Editorial, Sources & Corrections Policy
Effective date: September 14, 2026
FFL Connect is most useful when members can tell where an answer came from and whether it is still current. This policy describes the standards used for compliance resources and regulatory updates.
Source Hierarchy
Whenever practicable, FFL Connect prioritizes primary legal and government sources: statutes, the Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register documents, official ATF forms and instructions, ATF rulings and open letters, agency publications, court opinions, and official FBI/NICS materials. Secondary industry reporting may be linked for context but should not replace primary authority where primary authority is available.
Status Labels
Regulatory updates are labeled to distinguish items such as Guidance, Final Rule, Proposed Rule, Withdrawn, Form Update, Ruling, Litigation/Order, and Rescinded. An update should say what changed, when it became effective or when comments close, who may be affected, and what action—if any—an FFL should consider.
Review Dates
Long-lived compliance resources may display the date they were last substantively reviewed and may be placed on a recurring review schedule. A review date means the content was checked; it is not a warranty that no later authority exists.
Corrections
If FFL Connect identifies a material error, the resource should be corrected promptly. When the correction materially changes the compliance takeaway, the article should explain the correction or revision rather than silently preserving a misleading historical version.
AI Knowledge Governance
Only content intentionally approved for AI retrieval should be included in the curated AI knowledge store. Superseded, unpublished, or withdrawn knowledge should be removed from retrieval when appropriate. AI knowledge management does not replace the editorial review of the underlying source.
Report an Error
Members and visitors are encouraged to report broken links, outdated forms, superseded guidance, factual errors, or unclear explanations through the Contact page. Include the page title and, if possible, a link to the primary source supporting the correction.