ATF Ends Federal Registration for Most NFA Firearms

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced it will no longer require federal approval or registration for the making or transfer of suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, or any other weapons nationwide. Effective October 9, 2026, the policy change follows a decision by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, who ruled that the National Firearms Act registration scheme was no longer justified after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduced the transfer tax on these items to $0.

The United States Department of Justice declined to appeal the ruling, leading the ATF to extend the decision to all gun owners through enforcement discretion. ATF Director Robert Cekada stated the agency and DOJ worked to ensure equal treatment because the original court injunction applied only to the plaintiffs. Representative Andrew Clyde described the move as the biggest restoration of Americans' 2A rights in history.

Because this change is an enforcement policy rather than a legislative repeal, the statute remains active and a future administration could resume enforcement. The $200 tax and registration requirements still apply to machine guns and destructive devices, and state and local laws remain unaffected. Gun Owners of America noted that the NFA still exists and gun control remains on the books.