There is a lot of uncertainty about the new background check ordinance passed by the Missoula City Council on Monday night. Missoula Police Public Information officer Travis Welsh says police still have yet to see a final draft of the gun ordinance, but will be enforcing the new ordinance when it takes effect.

"The ordinance takes effect in 30 days and, at that time, Chief Brady says that the Missoula Police Department will respond to complaints," said Welsh. "Any investigation will be driven by those complaints and we will investigate them as we do other city ordinances."

Many firearms dealers will likely be asked to oversee gun transfers now in the city of Missoula, Damon Brucker from Axmen Firearms says that dealers will likely request that customers pay an additional fee.

"I imagine that people are going to be in the $30 to $50 range for something like this," Brucker said. "There are overheads associated with it to be the licensee and to do the background check. We are required by Federal law to keep the 4473s, which is the background check paperwork, for 20 years.  And then we actually have to keep a record in our account books in perpetuity of the business."

Because firearms dealers must take position of a weapon and place it in their inventory in order to do the background check, things can get very complicated… especially if the buyer and seller both fail to pass a background check. Brucker says, at this point, there is little to no guidance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms on how businesses are supposed to deal with a situation like this.

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