Firearms Law

Title II Weapons

In this post, I discuss the different types of Title II weapons as defined by the National Firearms Act, including machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, silencers, destructive devices, and any other weapons (AOWs).

NFA Gun Registration Requirements

How Haynes v. United States (1968) struck down NFA registration on Fifth Amendment self-incrimination grounds, and how Congress's 1968 amendments brought the registration regime back into constitutional compliance.

Gun Trusts

A gun trust is a legal entity that owns NFA-regulated firearms — bypassing CLEO consent, individual fingerprinting, and photographs while simplifying transfers across multiple trustees.

The National Firearms Act of 1934

The National Firearms Act of 1934 imposed excise taxes and registration on machine guns, short-barreled weapons, and suppressors. The 1986 Hughes Amendment banned new machine guns; the 2025 OBBBA cut the tax to $0 for most NFA items beginning in 2026.