The newly published version of 27 CFR Part 479, the result of ATF 41P, is not a short read. In its 248 pages of double-spaced text, it describes existing regulations and the original agency proposal in August 2013. It includes reference to the many public comments and the agency’s rationale for various features of the final rule, and how they differed from the proposed one. The agency’s rationale for the rule change is full of bluster about the great danger presented by these firearms. In keeping with the current administration’s talking points, the agency touts expanded background checks as a vital means for preventing violence.

Leaving aside the political rhetoric from the agency, here are the highlights from the new rule:

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Monday, there was an important development relating to firearms regulated by the National Firearms Act. In 2013, ATF proposed a rule change known as “ATF 41P” that would modify what must be included with an application to make or transfer NFA items. An individual has to submit fingerprint cards, passport-style photos, and signatures from a chief local law enforcement official (“CLEO”). Under current rules, trusts and business entities are do not have submit these items. Now, two and a half years later, a final rule has been published by the federal agency.

The White House announced action on this proposal as part of the president’s raft of anti-gun executive actions. You can read the White House press release here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/04/fact-sheet-new-executive-actions-reduce-gun-violence-and-make-our

The final rule was signed by Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Monday and will become effective six months after it is published in the Federal Register. You can read the final rule here: https://www.atf.gov/file/100896/download

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