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.
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Today, the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee passed Senate Bill 499, important pro-Second Amendment legislation. The bill will now ...
Monday, March 9, 2026
On Friday March 6th, the Georgia Senate passed Senate Bill 499, ahead of the crossover deadline for bills to ...
Thursday, March 5, 2026
Vermont’s massive “omnibus” gun control bill is now scheduled for a hearing before the Vermont House Judiciary Committee on March ...
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
On Wednesday, March 4th, the Senate Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee will hold a vote ...
Friday, February 27, 2026
On Monday, March 2nd, the Senate Federal and State Affairs committee will hold a hearing on Senate Bill 503, removing suppressors ...
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Today, the National Rifle Association announced the filing of a third lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National ...
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
On Monday, HB 1324, legislation to remove firearm suppressors from Georgia’s list of dangerous weapons and eliminate state-level ...
Thursday, February 19, 2026
On Monday, February 23, the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee is expected to hear House Bill 1324, and the Senate ...
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
On February 12th, the Georgia Senate introduced Senate Bill 499, sponsored by Senator Russ Ginn, and referred it to ...
Thursday, December 18, 2025
In the NRA’s case, Brown v. ATF, the Department of Justice filed its opposition to the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment, ...
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