Obtaining Your Federal Firearms License -Title II Weapons and the National Firearms Act

On your journey to getting your Federal Firearmsthe Title II weapons that are covered by the NFA.
License, (FFL), you'll undoubtedly run across a wideMachine gun--This is any gun with the ability to
variety of acronyms, confusing definitions, and justdischarge more than one cartridge from a single
plain dense legalese. At first glance, the task oftrigger pull. Also included within this category are the
getting an FFL may seem insurmountable, but it's not.parts that make up a machine gun.
Don't let this be a deterrent. As cryptic as theseShort barreled shotgun, (SBS)--This includes any
regulations seem, once you familiarize yourself withsmooth bore shotgun with a barrel length of less
the terminology and basic ideas behind them, gettingthan 18" or an overall length of less than 26"
a license becomes much easier. With that in mind,Short barreled rifle, (SBR)--Much like the Short
let's talk about the NFA and the types of weaponsbarreled shotgun, the short barreled rifle is any rifled
covered by it.bore firearm that has an overall length of less than
When dealing with firearms, you'll often run across26", or an overall barrel length of less than 16".
the term NFA firearms or NFA weapons. It standsSilencers--These include any devices or parts that are
for the National Firearms Act and is a law that wasdesigned to silence, muffle, or disguise the sound of
enacted in 1934. Not only does this law call for theany portable firearm.
mandatory registration of all Title II weapons, itDestructive Device, (DD)--This category
requires that an excise tax be paid on theencompasses two separate classes. The first covers
manufacture and sale or transfer of these weapons.grenades or explosive devices, poison gas weapons,
Another important facet of this law is that it requiresor bombs and incendiary devices. The second class
that any transfer of title II weapons across statecovers large bore, non-sporting firearms. By definition
lines is to be reported to the Department of Justice.anything that's not used for sporting with a bore
So what are Title II weapons you ask? Well, in theover 1/2" falls under this class.
eyes of the government, there are two types ofAny other Weapons (AOW)--This category is for
weapons--Title I and Title II. Title I weapons areweapons and parts that don't fit the other
primarily rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Title IIcategories. It covers any shoulder fired weapon with
weapons are machine guns, silencers, short barreleda barrel length between 12"-18". These can be either
shotguns, short barreled rifles, and the any othersmooth or rifled bore. It also covers smooth bore
weapon category, (AOW). One commonpistols, cane guns, and pen guns.
misconception regarding Title II weapons is thatThis is only a general overview and should in no way
they're often called class 3 weapons. This is wrong,be considered as definitive. If you're in doubt or need
there is no class 3 weapon. class 3 refers to the classspecific answers, check directly with the Bureau of
3 SOT, a special class of license that's needed toAlcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Their
become a dealer of NFA firearms.technology branch can definitively answer any of
Now that you know a little bit about the NFA, andyour questions.
the two types of weapons, let's look a little closer at