We've written a basic introduction to NFA. The idea was to give just general introductory information for someone who has no knowledge of the subject, without delving into any specific area (such as how to get them, or MD specific requirements such as 29" AOL or machine gun registration).
Your feedback would be appreciated, specifically on any technical aspect. I posted this elsewhere and I didn't realize that I'd said an SBR was a "semi-automatic rifle with a barrel shorter than 16” long." Obviously, it doesn't have to be semi-automatic, and was corrected.
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[The following should be considered a general introduction, and not legal advice. Check with your local NFA specialist for laws pertinent to your locality.]
Machine guns, Short-barreled rifles, Short-barreled shotguns, Suppressors or Silencers, Destructive Devices, and a catch-all category called Any Other Weapon are categorized as Title II weapons, sometimes referred to as NFA Firearms. The sale and possession is controlled by the National Firearms Act, a law enacted by Congress on June 26, 1934, and modified by the Gun Control Act of 1968 and again by the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act in 1986. The NFA imposes a transfer tax of either $200 or $5 and makes registration of these controlled firearms mandatory.
It’s common to hear people refer to these guns as “Class III”, or to believe a special license is needed to buy them, but this is not true. Class III merely refers to a type of license needed to sell NFA firearms as a business. Any properly registered NFA firearm can be transferred to a civilian by paying for the transfer tax and going through the background check, with certain exceptions. Elsewhere we will be discussing the purchase process for NFA firearms.
We will go over the basic types of Title II weapons, and in later videos we will discuss the process of obtaining them.
MACHINE GUNS
A machine gun is any firearm that fires more than one round with a single trigger pull. This is opposed to a semi-automatic that only fires one shot per trigger pull. Machine guns can come in virtually any shape and size, from a Glock 18 handgun to an MG42 or even a registered sear.
The Firearm Owners' Protection Act of 1986 banned the sale of machine guns that weren’t in the registry before the date the law went into effect. Because of this artificial restriction on the sale of Machine Guns, their value continues to rise, and will so unless the law changes or people no longer want to buy machine guns. Both of these being unlikely, and because the number of transferable machine guns will decline, their values will continue to rise.
SHORT-BARRELED RIFLES
A short-barreled rifle, often referred to as an SBR, is a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16” long. What differentiates a rifle from a pistol is a buttstock.
SHORT BARRELED SHOTGUNS
A short-barreled shotgun, often referred to as an SBS, is a shotgun featuring a stock designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel shorter than 18” long.
SILENCERS
A silencer, also referred to as suppressors or moderators, are a device attached to or integrated into the barrel of the firearm with the intent to quiet the report of the propellant gasses that follow a bullet down a barrel. The effectiveness of a silencer will depend on any number of conditions, including: type of firearm, type of ammunition, and environmental circumstances.
DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES
There are two broad classes of destructive devices:
The first covers devices such as grenades, bombs, explosive missiles, poison gas weapons, etc. The second covers any firearm with a bore over half an inch except for shotguns or shotgun shells. A common firearm that falls into this second category is the Striker 12 or the Cobray copy known as the Street Sweeper. These were declared as destructive devices in 1994.
ANY OTHER WEAPON
The final category of NFA regulated firearms is a sort of catch-all category called Any Other Weapon. AOW firearms only have a $5 transfer tax, as opposed to the $200 for the other categories. AOW's are weapons or devices capable of being concealed on the person from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive. Many "any other weapons" are disguised devices such as pens, cigarette lighters, knives, cane guns and umbrella guns. This also covers smooth bore pistols and revolvers and pistol grip shotguns with a barrel less than 18”.
Your feedback would be appreciated, specifically on any technical aspect. I posted this elsewhere and I didn't realize that I'd said an SBR was a "semi-automatic rifle with a barrel shorter than 16” long." Obviously, it doesn't have to be semi-automatic, and was corrected.
-----------------------
[The following should be considered a general introduction, and not legal advice. Check with your local NFA specialist for laws pertinent to your locality.]
Machine guns, Short-barreled rifles, Short-barreled shotguns, Suppressors or Silencers, Destructive Devices, and a catch-all category called Any Other Weapon are categorized as Title II weapons, sometimes referred to as NFA Firearms. The sale and possession is controlled by the National Firearms Act, a law enacted by Congress on June 26, 1934, and modified by the Gun Control Act of 1968 and again by the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act in 1986. The NFA imposes a transfer tax of either $200 or $5 and makes registration of these controlled firearms mandatory.
It’s common to hear people refer to these guns as “Class III”, or to believe a special license is needed to buy them, but this is not true. Class III merely refers to a type of license needed to sell NFA firearms as a business. Any properly registered NFA firearm can be transferred to a civilian by paying for the transfer tax and going through the background check, with certain exceptions. Elsewhere we will be discussing the purchase process for NFA firearms.
We will go over the basic types of Title II weapons, and in later videos we will discuss the process of obtaining them.
MACHINE GUNS
A machine gun is any firearm that fires more than one round with a single trigger pull. This is opposed to a semi-automatic that only fires one shot per trigger pull. Machine guns can come in virtually any shape and size, from a Glock 18 handgun to an MG42 or even a registered sear.
The Firearm Owners' Protection Act of 1986 banned the sale of machine guns that weren’t in the registry before the date the law went into effect. Because of this artificial restriction on the sale of Machine Guns, their value continues to rise, and will so unless the law changes or people no longer want to buy machine guns. Both of these being unlikely, and because the number of transferable machine guns will decline, their values will continue to rise.
SHORT-BARRELED RIFLES
A short-barreled rifle, often referred to as an SBR, is a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16” long. What differentiates a rifle from a pistol is a buttstock.
SHORT BARRELED SHOTGUNS
A short-barreled shotgun, often referred to as an SBS, is a shotgun featuring a stock designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel shorter than 18” long.
SILENCERS
A silencer, also referred to as suppressors or moderators, are a device attached to or integrated into the barrel of the firearm with the intent to quiet the report of the propellant gasses that follow a bullet down a barrel. The effectiveness of a silencer will depend on any number of conditions, including: type of firearm, type of ammunition, and environmental circumstances.
DESTRUCTIVE DEVICES
There are two broad classes of destructive devices:
The first covers devices such as grenades, bombs, explosive missiles, poison gas weapons, etc. The second covers any firearm with a bore over half an inch except for shotguns or shotgun shells. A common firearm that falls into this second category is the Striker 12 or the Cobray copy known as the Street Sweeper. These were declared as destructive devices in 1994.
ANY OTHER WEAPON
The final category of NFA regulated firearms is a sort of catch-all category called Any Other Weapon. AOW firearms only have a $5 transfer tax, as opposed to the $200 for the other categories. AOW's are weapons or devices capable of being concealed on the person from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive. Many "any other weapons" are disguised devices such as pens, cigarette lighters, knives, cane guns and umbrella guns. This also covers smooth bore pistols and revolvers and pistol grip shotguns with a barrel less than 18”.
