NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog

From the NRA:
Despite its very misleading name, this national group of anti-gun mayors has lobbied Congress against national reciprocity of state Right-to-Carry permits, against much-needed reform of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), for regulating gun shows out of existence, and for repealing the Tiahrt Amendment that protects the privacy rights of law-abiding gun owners and limits disclosure of sensitive firearm trace data to protect law enforcement personnel and protect lawful gun manufacturers from bogus lawsuits.

You can contact them by using the information provided on this Map. Please call , email and write your mayor today and ask them to support law abiding gun owners by disassociating themselves with Bloomberg and "Mayors Against Illegal Guns"

Atlantic Beach:	Mayor John S. Meserve
Atlantis:	Mayor Manny Fernandez
Aventura:	Mayor: Susan Gottlieb
Bowling Green:	Mayor Perry Knight
Cooper City:	Mayor Debby Eisinger
Coral Springs:	Mayor Scott J. Brook
Doral:	Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez
El Portal:	Mayor Joyce A. Davis
Fernandina Beach:	Mayor Bruce Malcolm
Fort Myers:	Mayor Jim Humphrey
Greenwood:	Mayor Charles Sanders
Hallandale Beach:	Mayor Joy Cooper
Haverhill:	Mayor Joseph S. Kroll
Hollywood:	Mayor Peter Bober
Hypoluxo:	Mayor Kenneth Schultz
Jacksonville:	Mayor John Peyton
Kenneth City:	Mayor Muriel H. Whitman
Keystone Heights:	Mayor Mary Lou Hildreth
Largo:	Mayor Patricia Gerard
Lauderdale: Lakes	Mayor Barrington Russell
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea:	Mayor Roseann Minnet
Lauderhill:	Mayor Richard J. Kaplan
Malone:	Mayor Gene Wright
Miami:	Mayor Manuel Diaz
Miami Beach:	Mayor Matti Herrera Bower
Miami-Dade County:	Mayor Carlos Alvarez
Naples:	Mayor Bill Barnett
Neptune Beach:	Mayor Harriet Pruette
Newberry:	Mayor John Glanzer
Niceville:	Mayor Randall Wise
North Miami:	Mayor Andre Pierre
North Miami Beach:	Mayor Raymond Marin
North Palm Beach:	Mayor David B. Norris
Oak Hill:	Mayor Darla Lauer
Opa Locka:	Mayor Joseph L. Kelley
Orlando:	Mayor Buddy Dyer
Ormond Beach:	Mayor Fred Costello
Pembroke Park:	Mayor Emma Shoaff
Pembroke Pines:	Mayor Frank C. Ortis
Pompano Beach:	Mayor Lamar Fisher
Port St Lucie:	Mayor Patricia Christensen
Tallahassee:	Mayor John Marks III
Tamarac:	Mayor Beth Talabisco
Tampa:	Mayor Pam Iorio
West Palm Beach:	Mayor Lois Frankel
Windermere:	Mayor Gary Bruhn
Winter Park:	Mayor David C. Strong

The following mayors in Florida have already resigned their MAIG membership due to your grassroots efforts:

Boynton:	Mayor Jerry Taylor
Dundee:	Mayor Linda Riner-Mizell
Madeira Beach:	Mayor Patricia J. Shontz
Key West:	Mayor Morgan McPherson
Palm Shores:	Mayor Carol McCormack
Tarpon Springs:	Mayor Beverly Billiris
Winter Springs:	Mayor John F. Bush

Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton Joined "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" which was founded and funded by the anti-gun Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The name of the organization is very misleading as the NRA calls the organization a front group to lobby Congress to oppose important pro-gun reforms and support new federal gun control restrictions.

Please email or write Mayor Peyton and ask him to support law-abiding gun owners by publicly disassociating himself with Michael Bloomberg and "Mayors Against Illegal Guns".

While none of us would support illegal guns, this organization is designed to prohibit and restrict legal guns.

We are honored that AmmoLand has featured the Gun Trust Lawyer® as the blog of the month on their website. To read their review and our responses to their questions please visit their site at
NFA Gun Trust Lawyer® - Featured blog of the month

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.

When submitting a Form 1 to the ATF for a SBR or SBS with multiple barrel lengths, the ATF will no longer accept a Form 1 with multiple barrel lengths. It is recommended that you submit the ATF Form 1 (5320.1) with a single barrel length for approval. Follow this link for more information on how to fill out an ATF form1 (5320.1).

