Last updated October 13, 2026
On October 9, 2026, ATF announced it will stop enforcing the National Firearms Act's approval and registration requirements for short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), suppressors, and AOWs ("any other weapons"). The change applies nationwide. Everything below comes from ATF's open letter and the FAQ it published with it.
Why it happened
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cut the NFA making and transfer tax on these items to $0. In August, a federal court in Texas ruled in Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF that with the tax gone, the NFA's registration and transfer rules for these items no longer hold up. That ruling only protected the people who brought the case. ATF chose to stop enforcing the same rules against everyone.
What ATF stopped enforcing
- Prior approval to make or transfer these items (Form 1 and Form 4)
- Registration in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record
- The bans on making, receiving, transferring, or possessing them unregistered
- The NFA marking requirement
- The NFA ban on moving unregistered items across state lines
ATF is also writing a new approval process for dealer sales of SBRs and SBSs. Until that exists, it won't enforce that requirement either.
Registration is still available if you want it. ATF will keep accepting and approving Forms 1 through 4.
What has not changed
- Form 4473 and a background check. Buying one of these from a dealer now works like buying any other gun. You fill out a 4473 and the dealer runs NICS.
- Machine guns and destructive devices. Still fully covered by the NFA. Nothing changed for them.
- Form 20 for SBRs and SBSs. You still need to file a Form 20 before taking an SBR or SBS across state lines, registered or not.
- Dealer licensing. Dealers still need SOT status to sell these items.
- State and local law. None of this changes it. Some states ban these items outright, and most only allow them when they comply with federal law or are NFA-registered. ATF says it can't tell you whether an unregistered item counts as legal in your state, so check your state's law before you buy. A dealer can't transfer one where state or local law doesn't allow it.
It may not last
This is a decision not to enforce the law, not a change to it. ATF names the ways it could end: Congress puts a tax back on these items, the court ruling is overturned, or the Justice Department withdraws the policy. If that happens, unregistered items are not automatically grandfathered. A chance to register them would only come if the Attorney General opened an amnesty.
That is why some owners are registering anyway. A registered item doesn't depend on the policy staying in place. ATF also notes that once an item is taken off the registry, it can't be put back on without an amnesty.
Read it yourself
ATF's guidance and FAQ are posted at atf.gov. This page sums up the news. It isn't legal advice.
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