Eighteen: Boy or Man?

That is essentially the question answered by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Reese v. BATFE, No. 23-3003 (5th Circuit 2025) when it considered whether eighteen- to twenty-year-old persons have the right to purchase handguns from Federal Firearm Licensees. Spoiler: Reese 1; BATFE 0.  The Second Amendment Covers More than the right ‘to own and bear arms.’  Read More …

ATF Implements NFA Appeal Process

Over the last decade denials of NFA applications, mostly Form 4s and Form 1s, have increased significantly. The cause has been a combination of multiple factors including i) increased background checks after the implementation of procedural changes in 2016, ii) increased reporting of prohibiting factors by states and other government agencies, and iii) sheer volume Read More …

How To Do The Paperwork Shuffle;

ATF’s Pistol Brace Rule (ATF 2021R-08F) has been out for a month now, and this has given me time to read the rule, digest the contents, ask questions, and determine a best path forward. Based on my best understanding, I offer the following to my clients.  Paper Beats Electronic The ATF makes clear it desires Read More …

Traveling with NFA Firearms: the Form 20

When you own firearms regulated by the National Firearm Act (NFA), you must remain aware of your continuing obligations to the ATF. One of these obligations is securing written permission from the ATF before traveling out of state. The NFA Guns Affected This permission is not required of all NFA firearms, but only certain types. Specifically, you must properly Read More …