Comment on FR Doc # 2026-08912
The American Suppressor Association and the National Rifle AssociationSupportTrade association
Summary: The American Suppressor Association and the National Rifle Association support the proposed rule to remove the requirement of notifying Chief Law Enforcement Officers (CLEOs) of NFA firearm applications. They argue that the requirement is duplicative and obsolete due to the NICS system and places an unnecessary burden on both applicants and law enforcement offices.
Comment of the American Suppressor Association and the National Rifle Association
The American Suppressor Association is the unified voice of the suppressor community, representing manufacturers, distributors, dealers, and owners of suppressors.
The National Rifle Association, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, represents millions of law-abiding gun owners across America.
We write to voice our support for ATF’s proposed rule that would remove the requirement that a copy of all applications to make or transfer an NFA firearm be forwarded to the applicant’s Chief Law Enforcement Officer (“CLEO”).
We agree with ATF that most CLEOs simply discard these notices as they receive them, and that removing the notification requirement lessens the burden on applicants, as well as the CLEO offices that must dispose of notices that amount to junk mail. We speak with many CLEOs throughout the country, and have yet to find any that use these forms for any purpose, let alone a law enforcement purpose. The advent of the FBI's National Criminal Instant Background Check System (NICS), through which all NFA applicants must pass, has rendered the CLEO's involvement in the NFA process duplicative and obsolete.
Eliminating this requirement is clear and easy to understand, and removes a regulatory hurdle that is not required by the NFA and serves no clear purpose.