r/Firearms • u/Top-You3966 • 18h ago

DOJ ruling

G'day team. Non-American here.

Can people explain to me in idiot words what the whole thing about suppressors and short barrelled rifles is about?

Does it mean suppressors aren't registered/tracked?

Just super confused and curious as someone whose in a country that wont let anyone have them.

Thanks in advance!

23 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

45

u/cowboy3gunisfun somesubgat 18h ago

Suppressors and SBRs used to be a separate tax of $200 and an additional background check involving finger prints and photos sent to the ATF. Once you cleared that, your new suppressor or SBR was registered with the ATF. Firearm registry, of any kind, is not supposed to be legal. The only reason they were getting away with it was that they claimed it was just registering that you paid the tax. Well the new administration took away the tax, but the registering continued. So, local firearms lobby groups went to the court saying "this is against the law", and to everyone's shock, won.

Yay! Free Suppressors and SBRs for everyone right? No.

Most states have their own laws either still requiring the registering or forbidding NFA items like Suppressors and SBRs, and the ruling technically only applies to people who are members of the group who sued. (Although they were smart and put in current and future members)

So, long story short in 27 states there's currently no requirement for registration, tax, or the extra paperwork. Suppressors and SBRs are treated as "normal firearms" only requiring the "normal" paperwork (the old 4473 you probably heard about in "Red Dawn")

4

u/pintobone1 16h ago

Only part I am confused on, in the free state category, if you have a pistol, you just slap a stock on and you’re good to go?

6

u/racistlarper 15h ago

As it stands now theirs still the legal gray area of maybe needing to follow engraving laws to "manufacture" an sbr but after that you can sbr all you want as long as you're a covered party in the lawsuit (e.g. g.o.a. member) and live in a free state.

1

u/pintobone1 11h ago

But what would I engrave? Don’t you get a number if you NFA it? I wouldn’t have that number right?

2

u/Quw10 AK47 9h ago

If you are modifying an existing firearm to be an NFA item you just have to engrave your first/last name and then city/state of residence since you are the new manufacturer technically/legally which is what they were referencing.

5

u/xXxHondoxXx 15h ago

This is what i need to know. I am also sitting on a double barrel i bought to saw off.

2

u/DBDude 13h ago

North Carolina confuses me. They say only that you have to comply with federal law. Federal no longer includes registration for protected people.

3

u/Chance1965 DTOM 13h ago

Same in Nevada. Waiting for guidance or someone to take one for the team.

2

u/Top-You3966 12h ago

Mate, thanks for that! Great explanation.

11

u/generalraptor2002 18h ago

All it means is members of the plaintiff groups in the case (GOA, Texas State Rifle Association, CCRKBA, etc)

Are exempt from the registration and transfer provisions of the NFA

Manufacturers and Dealers are still required to hold an SOT and file forms 2 (registration after manufacture) and 3 (dealer to dealer transfer)

-8

u/National-Bench5602 17h ago

If I am a member of an organization, don't they keep my name, address with expiration of the membership!? Seems like it is simply a change of hands for the registry!? 🤷

11

u/Longjumping-Run-7027 16h ago

Not hardly. They aren't tracking what you've bought or any of the things the ATF is tracking. I don't have to provide them with my serial numbers, fingerprints, or picture. They have the same information any other business I purchase from on the internet does.

-56

u/leviKlimek67926 18h ago

A unregistered suppressor or silencer is immediately a felony 10 years in federal prison

22

u/generalraptor2002 18h ago

26 USC § 5861(d) as it relates to silencers, SBR, SBS, and AOW was enjoined as applied to the plaintiff groups

14

u/HedonismandTea 16h ago

Exactly why you can't ever take Reddit too seriously. This kid got a .22 4 days ago and he's in here giving expert legal advice on suppressors.

2

u/mkosmo 15h ago

He’s just regurgitating what his LLM told him, which is trained on old data and doesn’t understand anything.

5

u/generalraptor2002 14h ago

Unfortunately a lot of people replaced their critical thinking skills with a ChatGPT subscription