1920
January 1920
Context
National Prohibition begins
The Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act ban the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquor.
The timeline
A timeline of the NFA
Browse the major laws, court decisions, and agency actions from 1920 through October 2026. Use the filters to explore a period or a type of event.
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1927
February 8, 1927
Legislation
Congress restricts firearms in the mail
A new federal law makes pistols, revolvers, and other concealable firearms nonmailable, with exceptions.
1929
February 14, 1929
Context
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
The Chicago killings become a national symbol of gang violence and part of the history behind the NFA.
1933
December 5, 1933
Context
National Prohibition ends
The Twenty-first Amendment repeals the Eighteenth Amendment. Congress will pass the NFA the following year.
1934
June 26, 1934
Legislation
The National Firearms Act becomes law
The new law imposes a $200 transfer tax, annual business taxes, registration, and transfer paperwork for selected firearms.
1936
April 10, 1936
Legislation
A limited exception for small-caliber rifles
Congress excludes rifles of .22 caliber or smaller with barrels at least 16 inches long when barrel length is the only reason for NFA coverage.
1937
March 29, 1937
Courts
Supreme Court upholds the NFA dealer tax
In Sonzinsky, the Court rules that discouraging a business through taxation does not by itself put the tax beyond Congress’s authority.
1938
June 30, 1938
Legislation
Congress passes the Federal Firearms Act
A separate law requires licenses and records for covered firearms businesses engaged in interstate commerce.
1939
May 15, 1939
Courts
United States v. Miller
The Supreme Court reverses a ruling against the NFA. The record contains no evidence connecting the short-barreled shotgun at issue to a well-regulated militia.
1952
May 21, 1952
Legislation
The NFA adds a making tax
Congress enacts a making tax effective September 1, 1952. Subject to exceptions, makers must pay in advance and file a declaration; possession of a firearm made in violation of the new rules is also prohibited.
1960
June 1, 1960
Legislation
Rifle dimensions and transfer taxes change
Congress sets a 16-inch rifle barrel threshold and a $5 transfer tax for the specified “any other weapon” category.
1968
January 29, 1968
Courts
Haynes finds a self-incrimination problem
The Supreme Court recognizes a Fifth Amendment defense when the NFA’s registration requirement could force a person to provide evidence against himself.
1968
October 22, 1968
Legislation
The Gun Control Act rewrites the NFA
Congress revises registration, adds destructive devices, and expands the machine gun definition in Title II of the new law.
1968
November 2–December 1, 1968
Administration
A 30-day registration amnesty opens
Owners have a limited opportunity to register previously unregistered NFA firearms as the revised law takes effect.
1971
April 5, 1971
Courts
Freed upholds the revised registration system
In a case involving unregistered hand grenades, the Supreme Court finds that the amended law has fixed the Fifth Amendment problem.
1972
July 1, 1972
Administration
ATF becomes a separate bureau
The former IRS division becomes the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms within the Treasury Department.
1986
May 19, 1986
Legislation
Congress sets the machine gun cutoff
The Hughes Amendment generally limits civilian possession and transfers to machine guns lawfully possessed before May 19, 1986. Government exceptions also apply.
1992
June 8, 1992
Courts
Thompson/Center wins its conversion-kit case
The Supreme Court rules for the manufacturer in a dispute over how the NFA applies to a pistol sold with a conversion kit.
1994
May 23, 1994
Courts
Staples defines what an owner must know
Prosecutors must show that the owner knew his rifle had the characteristics that made it a machine gun under the law.
1998
November 30, 1998
Administration
NICS begins checking firearm buyers
The national system created under the Brady Act lets licensed sellers check whether a prospective buyer may legally receive a firearm.
2003
2003
Administration
ATF moves to the Justice Department
ATF’s law-enforcement functions leave Treasury for Justice. The NFA remains in the federal tax code.
2008
June 26, 2008
Courts
Heller recognizes an individual right
The Supreme Court recognizes a Second Amendment right to keep a firearm at home for self-defense, while also describing limits to that right.
2010
June 28, 2010
Courts
McDonald extends Heller to state and local laws
The Supreme Court holds that the Fourteenth Amendment makes the right recognized in Heller enforceable against state and local governments.
2013
August 2013
Administration
ATF opens the eForms portal
NFA applications begin moving online. Electronic Form 4 applications become available in December 2021.
2016
July 13, 2016
Administration
Rule 41F changes trust applications
Responsible persons in trusts and other legal entities must provide identification materials. Local law-enforcement certification gives way to notification.
2022
June 23, 2022
Courts
Bruen requires a historical justification
For conduct covered by the Second Amendment’s text, the government must show that a restriction fits the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.
2024
June 13, 2024
Courts
A court sets aside the brace rule
In Mock v. Garland, a district court vacates ATF’s 2023 stabilizing-brace rule on administrative-law grounds.
2024
June 14, 2024
Courts
Cargill rejects ATF’s bump-stock classification
The Supreme Court holds that the bump stocks before it fall outside Congress’s definition of a machine gun.
2024
June 21, 2024
Courts
Rahimi explains the use of historical comparisons
The Supreme Court upholds temporary disarmament after a court finds that a person poses a credible threat to someone else’s physical safety.
2025
July 4, 2025
Legislation
Congress cuts making and transfer taxes to zero for most NFA categories
Public Law 119-21 reduces making and transfer tax rates for all NFA categories except machine guns and destructive devices, effective January 1, 2026.
2026
January 1, 2026
Legislation
The $0 tax rates take effect
Making and transfer taxes fall to $0 for the affected categories. Machineguns and destructive devices retain the $200 rates.
2026
August 5, 2026
Courts
A Texas court grants the Silencer Shop injunction
The court blocks specified NFA requirements for untaxed categories, protecting the plaintiffs and other people and entities named in its judgment.
2026
October 9, 2026
Administration
ATF announces nationwide nonenforcement
ATF stops enforcing specified NFA requirements for the $0-tax categories, extending the policy to people outside the Texas injunction.
The timeline covers selected developments. Events labeled “Context” explain the wider history of American gun law.
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