The ATF announced Friday that gun owners no longer need to federally register or get advance government approval to manufacture or transfer silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, or “Any Other Weapons” (AOWs). The policy halts enforcement of National Firearms Act requirements for items now subject to a zero-dollar tax rate.
The change traces back to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, in which Congress zeroed out the manufacturing and transfer taxes on those categories of firearms. A federal judge in Texas then issued an injunction in August, finding that once Congress eliminated the underlying tax, the NFA’s registration and transfer mandates could no longer rest on Congress’s taxing power. That ruling initially covered only the plaintiffs in the case, but the Justice Department has since expanded the nonenforcement policy to apply nationwide.
ATF Director Robert Cekada laid out the agency’s reasoning in a letter to federal firearms licensees.
“The direction from the President, Congress, and the courts is clear,” Cekada said. “ATF is now following suit with our enforcement posture while continuing to ensure we remain focused where we are needed the most: combatting violent crime in American communities.”
Gun rights advocates welcomed the move. John Commerford, executive director of the National Rifle Association, called it a historic milestone.
“This is what happens when all three branches of government are willing to follow the Constitution,” Commerford said in a statement. “Now the Trump administration has confirmed it will stop treating law-abiding Americans as if they still need special permission from the government to own hearing protection, rifles, or shotguns.”
The change does not remove every legal safeguard. All transactions still fall under the Gun Control Act, meaning licensed dealers must continue to run standard background checks and keep transaction records. Machine guns and destructive devices remain fully subject to NFA requirements, and federal approval is still required before transporting short-barreled rifles or shotguns across state lines.
The ATF said it will keep accepting voluntary registrations from owners who want to document their items, but cautioned that future legal developments could restore prior regulations without any guarantee that currently unregistered items would be grandfathered in.
