NFA Rifle – You’ll need a Federal Firearms License to Sell Them

Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 4:15 pm

Short Barreled Rifle (SBR) courtesy of the ATF

From the definition provided by the ATF in their NFA handbook – A rifle is defined as a firearm that’s designed to fire a single projectile for each single pull of the trigger. This rifle is also designed to be fired from the shoulder. Note that this is the definition of a rifle, and NOT an NFA rifle.

In order to be classified as an NFA firearm or Title II weapon, the rifle must meet some specific requirements. Very similar to the requirements for an NFA shotgun, the requirements for an NFA rifle are based on the physical dimensions of the rifle itself; the overall length, and the barrel length. If the overall length of the rifle is less than 26 inches, or the barrel length is less than 16 inches, then the rifle is considered a short barreled rifle (SBR), and it does fall under the NFA rifle title, thus requiring a Federal Firearms License (FFL) to sell.

The overall length measurement is pretty much how it sounds. The rifle is measured from the muzzle to the end of the stock. If the rifle has a telescoping stock, or a folding stock, then the measurement is to be taken with the stock fully collapsed or folded.

The barrel length is measured from the muzzle to the breech. Again, like the rules for shotguns, the barrel length does not include any barrel attachment like a choke, muzzle break, compensator, etc, unless said device is permanently attached to the barrel via full penetration welding or silver soldering.

Short Barrel Rifle (SBR) Made from a non NFA rifle - courtesy of the ATF

There are two ways that a short barreled rifle (SBR) may be created. The first and most obvious way is to shorten the barrel of a non ATF rifle to under 16 inches. You can also shorten the stock in order to make the overall length less than 26 inches. One other way to create a short barreled rifle is to add a shoulder stock to a handgun. In each of these cases, the firearm must be registered with the ATF.

A pistol with shoulder stock thats considered a short barrel rifle (SBR) courtesy of adamsguns.com

Two points worth noting are that:

1) It’s a felony to own a short barreled rifle unless it’s been authorized (registered) by the ATF.

and

2) If you need to transport these firearms across state lines, you must notify the ATF well in advance by filling out form 5320.20.

Tags: atf, federal firearms license, ffl, national firearms act, NFA, sbr, short barrel rifle

Where to get a Federal Firearms License (FFL) Application

Friday, April 24th, 2009 at 3:15 pm

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What do you need to do to get your Federal Firearms License? One of the very first things that you’ll need to do is to procure an application. And if you’ve never had the misfortune of having to navigate your way through the bureaucracy of a government website, you are in for a very special treat!

First up, you’ll need to have done your homework on the different types of licenses that are available. There are a few different reasons why you may want to get a Federal Firearms License. And depending on your specific reason, there may be a certain application that you’ll need to fill out. Unfortunately, there is no one single application for a blanket type Federal Firearms License.

As an indicator of the complexity surrounding firearms, the ATF (now known as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive – BATF) has 47 different sets of forms, applications and instructions listed here.

Luckily though, most of those are special case license application types. The two most common license types are the F 7 (5310.12), and the F 7CR (5310.16). The F 7CR is the Collector of Curios and Relics type, and is not designated to be a dealer. If you intend to become a dealer, you’ll want the F 7 (5310.12).

Now, that you’re reasonably sure of the license type that you want, you’ll need to get the application itself to fill out. Unfortunately, unlike a lot of other government applications and forms, these forms aren’t available online due to their fingerprint and photograph requirements. To get one or more of these applications, you can, however, request them online here. Or, you can call this number to request them – (703) 455-7801.

If there’s anything that you should take from attempting to get just the application for an FFL, is that the government and all of the firearms laws and regulations are EXTREMELY dense. Some may even say cryptic. Nothing ever seems to be easy. And rest assured that the rest of your journey on the path to your FFL license is bound to be filled with speed bumps too. Just remember to keep cool, do your homework, and pray like hell, and just maybe you’ll get lucky the first time….MAYBE!