If you have regular firearms and your state allows you to transfer them to an individual without going through a dealer, you can fill out the assignment form that we supply with the NFA firearms trust. On the other hand if your state requires other steps to give or sell a firearm to an individual you will still have to comply with your state's laws when transferring the regular firearms into the NFA Trust.

With Title II firearms you have to deal with the same issues as above + the requirements under the NFA. If you are purchasing from :

1) an individual within your state, you can use the form 4 and no dealer is required on the federal level- unless your state would require a dealer to be involved with a regular firearm of the same type.
2) a dealer in your state, you can use the Form 4 and the dealer can fill out the documents.
3) a dealer in anther state, you must use a Class 3 SOT transfer agent within your state to take possession of the firearm, then they will act as a local dealer and follow the instructions in #2 above.
4) an individual in another state, you and the other individual must each use a Class 3 SOT transfer agent or dealer in your state. The two dealers can transfer the items between themselves with the proper documentation, and then you can pick up the item, upon approval from the ATF, from your in state dealer / transfer agent.

If you have questions regarding the NFA, Title II, Class 3, or Gun Trusts contact a Gun Trust Lawyer®

I was contacted by the firearms dealer offering the Free downloads of the NFA trust and they have removed the links on their website. Since being contacted, by this dealer I have had reports of other dealers in Florida, Texas, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and South Carolina who are offering Free trusts.  While I have not had a chance to review all of them, there have been several trusts that were not set up correctly and pose substantial risks to the clients, their spouses and families for Constructive possession of NFA firearms.

The question still remains as to what will happen to their clients and others who have downloaded the invalid trusts and submitted them to the ATF. Apparently the ATF has approved them. It should be noted that just because ATF approved a Form 4 or Form 1 Transfer, this does not mean you are legally able to possess the firearms. They are only approving the ability to transfer the NFA firearms to a legal entity described on the Form 4 or Form 1.

To read more on this topic see the original article Free NFA Trust Form for Class 3, Title II purchases.  This article was written by David M. Goldman a Jacksonville Estate Planning and Probate Lawyer at the Apple Law Firm  PLLC.

When filling out a Form 1 for the first time with your NFA trust it can be confusing. With an ATF Form 4, there is typically a dealer involved or someone who has done it before so there are not as many questions. I have created a page on How to fill out a Form 1 with a link to a 5320.1 Form 1 that you can download and a sample that is filled out that can be used as a guide. The page also includes instructions on what information should be contained in your Form 1.

While a trustee needs to sign the Form 4 or Form 1, no additional paperwork is required because a NFA Gun Trust is being used. Other Trustee's do not need to sign the paperwork, if you are using a properly drafted NFA trust that authorized any Trustee to make the purchase without consent of the other trustees.

This is something that you may want to modify in your trust and should talk with a Gun Trust Lawyer® about.

In addition, the trustees do not have to include fingerprints or go through a background check by the CLEO as is required by an individual. NOTE: Most states and gun stores will run the NICS check on the person who is picking up the weapon, upon approval by the ATF.

According to Mr. Howard, the section chief of the ATF, there is no requirement under the NFA or BATFE to update a modified Trust with the ATF when the people involved are modified. The only time that the ATF must be notified is if one of the Trustees becomes ineligible to be in possession of the items.

A properly drafted NFA trust should notify under which conditions a Trustee should resign, whom they need to notify, and the time constraints required under to avoid having the weapons seized and to avoid risk of jail time and monetary penalties.

To speak with a Gun Trust Lawyer®, Contact Us.

Free NFA Trusts from your dealer - are they worth the paper they are written on, or could you face jail time for relying on bad advise from your dealer?

Recently I was contacted by a client who's gun dealer provides their clients a free Revocable Trust to purchase NFA items. After reviewing the Free NFA Gun Trust Form, I was shocked to discover that there was no way this trust could create a valid trust. A trust by definition must separate beneficial and legal ownership of the assets that are held in the trust. If this is not done, there is no trust. If there is no trust, any transfer to the trust is a violation of the NFA whether or not approved by the ATF. If you are in possession of a NFA firearm and your trust is not valid, you have committed multiple violations of the NFA each of which is subject to a 10 year jail sentence, $250,000 in fines & forfeiture of the firearms.

While some people are interested in only acquiring the firearms, many are interested in protecting their family and friends from illegal purchases, transfers, possession and other activities that would subject them to 10 years in jail and $250,000 penalties associated with each NFA violation for a trust.

