What specific information do I need to know to get an FFL here in California?  General state info is NEEDED, info specific to Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose is also very helpful!

I'd like to break into part-time, appointment-only gunsmithing, and I know this part will be a PITA...

I am also thinking about getting an Ammo license and rolling target/hunting ammo for people who haven't the time, inclination, or know-how to do it for themselves, and want something better than factory/SAAMI ammo (fitten to chamber/throat and the like.)

FFZ

I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

A type 6 FFL Ammunition Mfg. / reloader. - they will be all over you for zoning issues, business hours, water quality issues... (those from the feds) Then comes Cal OSHA, and they are going to want to know all sorts of stuff. Then there will be [u]firemarshall inspections - Find out exactly what they want before you do anything else.[/u] (Don't forget Powder storage rules...)

They may also have questions about toxic waste (spent primers contain lead styphenate)

Then you need serious CYA, like a $5 million minimum liability umbrella insurance policy.

I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just scratching the surface of the quicksand pit you are about to attempt to cross. To give you a glimpse of what lies beneath and ahead.

Can't you just reload at home and sell at gun shows?

BTW, the odds of getting a type 1 without a dedicated place of business is low. Add to that the local zoning laws, and it may be next to impossible.

I figured I'd need an umbrella policy, that was already factored in.  I am also trying to find out (online!) about zoning, but I may have to go in.  I'm just trying not to raise too many eyebrows just yet...

Disposal of spent primers and the like goes in with the scrap metal stuff I do - no real problem there.

CalOSHA and stuff like that shouldn't be a huge problem - I'm the only employee I plan on having.

As far as information - I appreciate anything and everything!  I know this is going to be uphill work (FFL, Biz lic w/firearm end./COE, CalDOJ cert...) but I want to know if this is something I should file under "impossible while in CA" or something I can start here and take out of state when I leave...

Ammo business would be SMALL lots, and also sales of used/prepped brass...

Anyone else want to jump in?

FFZ

There is an Excise tax on ammo, you need a type 6, 7, or even the biggy 10 to be able to deposit and file FET.

Reloading for resale without a license is [b]Federal Tax Evasion[/b] which is easy to get a conviction on... all they need is one person who bought ammo from you.

There are ways to partly bypass the tax issue. Contract reloading where your customer has obtained 2 or more components else where (didn't buy them from you...) and you are only "Assembling" them.

This does not mean they can bring in 1000 rnds of brass and you can "swap" that out with ammo off the shelf.

Thank you - but I did know about the Ammo Excise (btw, it's 11% of sales, in case you are wondering.  MFG Excise for long guns is 11%, and for sidearms is 10%.)

Still working on the other stuff...

FFZ