Title II, NFA / Class III Firearms (Definitions)
- Short Barreled Rifles (breech to muzzle less than 16" and/or an overall length less than 26")
- Short Barreled Shotguns (breech to muzzle less than 18" and/or an overall length less than 26")
- Fully Automatic Firearms (machine guns)
- Suppressors (silencers)
Legality
- A common misconception is many people think that you need a "Class III" license to buy silencers or other NFA items. This is not at all true. As long as the state you live in allows ownership of NFA items, which is most states, then it is just a matter of filling out a few pieces of paperwork, paying a $200 one time tax per NFA item, and waiting for the government to process the paperwork. If you are at least 21 years old, a resident of the United States, and not a felon, you may own anyNFA item that you choose. Saguaro Firearms Plus will help you navigate through the process, and even fill out the paperwork with you. For details, just give us a call at 623.255.5580.
How to purchase
- Register the item to a NFA trust
This is the most common method that people will use to register their item. It is not a complicated process at all, and will take just a very short time. In most cases, you will have your trust in about a day. Saguaro Firearms Plus can recommend a reputable and reliable source to set up your trust, and cost will be around $100 to $200.
- There are major advantages to trusts
1. You can put more than one person on the trust, as a trustee, allowing family or friends to be able to possess your NFA item.
2. For estate planning, your heirs will seamlessly inherit the item, instead of having to go through a lengthy paperwork process and pay the tax on every single item again.
3. You can put as many items in the trust as you like (this can also include your non-NFA firearms).
2. Register the item in your name as an individual
This is probably the least desirable way to purchase. The only advantage to this is not having to pay for the cost of a trust. If you only plan on buying a single or very limited number of items, this may be something for you to look into. The disadvantages are that only you may possess the NFA item, no one else.
What is the process?
- If we have the item in stock, you pay for the item. If it is not in stock, you pay a deposit, and we put one on order. When we receive it, you pay the balance. We keep the item in secure storage until the ATF finishes their work on your forms.
- We start the paperwork process, and fill out the ATF forms with you and check for accuracy
- The paperwork is sent in. Typically, lead times have been running around 9 months, sometimes more. The good news here is that the ATF has recently (08/18/2017) approved the use of bar coded forms, which will greatly reduce the processing times. The ATF was able to process about 400 applications in a day with the old forms, and with the bar code process can now scan 400 forms in an hour. We expect that by the end of the year to see wait times reduced to 6 months or less. GREAT NEWS!!!
- Finally, when we receive your approved form from the ATF, you fill out a simple 4473 form (the same form you complete when purchasing a non-NFA firearm). No background check is needed, as the ATF has already done this in your approval process.
We will be happy in assisting in your selection process, to help you choose the right item for you. Saguaro Firearms Plus offers products from many of the top suppressor and firearm manufacturer's in the industry. Just give us a call at 623.255.5580 to get started.
