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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.

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Former ATF Agent Pulls Mask Off Giffords’s Plans for Federal AR-15 Registration

News  

Friday, November 2, 2018

Former ATF Agent Pulls Mask Off Giffords’s Plans for Federal AR-15 Registration

In an odd turn, just before Halloween one prominent gun control group briefly got out of costume. When ...

The Hill  

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Retired ATF agent and Giffords employee says AR-15 rifles should be regulated like machine guns

David Chipman, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agent, on Monday said AR-15 rifles ...

California: Update on Firearm-Related Bills Heard in Committee This Week

Thursday, April 12, 2018

California: Update on Firearm-Related Bills Heard in Committee This Week

Yesterday, Wednesday, April 11, the Assembly Appropriations committee passed AB 2151, making it eligible for a vote on ...

Cutting the Data: Strong Interest in Suppressors Continued in 2017

News  

Friday, March 2, 2018

Cutting the Data: Strong Interest in Suppressors Continued in 2017

The number of Form 4 applications received by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) in ...

Nebraska: Suppressor Ban to be Heard on Thursday

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Nebraska: Suppressor Ban to be Heard on Thursday

On Thursday, January 25, the Nebraska Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider anti-gun Legislative Bill 780.

Montgomery Advertiser  

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Owning a machine gun in Alabama requires big bucks

Civilians can own machine guns in Alabama, if they are willing to pay big bucks and undergo a ...

Spokane Police To Use Suppressors To Protect Hearing

News  

Monday, October 16, 2017

Spokane Police To Use Suppressors To Protect Hearing

The Spokane PD has 181 service rifles in its inventory; using suppressors on them has the potential to reduce ...

The Spokesman-Review  

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Spokane Police will add suppressors to rifles, citing concerns about hearing damage

Rifles carried by Spokane police on patrol will soon be equipped with suppressors, a move the department says ...

Politifact  

Monday, October 9, 2017

No, gun silencers wouldn't have worsened the Las Vegas shooting

Our research shows that a suppressor would not have made a difference in the Las Vegas case, because ...

Washington Post  

Monday, October 9, 2017

Two Pinocchios: Tim Kaine’s claim the Las Vegas shooter ‘was only stopped’ because he lacked a ‘silencer’

Kaine should be more careful when talking about weapons, especially during a national tragedy. We will accept his ...

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NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.