Obtaining Your Federal Firearms License - Title II Weapons and the National Firearms Act

Obtaining Your Federal Firearms License - Title II Weapons and the National Firearms Act



On your journey to obtaining your Federal Firearms License, (FFL), you'll undoubtedly run across a multitude of acronyms, confusing definitions, and merely plain dense legalese. At first, the job of getting an FFL might seem insurmountable, but it's not. Don't let this be considered a deterrent. As cryptic as these regulations seem, when you familiarize yourself with the terminology and basic ideas behind them, obtaining a license becomes much easier. Bearing that in mind, let's discuss the NFA and the kinds of weapons covered by it. The Bulls Eye LLC



When confronted with firearms, you'll often stumble upon the word NFA firearms or NFA weapons. It stands for the National Firearms Act and is a law which had been enacted in 1934. Besides this law demand the mandatory registration of all the Title II weapons, it will require that the excise tax be paid on the manufacture and sale or transfer of those weapons. It takes that any transfer of title II weapons across state lines is to be reported towards the Department of Justice. Which is another important facet of this law.



Just what exactly are Title II weapons you may ask? Well, within the eyes from the government, there are two kinds of weapons--Title I and Title II. Title I weapons are primarilyshotguns and rifles, and handguns. Title II weapons are machine guns, silencers, short barreled shotguns, short barreled rifles, as well as the some other weapon category, (AOW). They're often called class 3 weapons. Which is one common misconception regarding Title II weapons. This really is wrong, there is absolutely no class 3 weapon. class 3 refers to the class 3 SOT, a special class of license that's needed to turn into a dealer of NFA firearms.



Now that you know a bit about the NFA, and the two kinds of weapons, let's look a little closer in the Title II weapons that are included in the NFA.



Machine gun--This is any gun with the ability to discharge more than one cartridge from one trigger pull. Also included in this category would be the parts that comprise a machine gun.



Short barreled shotgun, (SBS)--This includes any smooth bore shotgun with a barrel length of less than 18" or perhaps an overall length of lower than 26"



Short barreled rifle, (SBR)--Similar to the Short barreled shotgun, the short barreled rifle is any rifled bore firearm that has a general duration of lower than 26", or perhaps an overall barrel length of less than 16".



Silencers--Included in this are any devices or parts that can silence, muffle, or disguise the sound of any portable firearm. Gun Store Aurora, CO



Destructive Device, (DD)--This category encompasses two separate classes. The very first covers grenades or explosive devices, poison gas weapons, or bombs and incendiary devices. The 2nd class covers large bore, non-sporting firearms. By definition anything that's not employed for sporting using a bore over 1/2" falls under this class.



Some other Weapons (AOW)--This category is made for parts and weapons that don't fit another categories. It covers any shoulder fired weapon with a barrel length between 12"-18". These may be either smooth or rifled bore. Additionally, it covers smooth bore pistols, cane guns, and pen guns.



This is simply a general overview and must by no means be looked at as definitive. If you're unsure or need specific answers, check directly with the Bureau of Alcohol,Firearms and Tobacco, and Explosives. Their technology branch can definitively answer all of your questions.