State law
What changed federally, and what did not
From ATF's open letter of October 9, 2026, following Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF (N.D. Tex. Aug. 5, 2026):
Changed
- ATF no longer requires its approval before making or transferring a short-barreled rifle, short-barreled shotgun, silencer or "any other weapon" (26 U.S.C. § 5845(e)).
- ATF no longer requires those items to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
- The policy applies to everyone, not only the plaintiffs in the case.
- Registration remains available: ATF still accepts Forms 1, 2, 3 and 4 on a voluntary basis.
Not changed
- Machine guns and destructive devices. Every NFA provision and the $200 tax still apply.
- The Gun Control Act. All of these items are still "firearms". Background checks, dealer recordkeeping and the ban on possession by prohibited persons remain (18 U.S.C. §§ 921(a)(3), 922(d), (g), (n), (t)).
- Dealers and manufacturers. The special occupational tax still applies, and licensees may not transfer a firearm in violation of state or local law (18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(2)).
- Transporting short-barreled rifles and shotguns. ATF says to keep filing Form 20 even for unregistered firearms (18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(4)). ATF will not enforce § 922(b)(4) while it writes new regulations.
- State and local law. Many states ban these items with an exception for ones registered or possessed in compliance with federal law. An unregistered item can still be a state crime.
- Travel through other states. ATF says it is unclear whether state courts will apply the 18 U.S.C. § 926A safe harbor to unregistered NFA items, and advises caution in states that prohibit them.
How to read the statuses
Each entry is taken from the official state legislature website linked beside it. A quoted passage is the statute's own wording. "Not yet researched" means no one has checked that state for this site; it says nothing about the law there.
Disclaimer
No legal advice and no attorney-client relationship. Nothing on this site is legal advice. Using it does not make anyone your lawyer. It is not a substitute for advice from an attorney licensed in your state who knows your facts.
It may be wrong. The entries were compiled from state legislature websites with the help of AI research tools and have not been reviewed by an attorney. Statutes are amended, and a quoted passage may be out of date after the "checked" date shown on each state. An entry can also be wrong on the day it was written.
It is incomplete. The site looks at state statutes only. It does not cover court decisions, attorney general opinions, agency rules, or city and county ordinances, any of which can change the answer. "No state restriction found" means only that the statutes checked did not contain one. "Not yet researched" says nothing about the law in that state.
Federal policy can change. ATF's October 9, 2026 letter is an enforcement policy. The underlying statute has not been repealed, the litigation is not necessarily over, and the policy can be withdrawn or changed without notice. Machine guns and destructive devices are still fully regulated.
You are responsible for your own compliance. Violations of these laws are often felonies carrying prison time and the loss of the right to own firearms. Do not rely on this site to decide whether something is legal. Check the statute at the link provided, and ask an attorney or the relevant law enforcement agency.
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