if your 4473s meet compliance standards. With this software, you know for sure they do.
4473 Cloud also provides you with 24/7 access to your documents from any device. Because it’s cloud-based and uses a digital infrastructure, your 4473s are always available regardless of your location. With paper documents, on the other hand, you’re stuck retrieving them from a single brick-and-mortar location. So there’s far more convenience with this efficient 4473 storage solution.
Finally, this software comes with built-in analytics for a comprehensive overview of key information, including:
- Active employees
- Total number of users
- Number of active users
- Total number of documents
- Flagged documents
That way you always have a birds-eye view of what’s happening, with the data presented with easy-to-read visuals.
Key Benefits of 4473 Cloud
We’ve touched on the advantages of the partnership between FastBound and 4473 Cloud, but let’s wrap up by highlighting the key benefits you’ll want to know as a gun seller.
First, you get a highly efficient 4473 storage solution that dramatically streamlines the overall process. Forms are easy to upload, and by securely storing documents in a digital environment, you free up time and operational space. Rather than having to manually search through heaps of documents, you can conveniently find exactly what’s needed. This makes audits as quick and painless as possible.
Second, you increase both your compliance and security. Instead of handling 4473s the old way, where forms are subject to human error, misplacement, damage, and even theft, this software ensures they’re fully compliant, and they’re stored on the firearms industry’s most secure, cloud-based digital vault. As you may know, 4473s, by law, are required to be retained for up to 20 years. And with this platform, all documents are saved for 20 years+ so there are never any worries if there’s ever an issue in the future.
Besides that, Cloud 4473 can help you save significantly on printing costs, where the more firearms you sell, the more you save. If, for instance, you sell 500 guns a month, you would save $62.50, which would total $750 a year. As you can see, the savings can add up in a hurry.
Getting Efficient 4473 Storage for Your Business
Securely storing 4473s is a vital part of running any gun business. But it can also be tricky and time-consuming. Using traditional paper forms and physical storage are meticulous to sort through and take up a lot of space. The recent partnership between FastBound and 4473 Storage is a breath of fresh air for gun sellers and provides simple, user-friendly digital storage, while also offering attorney-backed compliance for maximum peace of mind.