The following are potential problems with the trust that is provided to clients for free. They really do not matter since the trust is invalid but it may help many of you evaluate similar trusts that are posted on the Internet. You may want to download a copy this Invalid Generic NFA trust.doc review with a few of the basic problems found in the trust.

Starting with the top This trust is setup up for 1 creator and trustee. This will expose many families to violations of the NFA for constructive possession IE- your spouse uses, wants to use, has access to, or knows the combination to the firearms safe. - A violation of the NFA. In addition, it allows no one else to use the firearms or be in possession of them other than the individual.

Why include NFA in the name, this only makes the trust's purpose recognizable by others in dealing with the NFA but not a major flaw.

The Insert name here leads people to create long trust names and can cause problems with identification. Lets assume I create the David Michael Goldman Revocable Living Trust dated August 10, 2009 and my wife is in possession of a firearm that is transferred to the trust, how do police know that my wife (who is not David Michael Goldman) is legally able to be in possession, since most police incorrectly believe that these items are illegal to begin with, the chance that she will be detained until proper possession can be proven is much greater than if we used a different naming schema for the the trust.

Please note, the document I have lined to does not create a legal trust and should never be used. Once an item is illegal, it can not become legal through a future transfer.

Part 2
This is problematic for the trustee and grantor as any trustee can purchase NFA firearms. if the trust is revoked all those in possession are illegally in possession and subject to the criminal penalties associated with violating the NFA. In addition it allows someone acting under a power of attorney to potentially revoke the trust (assuming it was valid to begin with.)

Part 3
Children's sub trusts are only created once the settlor dies, this does not make sense that the trustee - presumably the owner because of how you structured the trust will be the trustee. Also this trust gives no guidance to the trustee about how to accomplish the transfer without violating the NFA. There is no mention of what these trusts are nor how to create them. This is language taken from a quicken trust and shows the danger of copying a trust from someone else. A NFA trust should rarely discuss children's sub-trusts as the concept does not make sense in relation to firearms, restricted transfer, illegal ownership by minors and many other factors.

Part 4
This creates a very long name to engrave and use on Form 4's or Form 1's

<Insert Your Name Here>, trustee of the <Insert Your Name Here> NFA Trust, dated <Insert date of trust here Month day, Year.>

Part 5
Tells a trustee they can buy sell lease make alterations to NFA items with no guidance or indication that specific procedures need to be followed or the trustee and buyer or seller will all be subject to the penalties of violating the NFA.

This trust does not name a successor trustee nor a beneficiary nor describe how they will be selected.

This document will not create a legal trust, and anyone who has used this document to create a trust and purchased items subject to the NFA is illegally in possession of the Title II firearms - regardless of the approval from the NFA. The NFA approval assumes a valid trust and does not guarantee that a trust is in place.

If you have used this trust or a similar trust I would suggest contacting a Gun Trust Lawyer® and amending and restating your trust before the ATF comes knocking on your door as they have for others.
See this article and this article this article and this article on problems with quicken and legal zoom.

Any current Trustee of the NFA trust may use the firearms. A properly drafted NFA trust will have provisions that make a trustee ineligible to serve if they are disqualified for one of the legal reasons a person cannot be in possession of an Title II firearm under the NFA.

One of the most common questions regarding the formation of a NFA trust is whether it is a good idea to put other firearms or weapons in the trust with the Title II firearms.

Generally as long as you would want those items to go to the same beneficiaries, there is no problem in putting non NFA firearms or other items with similar concerns in the same trust. Under no circumstances should you place regular assets like your personal bank accounts, stock accounts, or real estate inside a NFA trust or trust that is designed for NFA purposes.

A properly prepared NFA trust will have provisions that make the risk of abuse by a trustee or successor trustee to great. The flexibility that is necessary to deal with the unique issues of firearms ownership, transfer, possession as well as the potential risk of criminal liability make us recommend that only firearms and other related property is in the trust.

Remember a traditional trust is not appropriate for NFA firearms. While you can purchase NFA or Title II firearms using a normal trust, the trust often has trustees and successor trustees take actions which will create criminal and civil liability. If you want to know if a NFA trust is appropriate for your circumstances, please Contact a Gun Trust Lawyer®

There is a new site with information on many firearms related websites Firearmssites.com. If you get a chance, take a look at our page under the federal firearms law section and if you like what we are doing let others know by give us a rating with or without comments.