Proposed rule · 2026-13586

Registering NFA Firearms That Fall Out of Government Contract

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ("ATF") proposes amending Department of Justice ("Department") regulations implementing a statutory exemption and a statutory authority to grant relief from certain National Firearms Act ("NFA") requirements to better distinguish between them. ATF also proposes to amend manufacturer registration requirements to include a provision granting relief to manufacturers from registering firearms they manufacture for the U.S. Government ("USG"). In conjunction with this, ATF is proposing a new provision permitting manufacturers to register such firearms "late"--after the existing regulatory window for registering manufactured firearms--if they fall out of USG contract.