There are several different firearms classifications within the National Firearms Act, and each of these different types of firearms are clearly defined within the act. In order to classify a firearm as an NFA firearm, certain characteristics that are specific to each weapon type must be met. In order to do this, definitions of the dimensions, functions, configurations, or designs are used. If the weapon in question meets the requirements specific to it’s type, then it is classified as a National Firearms Act (NFA) weapon, and will require a Federal Firearms License or FFL

Lets take a look at shotguns. It’s a very popular firearm that’s typically fired from the shoulder, and utilizes a shotgun shell. One of the criteria that is used to define a shotgun as an NFA weapon is the barrel length. Any shotgun that has a barrel that is less than 18″ in length is subject to the NFA, and is deemed an NFA shotgun. As you’re probably aware though, the vast majority of shotguns do not meet this requirement, and are not NFA firearms. This is also why you’re breaking a federal law if you possess or manufacture a homemade sawed off shotgun.

According to the NFA, in order to measure the barrel length of your shotgun, you’ll typically measure it from muzzle to the face of the breech on a line that runs parallel to the axis of the bore of the shotgun. In special circumstances, and for non typical shotguns that the breech isn’t an integral part of the barrel, it’s measured differently. They point out the case of a revolving shotgun. To measure the barrel length on this, you’d measure from the muzzle to the front of a cylinder that doesn’t include the chamber.

One thing to take note of is that this measurement does NOT include anything attached to the barrel like a choke, muzzle break, or compensator that isn’t permanently attached to the barrel. And to get even more specific, none of these devices are considered permanently attached to the barrel unless they’re welded with a full penetration gas or electric weld, or silver soldered.

And finally, any weapon that’s constructed from a shotgun, or any shotgun type weapon, is considered to be an NFA firearm if the overall length is less than 26 inches, or the barrel is less than 18 inches in length.

Tags: breech, choke, compensator, federal firearms license, ffl, firearms, manufacture, muzzle, national firearms act, NFA, sawed off shotgun, short barrel shotguns, shotgun, welded

There was a time when you didn’t need to have a federal gun license to buy firearms. It’s true, there was in fact a time when you didn’t need a federal gun license to purchase any type of firearms. Up until 1934, almost anyone in the United States was allowed to purchase any type of firearm, including machine guns, short barrel rifles (SBR), short barreled shotguns (SBS), noise suppressors, and destructive devices (DD). And then right around the time that Prohibition ended, the national firearms act was enacted. What this did was to collect a mandatory excise tax on the transfer of all title to weapons. It also required that these same weapons be registered.



The fact that this all occurred around the time of Prohibition indicates that these laws were enacted in order to combat organized crime. After all Prohibition didn’t actually stop the flow of alcohol, it just put the legitimate, legal alcohol distributors out of business and transferred the business to organized crime.



The National Firearms Act requires that any transfer of firearms across state lines gets reported to the Department of Justice. Not only do you have to report the transportation of weapons, you’re charged a transfer tax to do so. Some may argue, and rightfully so, that like a lot of laws that are designed to regulate, this one falls short of it’s original goal of hampering organized crime, and adds undue restrictions, costs, and difficulties to lawful American citizens.



Fast-forward to the gun control act of 1968. This new omnibus act attempts to regulate firearms owners and any interstate commerce involving firearms. It does this by restricting the transfer of firearms to licensed manufacturer’s dealers and importers. Up until 1968, there was no federal gun license required per se. But this changed with the introduction of the federal firearms license or FFL in the Gun Control Act of 1968. Now there is a clear and defined set of rules and requirements that must be followed in order for a law abiding citizen to do deal in firearms or to purchase certain firearms that have been included on a list of weapons categorized by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives.

Tags: BATFE, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, dd, dealer, destructive devices, federal firearms license, ffl, gun control act of 1968, importer, machine guns, national firearms act, NFA, sbr, sbs, short barrel rifles, short barrel shotguns