National Firearms Act (NFA)
The National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) requires the registration, with the federal government, of fully-automatic firearms (termed “machineguns”), rifles and shotguns that have an overall length under 26 inches, rifles with a barrel under 16 inches, shotguns with a barrel under 18 inches, and firearm sound suppressors (termed “silencers”). The Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) placed “destructive devices” (primarily explosives and the like, but also including firearms over .50 caliber, other than most shotguns) under the provisions of the NFA. In 1994, the Treasury Department placed revolving-cylinder shotguns and one semi-automatic shotgun under the NFA.
The GCA prohibited the importation of fully-automatic firearms for private purposes and a 1986 amendment to the Act prohibited the domestic manufacture of fully-automatics for private purposes. However, short-barreled rifles and shotguns have becoming increasingly popular for home defense and defensive-skills-based marksmanship training and competitions, and sound suppressors have become increasingly popular for marksmanship training and competitions, and for hunting.
Monday, August 17, 2026
The DOJ did not ask for a stay in a federal lawsuit challenging the NFA's registration scheme on ...
Monday, August 17, 2026
When Judge Wesley Hendrix of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas held on August ...
Monday, August 17, 2026
On August 12, we reported on an important development in the ongoing litigation over the National Firearms Act ...
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
On August 5, 2026, Judge Wesley Hendrix of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ...
Wednesday, August 5, 2026
In another major victory for the National Rifle Association and law-abiding gun owners, the U.S. District Court for ...
Monday, July 13, 2026
Today, the National Rifle Association, joined by the Firearms Policy Coalition, Second Amendment Foundation, and American Suppressor Association, ...
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12) and several Democratic cosponsors have reintroduced the Help Empower Americans to Respond (HEAR) Act. ...
Monday, June 8, 2026
On Tuesday, June 9th, the House Public Safety Committee will hold a hearing on SB 214, legislation to ...
Friday, May 8, 2026
Next week, the Ohio General Assembly will return to session after its spring recess.
Monday, May 4, 2026
The National Rifle Association joined the Second Amendment Foundation, California Rifle & Pistol Association, Second Amendment Law Center, ...
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