A prohibited person is someone federal law bars from possessing firearms or ammunition. For a range or gun store, screening for prohibited-person status isn't optional box-ticking — it's part of running a defensible, compliant operation, and it belongs on your waiver.

Not legal advice. This summarizes federal categories; consult counsel and current ATF guidance for specifics.

Who counts as a prohibited person?

Federal law (chiefly 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)) lists categories including someone who:

  • Has been convicted of a felony (a crime punishable by more than one year).
  • Is a fugitive from justice.
  • Is an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance.
  • Has been adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution.
  • Is unlawfully in the United States.
  • Was dishonorably discharged from the armed forces.
  • Is subject to certain domestic-violence restraining orders or misdemeanor domestic-violence convictions.

These mirror the questions on ATF Form 4473.

Why it belongs on your range waiver

A prohibited-person attestation does two things: it puts the shooter on notice, and it documents that they affirmed eligibility before handling a firearm on your property. If a "yes" surfaces, your staff can pause and handle it appropriately.

Range Waiver ships a prohibited-person attestation block that uses Form-4473-style phrasing; any disqualifying answer blocks submission and prompts the signer to speak to staff.

Getting started