ATF Ends Registration Requirements for Silencers and Short-Barreled Firearms
The ATF announced it will no longer require federal registration or advance approval for silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and 'Any Other Weapons.' The change follows a federal court decision and Congress setting NFA taxes to zero in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. ATF Director Robert Cekada said the agency will focus on violent crime instead.
A letter to licensed firearms dealers says the agency will stop enforcing NFA registration and pre-approval for silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and AOWs. This follows Congress setting manufacturing and transfer taxes for those items to zero in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
A Texas federal judge ruled in August that removing the tax eliminated the constitutional basis for mandatory NFA registration and transfer rules. The injunction initially covered only the plaintiffs, but the Justice Department later extended nonenforcement nationwide. Standard Gun Control Act background checks and dealer records still apply.
The change may affect gun owners, manufacturers, and dealers by reducing paperwork and wait times for the covered items. It could also shift ATF resources toward violent-crime enforcement, as the director indicated. Public safety effects are uncertain; while standard background checks remain, easier access