NFA For Dummies

Building Your Own Firearm Can Be Quite Rewarding, But The Process Can Become Confusing Quickly

Are you thinking about building an AR-15?  Perhaps you already own a rifle and you’re thinking about changing the barrel, making it into a Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR).  Maybe you want to turn your rifle into a pistol, or even the other way around.  You probably landed here because you heard you need to have your NFA firearm engraved, but you might have other questions as well.  Here in the United States it is possible to do any of these things, but the gun owner must follow the regulations set forth in the National Firearms Act.  In addition to those regulations each of the 50 states has their own rules and regulations that must be followed.  In this space we want to take a look at what the National Firearms Act is and what it requires. We will not be addressing any state laws or regulations.  Before we get too far we also want to state that nobody at Laserworx is, or has ever been, a lawyer and therefore this blog should not be your final word on any legal question you may have.  It would be a good idea to contact a lawyer with extensive knowledge about the laws pertaining to firearms, and we will recommend one of the best there is later on.

SO WHAT IS THE NFA?

 The National Firearms Act is a United States federal law that was passed through Congress on June 26, 1934.  The NFA law was a response from the federal government to restrict and regulate the types of weapons that were being used to commit crimes during the Prohibition Era.  It requires the registration of all firearms that fall into certain categories and levies a tax on each weapon in those categories as well. 

Even though we are long past the days of Prohibition the law still stands and anyone who wants to manufacture or significantly change a firearm must familiarize themselves with the process of applying for and paying for the required tax stamp.

The National Firearms Act applies to any short-barreled shotgun(SBS), short-barreled rifle(SBR), or machine gun.  At the time this blog is being written suppressors, or silencers as they are commonly referred to, also fall under the NFA.   

WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR NFA?

While the whole NFA process has been streamlined and significantly sped up in recent years thanks to the ability to do much of it electronically, you should still expect things to take a few months before everything is complete.

The first step in the process will be for you to determine which form you will need to fill out for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.  You can download either form right here.

You will also need to get your fingerprints submitted.  You can download the form you will need from the FBI by simply searching  on Google for “FBI FD-258 form”.

Along with these two forms you will also need to submit a payment of $200.00 for your tax stamp.  Once the ATF receives all the proper information they will perform a thorough background check to determine whether or not you will be approved for your stamp. 

While the whole NFA process has been streamlined and significantly sped up in recent years thanks to the ability to do much of it electronically, you should still expect things to take a few months before everything is complete.

WHERE DOES LASERWORX COME IN WITH ALL OF THIS?

Assuming that you have followed this whole process and received your stamp, as well as met all of the requirements for where you live locally, you are almost done.  Before you can legally assemble your firearm you MUST get it engraved.  Whether you are building the weapon from parts, or if you are changing the classification, you are the manufacturer of that weapon now.  And just like any other big name manufacturer has to do, you have to engrave the firearm with certain information that is required by the ATF.  Every NFA weapon is required to have the maker’s first and last name, or the name of their trust if that is how they decided to register, as well as the city and state that the weapon was manufactured in.

Laserworx is very familiar with all of the size and depth requirements that the ATF has for engraving.  We do firearm engraving daily and would love to help you with the final touches on your project and we strive to make the engraving the simplest part of the whole project.  Just give us a call at 610-970-2900 during our regular business hours, 9 to 5 during the week and 9-12 on Saturday mornings (EST), and we will set up an appointment for you to either bring your weapon in to be done while you wait or go over the details of shipping to us.  We hold a Federal Firearms license for shipping purposes and appointments usually take less than 20 minutes. 

If you have legal questions beyond this, we recommend you contact a lawyer who specializes in firearms law.  The best lawyer we know for Pennsylvania and Maryland when it comes to your guns is Joshua Prince at Civil Rights Defense Firm.  And if you are not in those states he may be able to recommend a good lawyer who is more familiar with where you live. 

So there you have it.  Hopefully this provided some clarity for those who are new to this process.  We hope to hear from you about your engraving needs.