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 getting your Federal Firearms License, (FFL), you'll undoubtedly stumble upon a multitude of acronyms, confusing definitions, and just plain dense legalese.The Bulls Eye LLC It's not, though at first, the work of obtaining an FFL may seem insurmountable. Don't let this become a deterrent. Once you get to know the terminology and basic ideas behind them, acquiring a license becomes much easier, as cryptic since these regulations seem. Knowing that, let's discuss the NFA and the kinds of weapons included in it.

When confronted with firearms, you'll often run across the term NFA firearms or NFA weapons. It means the National Firearms Act and is also a law which had been enacted in 1934. Not only does this law demand the mandatory registration of Title II weapons, it requires that the excise tax be paid in the manufacture and sale or transfer of these weapons. It will require that any transfer of title II weapons across state lines is going to be reported towards the Department of Justice. Which is another essential facet of this law.



So, what are Title II weapons you may ask? Well, inside the eyes of 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 every other weapon category, (AOW). One common misconception regarding Title II weapons is that they're known as class 3 weapons. This can be wrong, there is no class 3 weapon. class 3 means the class 3 SOT, a special class of license that's needed to become a dealer of NFA firearms.



Now you know a little bit concerning the NFA, as well as the 2 kinds of weapons, let's look just a little closer at the Title II weapons which are included in the NFA.



Machine gun--This really is any gun having the ability to discharge more than one cartridge from one trigger pull. Included as well within this category would be the parts that define a unit gun.



Short barreled shotgun, (SBS)--This consists of any smooth bore shotgun with a barrel duration of under 18" or even an overall period of less than 26" The Bulls Eye LLC



Short barreled rifle, (SBR)--Just like the Short barreled shotgun, the short barreled rifle is any rifled bore firearm which has a complete period of less than 26", or even an overall barrel length of under 16".



Silencers--Such as any devices or parts that are designed to silence, muffle, or disguise the noise of any portable firearm.



Destructive Device, (DD)--This category encompasses two separate classes. The first covers grenades or explosive devices, poison gas weapons, or bombs and incendiary devices. The next 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.



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



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