NFA & FFL Guides

Everything you need to know about buying NFA items and working with licensed dealers — written in plain English, current as of 2026-07-07.

NFA Item Guides

Suppressors: Ownership, Transfers, and State Rules — How to legally buy and own a suppressor: the $200 tax stamp, ATF Form 4, eForms wait times, trusts, and which states…
Short-Barreled Rifles (SBRs): Rules, Building, and Transport — What makes a rifle an SBR, how to buy one on a Form 4 or build one on a Form 1, the $200 tax stamp, and interstate…
Short-Barreled Shotguns (SBSs): NFA Rules and How to Own One — What makes a shotgun an SBS, the $200 tax stamp, Form 4 vs Form 1, engraving and transport rules, and state…
Machine Guns: The Hughes Amendment, Registry, and Ownership — How civilians can legally own machine guns: the pre-1986 registry, the Hughes Amendment, transferable vs. dealer…
Any Other Weapons (AOWs): The $5 NFA Category Explained — What qualifies as an Any Other Weapon (AOW), why transfers cost only a $5 tax stamp, the $200 making tax, and how AOWs…
Destructive Devices (DDs): Grenades, Cannons, and Large-Bore Guns — What the NFA counts as a destructive device, from grenades to 40mm launchers to large-bore firearms, plus the tax…

ATF Form 4: How to Buy an NFA Item, Step by Step — A plain-English walkthrough of ATF Form 4: buying a suppressor, SBR, or machine gun, the $200 tax stamp, fingerprints,…
ATF Form 1: Making or Building Your Own NFA Item — How to legally build an SBR, SBS, suppressor, or AOW with ATF Form 1: the $200 making tax, engraving rules,…
ATF eForms: How the System Works and Current Wait Times — How ATF eForms modernized NFA paperwork and slashed Form 4 wait times from 8-12 months to days or weeks. What to…
NFA Gun Trusts vs. Individual vs. Corporate Ownership — Should you buy your suppressor or SBR as an individual, through a gun trust, or as a corporation? How each option…
Traveling and Moving With NFA Items: Form 5320.20 — When you need ATF permission to move an SBR, SBS, or machine gun across state lines using Form 5320.20 — and why…

FFL License Types 01-11 Explained: What Each Can Do — A plain-English breakdown of every Federal Firearms License type (01, 02, 03, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11) and what each…
Class 3, SOT, and Why 'Class 3 Dealer' Is a Misnomer — What SOT Classes 1, 2, and 3 really mean, why 'Class 3 dealer' is technically wrong, and how the Special Occupational…