Buying a gun

Question
*(I wrote this part after I finished..I just wanted to say that, before you get scared, MOST of this is gibberish, and redundant - things that don't even directly relate to my question. I got a little carried away... I probably COULD have asked you my question in one paragraph. Very sorry!)
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Hi Michael,

I live in Mississippi, 34 yrs old. I found a .22 pistol online that I want, just for target shooting, plinking, etc.
As far as any issue with a background check, crimes, anything like that, there will be absolutely no problems.
I can't even remember the name of the (online) gun place - something like CDNS Firearms (?) - but I did do a little research on them several days ago, and they seem to be reputable, BBB qualified, all that. (And if, for some reason, it IS bogus, which I really don't think it is, my credit card would take care of it).

So, those 2 are taken care of (1.)bkground chk - as far as there being any problems when they do it; (2) and found the gun I want / the store is reputable, etc..

I usually have no problems following directions, but it seems like the process of buying a handgun online is a little crazy, but I guess it SHOULD be.

I am actually completely confused by the process of just buying a .22 handgun (I'm not at all asking you about 'concealed carry' or laws in my state concerning that).

You may not be familiar with the process (FFL, etc.), with buying a gun in Mississippi, but with this online gun shop, I'm not even sure what state that it's in (but definitely not in my state). I don't guess it really matters WHAT state that it's in, but I guess the process doesn't vary TOO much between states (probably JUST enough to screw me up.)

Would you mind, the best you can (I guess in a sort of common, or 'generic' way, unless you DO happen to know the process in MS), and in an almost "first grade" way, would you PLEASE tell me each step - from finding the gun that I want, at a reputable store online (already done), to bringing it into my house, and putting it into my safe.

They generally say that 'I have to find, and call an FFL dealer here, to find out where I want it sent (to an FFL dealer here);'  'how much the FFL there (where I buy it), AND here, each charges for all that;' 'How I even find an FFL dealer here - (preferably one fairly close to me (there IS a Bass Pro Shop near me - and a Pawn shop (that does sell guns), even closer;' 'I'm supposed to, though, at SOME point, call the FFL dealer where I want it sent, & I have to get his info, address, etc. & then notify the shop where I'm buying it, to give THEM the info, and tell them where to send it, and ask them how much they charge to do the transaction, and sales tax for both (the store and the FFL dealer) charge - even if the gun was bought online in another state, plus the charge + tax of the FFL dealer here;' how, and when do I do the background check and how long after that can I come back to them (FFL dealer here), and if the bkground check is okay, I guess, THEN, I pay the online dealer where I found it - AND the FFL charge, I pay the online store to send the gun...etc.  (??WHAT??)

It's almost like closing on a house, it seems like, for a .22 pistol - It's NOT an AK!! (And every "unsavory" teen around here seems to carry one, most likely a lot more powerful than a .22 - but I'm sure they got theirs from the black market, stolen, traded, whatever)... But I definitely want MINE bought and registered and all that, properly and lawfully. When I first started looking, I naively thought that I could find one online, pay, & have it delivered to my front door, like a pair of pants. I couldn't believe when I started reading of this process. (In fact, I gave up. A couple of times. But I finally decided that a college graduate should be able to figure out how to buy a .22..).

In college, I walked in a pawn shop, picked out a Glock 17 (which I sold a little while later) - and I may have forgotten a little, but I KNOW that I filled out nothing. I paid for it, and walked out, as if it had been a loaf of bread. And it was in Mississippi, also. I guess though, in the past years, that the laws have become stronger.

I just figured that it was STILL that simple!

(By the way, at first I wanted a Sig Mosquito, but it got SUCH bad reviews online, that I decided on a Ruger SR22 - it got pretty great reviews from most everybody.)

Anyway, real sorry to bog you down with all this useless nonsense.

But, like I said, if you don't mind, when you get a chance, it would REALLY help me if you could tell me EACH step that I have to go through (as simple as possible), to get this gun from the online store, and into my house.

I REALLY appreciate your help. Now, maybe I won't be so overwhelmed by everybody telling me something different.

Thanks a lot!
Mitchell K.

Answer
Hi Mitchell, The process of purchasing a firearm online goes like this:

1. Find the firearm you want from a FFL dealer (online or not). If the FFL dealer is out of state then it must be transferred to a dealer in your state.

2. Use the FFL finder (if the online store has one) or go to:
http://www.gunbroker.com/FFL/DealerNetwork.aspx.
Every dealer has different fees, it's generally $20-30 per firearm.

3. Contact the local FFL dealer to send their license to the online store. The online store will ship the firearm to your local FFL.

4. When it arrives, you will go to the local FFL to fill out the Form 4473 and go through a background check. This is why you are paying the transfer fee.

Hope that helps. Any local FFL can walk you through the process.