NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog

Besides complying with the other requirements for being a FFL, if you want to become a manufacture, seller, or importer of Title II firearms there are several licenses you may need. These include the following and the fees are yearly fees.

1. Importer of Title II Firearms $1000.00
2. Manufacturer of Title II Firearms $1000.00
3. Dealer of Title II Firearms $500.00 ( This is the Class III Special Occupational Tax)

If your gross revenues from the previous tax year were less than $500,000 then you may qualify for a reduced rate as follows.

1. Importer of Title II Firearms $500.00
2. Manufacturer of Title II Firearms $500.00

Note: Having a Class 3 SOT license will not permit you to have or use a non-trasferrable machine gun for personal use. The ATF takes a close look at these transactions and no one should attempt to do this as an inexpensive way to own a machine gun as it could be a very expensive lesson.

One benefit of using a Gun Trust that is often overlooked is the ease of changing authorized users or managers of the firearms in the event of a charge relating to domestic violence or other Lautenberg amendment violations. We all know people who have been involved in a divorce and had claims of domestic violence or child abuse made to potentially bolster the other spouse's position regarding the divorce, alimony, child custody, or child support. Unfortunately, the way in which your divorce attorney deals with this issue, could cause you to lose your firearms rights. It is very important to make sure your divorce attorney understands these issues or consults with an attorney who does so that you do not lose your rights over a technicality.

More importantly, if you do lose your rights, you may lose your investment in your firearms as they may not be transferable in time to lose them to a confiscation. With a Gun Trust, even though you can be a manager, you do not technically own them. Therefore, if you lose your rights to own or possess firearms, we simply need to amend your trust to deal with the possession issue as you are no longer the owner anyway.

This becomes much more important with Title II firearms (those sold by Class III Dealers) because of the time it takes to transfer these firearms. For more on this you may want to read the Jacksonville Divorce Attorney Blog's article on Domestic Violence and Gun Rights written by Kelley Ryan a Jacksonville Divorce Lawyer.

When you are purchasing a silencer, SBR, SBS, Machine Gun, AOW, or DD from an out of state resident there are two ways of accomplishing the transfer.

The first and slower way is to do a Form 4 transfer to a local Class 3 SOT dealer. Once this is approved a tax free transfer can be made from that dealer to one in the purchaser's state and then a second Form 4 transfer can be done from the buyer's dealer to the buyer. This will involved 2 transfer fees and generally each dealer will charge a fee for the paperwork and transfer.

The second method involves transferring it directly on a Form 4 to the buyers Class 3 dealer who is located in the same state as the buyer. Once this is approved a second Form 4 transfer can take place from the dealer to the buyer. This will involve 2 transfer fees and fees from the single dealer. This method should be quicker since the dealer to dealer transfer is eliminated.

Check out the new 300 AAC Blackout from Advanced Armament Corp.

Introducing the Advanced Armament Corp. 300 AAC BLACKOUT (300BLK). This system was developed to launch 30 caliber projectiles from the AR platform without a reduction in magazine capacity and compatible with the standard bolt.

Full power 123 grain ammunition matches the ballistics of the 7.62x39mm AK, has 37% more energy than 5.56mm M855, and 9% more than 6.8 SPC TAP 110. In fact, from a 9 inch barrel, the 300BLK has more muzzle energy than 5.56mm M855 from a 16 inch barrel. When 300 BLK is used in a 16 inch barrel, it has 23% more energy than 5.56mm M855 from a 16 inch barrel - with much higher-mass projectiles for a more dramatic effect on the target. Or choose subsonic cartridges for optimal use with a sound suppressor - 220 grain Sierra OTM (open-tip match) bullets vastly outperforms a 9mm MP5-SD in penetration and long range accuracy.

Due to the high efficiency of the cartridge, less powder is used than 5.56mm, which results in a rifle that is a comfortable to shoot - even with a short barrel.

Reloading dies available from Forster products, Reamers and headspace guages available from Pacific Tool and Gauge.

We have also run across a list of some Alaska Class 3 dealers.

Arctic Arms 907-770-7502
Arctic Custom Services 907-376-0703
Arms and Equipment 907-479-4867
B&B Firearms 907-333-9461
R&M Sporting Goods 907-357-9711

If you are a Class 3 dealer or know of other Alaska Class 3 dealers let us know.

If you need help creating or want more information on what an Alaska NFA Trust or Alaska Gun Trust is, contact us for more information.

Yes it is legal in most instances to travel with your NFA firearms (those sold by a class 3 dealer and often referred to as TItle II firearms). You will have the same restrictions as traveling with a normal firearm but also need to comply with the regulations for interstate travel with a NFA firearm. For more information on transporting NFA firearms across state lines see our ATF Form 5320.20 page.

Remember that they need to be legal in your destination state.

We are often asked for a list of Class III dealers. There is a website that lists Class III dealers in many states. GunTrustLawyer.com is a sponsor of the site as we have found it to be a useful site to our clients.

Auction arms has a FFL Finder that may help you find a local dealer to do your Class III Transfers. Check out the FFL Finder.

