WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced Friday it will no longer enforce National Firearms Act registration and approval requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns.
The move eliminates what was often a months-long process that required buyers to obtain federal approval, register the items with the government and pay a tax stamp before taking possession. Federal background checks are still required.
For firearm retailers in West Palm Beach, the change is already having an impact.
At We Kick Brass, owner Mike Perez said customers previously had to navigate a lengthy approval process to legally purchase suppressors and certain firearms regulated under the National Firearms Act.
"People were legally able to own these firearms," Perez said. "They just had to wait a longer process. It had to get ATF approval."
What changed?
For decades, suppressors and short-barreled rifles and shotguns were subject to National Firearms Act requirements that included registration, federal approval and a tax stamp.
The ATF announced Friday it will no longer enforce those requirements for those items.
The move follows a federal court ruling in Texas involving National Firearms Act registration requirements and comes after Congress reduced the tax stamp fee from $200 to zero.
Perez said the biggest change is the amount of paperwork buyers no longer have to complete.
"The biggest change is less paperwork," Perez said. "It's a lot easier for someone to come in here and purchase a firearm and feel safe about it and secure about it."
He said some customers who once faced waits stretching nine months, 14 months or longer may now be able to take possession much sooner.
"They no longer have to wait 14 months, or nine months, or even more than a day if they have a concealed weapon firearm permit," Perez said. "They can leave with that same day and start training immediately and empower themselves and be able to protect themselves or their family."
Business already picking up
Perez said interest surged almost immediately after the federal announcement.
When WPTV's Michael Hoffman visited We Kick Brass, several customers were at the shop picking up suppressors.
Perez believes the changes will make firearms and accessories that were already legal to own more accessible to law-abiding buyers.
Perez also has personal experience with short-barreled rifles. In 2018, he was involved in a self-defense shooting in which he used one.
"I used a short-barreled rifle to save my mother's life," Perez said. "They are just simply put the best and most effective tools."
Asked what could happen if a future administration attempted to reverse the policy, Perez said he believes current owners would likely be protected.
"I imagine that they would be grandfathered in," Perez said. "You can't make millions of Americans felons overnight by the flick of a pen. It just makes no sense."
Regulations still remain
The ATF's policy change does not eliminate all National Firearms Act regulations.
Machine guns and destructive devices, including bombs, rockets and grenades, remain subject to federal requirements.
Customers purchasing firearms must also continue to undergo background checks and comply with all applicable federal and state laws.
For those concerned about expanded access to suppressors and short-barreled firearms, Perez said the changes affect law-abiding citizens.
"We are just allowing people, law-abiding citizens, the ability to protect themselves with the right firearm to do so," Perez said.
Florida gun owners should also be aware that state law prohibits short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns unless they are lawfully owned under federal law. The ATF has said it cannot provide guidance on whether an unregistered firearm would satisfy that requirement under Florida law.
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