Alaska law does not require an Alaska firearm bill of sale for private transfers between residents, but writing one is the single best thing you can do to protect yourself after the gun leaves your hands. The document names the buyer, describes the firearm by serial number, and fixes the date of the transfer. If that gun ever shows up in an investigation or a dispute, the bill of sale is your proof that it was no longer yours.
The state imposes no background check requirement, no waiting period, and no registration system for private sales between Alaska residents.1Justia Law. Alaska Statutes 11.61.200 – Misconduct Involving Weapons in the Third Degree You can sell a rifle, shotgun, or handgun with a handshake. The trade-off is that the responsibility for making sure the buyer can legally receive the firearm sits entirely with you.
What to Put in the Bill of Sale
There is no required format. You can write one on a blank sheet of paper, and it will do its job as long as it identifies the people, the gun, and the terms. Include each of the following:
- Seller’s full legal name and address
- Buyer’s full legal name and address
- Driver’s license or state ID number for both parties
- Firearm manufacturer
- Model name or number
- Caliber or gauge
- Serial number, copied exactly from the frame or receiver
- Sale price and method of payment
- Date of the transaction
- Signatures of both parties
The serial number carries the whole document. Copy it character by character off the firearm itself and verify it before anyone signs. A transposed digit defeats the point. If you are moving more than one firearm in the same transaction, list each gun separately with its own description and serial number.
Some sellers add a line where the buyer affirms they are legally eligible to possess a firearm. It isn’t required, but it’s one more piece of evidence that you asked the question. Noting the ID number you actually checked, rather than just copying the buyer’s address, also helps show you verified the person in front of you.
Making Sure the Buyer Can Legally Receive the Gun
Alaska law makes it a class C felony to knowingly sell a concealable firearm, essentially a handgun, to someone convicted of a felony, or to sell any firearm to someone who is visibly impaired by alcohol or drugs at the time of the sale.1Justia Law. Alaska Statutes 11.61.200 – Misconduct Involving Weapons in the Third Degree Federal law reaches further. Under 18 U.S.C. ยง 922(g), these categories of people cannot possess any firearm or ammunition:2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Anyone convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison
- Fugitives from justice
- Unlawful users of a controlled substance, including marijuana
- People adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- Undocumented immigrants and most nonimmigrant visa holders
- Dishonorably discharged veterans
- People who have renounced U.S. citizenship
- People under qualifying domestic violence restraining orders
- People convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence
You are not required to run a formal background check. You cannot sell to someone you know or have reason to believe falls into one of these categories. Selling to a prohibited person carries up to 15 years in federal prison.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties
The Marijuana Trap
Alaska legalized recreational marijuana, but federal law still classifies cannabis as a controlled substance. Anyone who uses marijuana, even legally under state law, is a federally prohibited person who cannot lawfully possess a firearm.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts The ATF Form 4473 used by licensed dealers warns about this directly.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Firearms Transaction Record If you know the buyer is a regular user, you both have a federal problem.
Non-Citizen Buyers
Most people in the United States on a nonimmigrant visa cannot buy or possess a firearm from any source.5GovInfo. Nonimmigrant Aliens Purchasing Firearms and Ammunition in the United States Narrow exceptions cover foreign law enforcement on official business, accredited foreign government representatives, and nonimmigrants holding a valid U.S. hunting license. Violations can bring 5 to 10 years of federal imprisonment for both sides of the sale. If the buyer isn’t a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, don’t proceed without verifying eligibility.
Out-of-State Buyers
Federal law prohibits private individuals from transferring a firearm directly to someone who lives in another state.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts If the buyer’s ID is from outside Alaska, the gun has to be shipped to a federally licensed dealer in the buyer’s home state, where the buyer picks it up after passing a background check. Long guns can go through USPS registered mail; handguns have to ship by a private carrier like UPS or FedEx. You are required to disclose that the package contains a firearm, and you should get a signed copy of the receiving dealer’s FFL before you ship.
Checking That the Firearm Isn’t Stolen
If you are the buyer, verifying the gun isn’t stolen protects you from criminal possession charges and from losing the firearm with no refund. The FBI’s National Crime Information Center keeps a database of stolen firearms, but civilians can’t query it directly. Call your local police department or the Alaska State Troopers and ask them to run the serial number. Many will do it as a public service, sometimes over the phone.
A stolen gun that was never reported won’t show up anywhere, so no check is airtight. Running the number still catches the common case. If the seller won’t give you the serial number before the sale, or the number looks scratched or altered, walk away. Possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number is itself a class C felony in Alaska.1Justia Law. Alaska Statutes 11.61.200 – Misconduct Involving Weapons in the Third Degree
Making the Exchange
Meet in a well-lit public place. Many Alaska police departments and trooper posts allow firearm transactions in their parking lots, and some have designated safe exchange zones with cameras. The setting protects both parties and gives you a neutral place to back out if anything feels wrong.
Before any money moves, the buyer should inspect the gun and confirm that the manufacturer, model, caliber, and serial number all match the bill of sale. Then exchange payment and sign two copies at the same time, so each person leaves with a signed original. You can have the document notarized for a few dollars; Alaska doesn’t require it, but a notary adds a witness and a timestamp that strengthens the paper if its authenticity is ever challenged.
If you want more certainty about the buyer, you can voluntarily route the sale through a licensed dealer. The dealer runs the same FBI background check used for retail sales. Transfer fees typically fall in the $25 to $75 range. This makes the most sense when you’re selling to a stranger.
Keeping Your Copy
Alaska has no state agency that accepts or files a firearm bill of sale, so your personal copy is the only copy that exists. Keep it indefinitely. A fireproof safe, a locked filing cabinet, or a scanned version backed up to cloud storage all work. If a gun you sold years ago turns up in an investigation, this is the document that shows law enforcement when the firearm left your possession and who received it.
Buyers have their own reasons to hold onto it: insurance claims, future resale, and proof of lawful acquisition if the question ever comes up.
A Note on Taxes
Most private sales involve a used gun sold for less than the owner paid, which means no taxable gain and nothing to report. If you sell for more than you paid, the profit is a capital gain reported on Schedule D of your federal return.6Internal Revenue Service. What to Do with Form 1099-K Losses on personal items aren’t deductible. If you buy and sell firearms regularly at a profit, the IRS may treat you as a dealer, which brings both tax and federal licensing obligations.