Recently I was asked by one of the attorneys I work with about provisions for a will to deal with the NFA firearms that an individual owns outside of their trust. I wrote something on this topic which can be found on my Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog in an article How to deal with NFA and Non NFA Firearms in a Will

Today I received an email from someone who was forming a trust to transfer assets from their father's estate. There were NFA items in the father's estate. The person's estate planning lawyer had advised them that it was OK to transfer NFA firearms to a trust using a general assignment of personal property. A general assignment of personal property is a standard form that transfers all personal property not requiring a deed or special documentation to a trust and is commonly used with a standard revocable living trust.

Unfortunately his lawyer must not have been familiar with the NFA because no one should ever do such a thing. This would be a violation of the National Firearms Act, and subject the individual to confiscation of all firearms, 10 years in jail for each violation, and up to a $250,000 penalty for each violation.

At this time of the year, we are often short of time and rushing to take care of things before the holidays. Before making a mistake with an NFA firearm, learn about them and the additional restrictions placed upon the use, possession, transfer, and purchase of them in your state and around the country.

If you are going to ask a lawyer about an issue involving the NFA, make sure they understand the NFA and what a Title II firearm and Class 3 SOT license are. We all know firearms can be dangerous in the hands of the uneducated, here is an example where the uninformed can cause you a problem.

To contact a NFA Firearms Attorney, just email us or call us and we will be glad to help.

While ATF has previously stated that a certification of compliance is not necessary for trusts, they have now changed their mind or at lease in some cases. For this reason we are now recommending that you send in the 5330.20 with your Form 4 or Form 1 application to purchase or make a firearm restricted under the NFA.
We will create a sample Form 5330.20 to review. Here is a link to download a Certification of Compliance with 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(5)(B) ATF 5330.20

NFA firearms and Constructive Possession. Some said it would never happen, but it seem that just recently Jesus Amador was arrested for possession / Constructive possession of an SBR.

Florida law does not allow individuals to possess the pieces to readily build an SBR, SBS, or Machine Gun unless permitted to do so under Federal law. While he may have been enticed by the police to take an action that he would not have taken, he eventually showed up to unknowingly sell the items to a police officer. Upon doing so 7 police officers at gun point slammed him to the ground and arrested him (as reported by Joshua Prince on his gun blog and by Mr Amador on Florida Gun Trader)

While some may say that this is a possession issue and not constructive possession, the fact is that constructive or actual possession are only ways to prove possession and as such there may be little significance between the two.

If you are going purchase, own, or use NFA firearms make sure you are protected by using a NFA Gun Trust that deals with these special firearms as Title II firearms and not as a traditional asset like a house, care, boat, bank account, or picture on the wall. If you do not believe there is a difference, call us and we will explain how they are different and why you need a gun trust for your firearms.

While many dealers provide Trusts and help clients fill our Trust Documents ( a violation of law in most states), this was the first time I had run across a Manufacture of Title II firearms who was providing trusts to clients. This Trust was not being completed by the Class 3 manufacture, but was a Fill in the blank form that was supplied by a silencer manufacture. It had a place to print your name, date, pick successor trustee's and sign. There was no place to witness ( a requirement in many states). While the trust appeared to be better than some forms we have seen, it will missing some of the schedules. The main schedule that was missing was the Schedule of Beneficiaries. It was not evident that one was necessary and as such the trusts we were reviewing did not contain them.

As we have discussed before, a beneficiary is an essential element to a trust and in most cases the failure to include a beneficiary who is different from the creator will cause a trust to be invalid.

This trust, as with many Quicken or Legal Zoom trusts failed to address the firearms and the many unique issues that arise when dealing with Firearms. If a valid trust would have been created, it could have transferred a bank account, chair, picture on the wall, or most any item without problem, but would have not been a good idea to use for a firearm.

In addition, because of the way the trust was structured, there was no way to include provisions to protect a spouse or other person who you would want to have access, use, or purchase their own NFA (Title II Firearm).

While the last gun dealer who was supplying invalid trusts was quick to respond, this manufacture seemed to take the attitude that it was the individuals responsibility to make sure they did the right thing, and that the form they supplied was not to be used, just a sample that they could start with.

When I suggested that the correct the form to at least allow their customers to make a valid trust, there was little interests and I would bet that nothing changes.

Remember just because the ATF approves a transfer to a trust, it does not mean your trust is valid, nor that you are legally able to possess the firearm. All it means is that if the trust is legal (which they do not guarantee) you can be in possession.

If you received your trust from a dealer, found it online, or tried to create a valid trust with legal zoom or quicken and would like it evaluated under your personal circumstances for validity and potential issues with the NFA and future transfers, Contact a NFA Trust Lawyer or Gun Trust Lawyer® to review your trust.

A program has been created to offer education and training to dealers selling items restricted by the NFA.  This program will work in conjunction with attorneys licensed in their state to provide free education on the advantages and proper uses of a NFA Gun trust to purchase Title II firearms under state and federal laws to residents of their state and residents of another state.  If your dealership sells Title II firearms and is interested in having your staff trained on these important issues Contact Us to schedule training.