FFL holders: get on it so you’re squared away for your customers!
Gun Trusts can use this to submit an ATF Form 1 – 5320.1
“NFA eForms are finally here! ATF is pleased to announce the implementation of the NFA forms into ATF’s eForms system. ATF Forms 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10 are currently available for eForms submission.
Many of you have asked your estate-planning lawyer about Gun Trusts and have not been able to find anyone who knows about them. This is not hard to believe because other than some materials I have produced or talked to others about there is no text book on gun trusts.
We work with lawyers in every state to help them prepare gun trusts for clients in their state while providing them a resource for the knowledge and information necessary to understand the ownership, transfer and possession of firearms.
In 2006, I recognized the need to create a Trust for NFA and regular firearms. It was at that time, that I created the Gun Trust. A Gun Trust is based on the traditional concepts of estate planning. Traditional trusts deal with all types of assets that are primarily financially based, but a Gun Trust only deals with firearms. They are not meant to circumvent federal or state laws, as many would have you believe. Trusts were clearly contemplated as owners of firearms by the National Firearms Act. The National Firearms Act (NFA), requires a tax to be paid to own, possess or transfer guns such as machine guns, short barreled rifles and shotguns, silencers or sound suppressors, and AOWs. They are referred to as Title 2 firearms because they are regulated under Title 2 of the 1968 Gun Control Act. Normal firearms are regulated under Title I of the Gun Control Act. Many people mistakenly call them Class 3 weapons, but Class 3 refers to a license or Special Occupational Tax (SOT) that an FFL must obtain prior to buying or selling Title II Firearms.
A Class 3 license is a license that a dealer obtains to sell Title II Firearms. Many individuals incorrectly confuse the terms Class 3 and Title II. We even see some lawyers making the same mistake. Class 3 SOT is a license to sell. Title II is classification of firearm that a Class 3 SOT may sell.
Title II firearms include silencers, short barrel rifles or shotguns, machine guns, AOWs and destructive devices.
So the answer is no! You do not need a Class 3 license to buy a silencer or other Title II firearm unless you are a dealer and wanting to purchase them for resale. If your documents do not use the correct terms, the people who wrote them may not understand the NFA, ATF and issues relating to the purchase, possession, transfer, and use of Title II firearms.
Many Lawyers are asking about Gun Trust CLE, I have been working with the Texas Bar on their Firearms Law Seminar. We will be providing some information on Gun Trusts which will be available soon. Attached is the seminar brochure. If you are in Texas they will be covering many topics related to dealing with firearms in the practice of law.
Course Highlights:
A few weeks ago I purchased a fully transferable M16. Many of our clients have asked me to post some pictures of what this gun is being built into. Almost every replaceable part has been upgraded to the latest modern version while still keeping it legally transferable as a Pre 86 Machine Gun.
One of the first things we did was to replace the stock with a high-tech anti recoil Israeli Stock.
Next build a modern upper with a Side charger much like you would see on a AK47 so that you do not have to take your eye off the scope to load a bullet.
First let me say there is no $500 one-time tax for unlimited transfers. There is a $500 yearly fee for a FFL to obtain a Class 3 SOT which allows them unlimited transfers for that year from other dealers for items owned by their FFL. This fee needs to be paid yearly and may be in addition to other fees necessary depending on what the FFL will be doing. If you are interested in setting up a FFL, please Contact Us as we can put you in touch with someone to help you create your FFL and have the systems necessary to not create problems with the BATFE. You can buy cheap products out there that will help create the FFL, but just because you create n FFL does not mean it will be done correctly and you will understand what your duties and responsibilities. Our package helps you protect yourself from unintentional violations.
In regards to personal ownership, it is unfortunate but you, your company, or your trust will need to pay $200 for each silencer you purchase.
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.
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.
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NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog