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Current ATF rulemaking that affects lawful gun owners. Status reflects post-Cargill and post-Bruen regulatory landscape.
On April 29, 2026, the Department of Justice and ATF released a package of 34 notices of proposed and final rulemaking — the most significant regulatory reform in ATF history. The package covers four broad areas: (1) FFL dealer operations, including streamlined inspection procedures and clarified compliance timelines; (2) modernized recordkeeping and 4473 digitization; (3) NFA compliance updates aligned with Garland v. Cargill and post-Bruen legal standards; and (4) import/export rule adjustments. The stated goal is to reduce regulatory burden on law-abiding gun owners and dealers while aligning agency rules with current court precedents. Several rules are final; others remain in proposed comment periods. Full text available at ATF.gov.
ATF SOURCE ↗President Trump signed H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," on July 4, 2025, eliminating the $200 NFA tax stamp for suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and any other weapons (AOWs). The change took effect January 1, 2026. The elimination applies to new NFA registrations going forward — it does not refund the $200 for items already registered. Critically, all other NFA requirements remain fully in force: Form 4 submissions, CLEO notification, fingerprint cards, photographs, and the wait time for ATF approval are unchanged. Machine guns (registered before May 19, 1986) and destructive devices still require the $200 stamp. State NFA restrictions remain unaffected — suppressors remain prohibited in several states regardless of federal law.
ATF SOURCE ↗ATF formally rescinded its January 2023 final rule (1140-AA98) that had reclassified pistols equipped with stabilizing braces as short-barreled rifles subject to NFA registration. The original rule had affected an estimated 3 to 40 million brace-equipped firearms and was immediately challenged in multiple federal courts. The Fifth Circuit's Britto decision vacated the rule for its members, and the Western District of Texas enjoined enforcement more broadly. ATF's June 2025 rescission formally ends the rule nationwide, removing any federal felony risk for existing owners of brace-equipped pistols. Owners do not need to register, modify, or remove their braces. The rescission is part of the broader ATF reform package and reflects the agency's acknowledgment that the rule exceeded its statutory authority under Cargill's limiting framework.
ATF SOURCE ↗Following the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Garland v. Cargill (June 2024), ATF formally revised its machine gun classification to exclude bump stocks. The 2019 Trump-era rule that reclassified bump stocks as machine guns had already been struck down by Cargill, but ATF's July 2025 regulatory update codifies the post-Cargill status into formal agency guidance. Under the revised definition, a firearm attachment that increases the rate of fire through mechanical feedback against the shooter's trigger finger does not constitute a machine gun unless a single function of the trigger fires more than one round. Bump stocks are now legally in the same category as binary triggers and forced reset triggers at the federal level. Individual state laws vary.
ATF SOURCE ↗ATF's 2022 final rule on frames and receivers (27 CFR Part 478) expanded the definition of "firearm" to include unfinished frames and receivers that are "partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional" if they can be readily converted to expel a projectile. This primarily targeted 80% lower kits sold with completion jigs, which ATF argued functioned as complete firearms in practice. The rule was challenged and the Supreme Court in Bondi v. VanDerStok (2025) held 7-2 the rule was not facially invalid — meaning it can stand on its face, though as-applied challenges remain. Importantly, standalone 80% lowers sold without completion jigs or instructions may still fall outside the rule. Builders should verify their specific kit configuration against current ATF guidance and check state law, as California, New York, and several other states impose independent serialization and registration requirements.
ATF SOURCE ↗ATF rescinded its broad regulatory expansion of the "engaged in the business" definition that had been finalized in April 2024 under the Biden administration. That rule had attempted to define any person who sells a firearm with the intent to profit as a federally licensed dealer, capturing many occasional private sellers and requiring them to obtain FFLs. After challenges in multiple circuits and the change in administration, ATF withdrew the rule in August 2025. The definition reverts to the statutory language codified in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) of 2022, which requires a finding of "predominant purpose" to profit. Private sellers at gun shows or online who sell from their personal collection on a non-recurring basis are no longer at risk of prosecution under the rescinded framework, though state laws on private sales vary and background check requirements differ by state.
ATF SOURCE ↗Forced reset triggers (FRTs) mechanically reset the trigger forward after each shot using the bolt carrier group's rearward movement, allowing some shooters to fire more rapidly than with a standard trigger. ATF had previously classified certain FRTs as machine guns, leading to raids and criminal prosecutions. In March 2025, the DOJ reached a settlement in ongoing litigation (Rare Breed Triggers v. Garland) restoring federal legality for FRTs. The settlement acknowledged that an FRT requires a separate trigger function for each round fired, removing it from the machine gun definition under Cargill's framework. Owners previously subject to enforcement actions were not required to surrender their devices under the settlement. Critical caveat: FRTs remain prohibited under state assault weapons bans in California, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, where state-level machine gun definitions may still apply.
ATF SOURCE ↗As part of the April 2026 regulatory reform package, ATF is proposing updated digital recordkeeping standards for Form 4473 (Firearms Transaction Record). The current requirement mandates FFLs retain 4473 forms for 20 years in paper or approved digital format, with forms sent to ATF's National Tracing Center upon business closure. The proposed modernization would allow and in some cases require electronic filing systems that meet new ATF cybersecurity and accessibility standards, streamlining compliance for dealers who process high volumes. The proposal also revisits the permanent retention requirement for records from dealers who go out of business, addressing the growing burden on ATF's out-of-business records archive which holds over 900 million records. The comment period for this specific rule is open through fall 2026.
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