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, July 14, 2025
President Trump and GOP lawmakers have every reason to celebrate a bold and historic moment for the Trump ...
Monday, July 7, 2025
Following the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—which eliminates the National Firearms Act of 1934’s (NFA) excise ...
Friday, July 4, 2025
Earlier today, on the 4th of July, a day on which our Founding Fathers declared their intent for ...
Thursday, July 3, 2025
NFA Tax on Suppressors, Short-Barreled Firearms, and Other Arms Reduced to $0
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Earlier today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, ...
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Earlier today the U.S. Senate passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other ...
Monday, June 30, 2025
The U.S. Senate has cleared a number of procedural hurdles and is preparing to vote on the One ...
Saturday, June 28, 2025
Overnight, the U.S. Senate added pro-gun tax relief language back into the Reconciliation bill after the Senate Parliamentarian struck ...
Friday, June 27, 2025
On behalf of millions of NRA members and gun owners, we stand united in calling on Congress to ...
Friday, June 27, 2025
Today, the U.S. Senate was forced to remove the pro-gun language that had been previously included in the ...
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