NFA Gun Trust Lawyer Blog

December 9, 2012

Form 1 and Form 4 Wait Times expected to decrease

ATF hires 9 new examiners. Last week, the NFATCA posted an article that the DOJ lifted the hiring ban for the BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) and the ATF hired 9 new examiners.

This should significantly speed up the approval process for the purchase or manufacture of firearms restricted by the National Firearms Act. The new staff at the ATF who examine the requests for transfer ( ATF Form 4) and the requests to manufacture (ATF Form 1) should be around 30 which is almost triple the number just a few months ago when expected approval times were in excess of 6 months. We do not know if this will bring times down to 2-3 months but it seems reasonable.

November 24, 2012

ATF says 07 Manufactures must comply with ITAR

by David M. Goldman

We have been telling 07 Manufactures for almost a year that they need to comply with ITAR even if they do not export anything. Now the according to Joshua Prince with the Prince Law Firm, In the November 2012 newsletter ATF has declared that all 07’s must register with the DDTC unless the DDTC specifically exempts them. The penalties are huge and include 20 years in prison and 1 million in fines among other civil penalties per violation.

So what ever your reason for not registering even if ATF previously told you not to, you need to register and register soon. If you need help with this please Contact Us and we will be happy to get you in touch with someone who can help you do this correctly.

November 15, 2012

When is a Gun Trust not a Gun Trust?

by David M. Goldman

Recently we have begun to see many “Gun Trusts” that are nothing more than a traditional revocable trust with a few provisions that mention firearms or NFA firearms. As the creator of the NFA Gun Trust, we feel that we are entitled to define what is and what is not a Gun Trust. Here are a few of the more common issues we see with regular or other so-called “Gun Trusts”:

A gun trust should be a document which deals with regular as well as NFA firearms.
It should not contain language that instructs people to violate the law if they follow the instructions contained in the trust and should not allow for someone who is a prohibited person to become or remain an authorized user of the firearms.

November 8, 2012

Should I put my regular firearms in a NFA Trust or Gun Trust?

by David M. Goldman

A Gun Trust should be designed to hold all firearms including those restricted by the NFA. All of our Gun Trusts are designed for all of your firearms. As an owner of all types of guns, I designed this trust to deal with issues from a revolver, to a Glock pistol, and even NFA firearms like silencers and machine guns.

What most people do not realize is that many of the same issues regarding transfer upon death or incapacity exist for regular firearms as well as those sold by Class 3 SOT dealers. It is for this reason that I would suggest putting all of your Guns in one of our NFA Gun Trusts.

The real issue is that while we can pick beneficiaries while we are alive, we do not know who will survive us or anything about them on the date of our death.

October 24, 2012

Police Officer Pleads Guilty to having Silencer in NY

by David M. Goldman

It appears that a former deputy in NY had some firearms that had been previously seized by the police in his personal possession even though they were suppose to be destroyed. One of the items in his possession was a silencer. While it appears that active duty police are permitted to have silencers, once they are no longer a police officer they cannot possess them. The specific details on how he received the silencer are not know, but even if he legally possessed it, once he was no longer a police officer his possession in NY would be in violation of the law.

We are often contacted by NY police officers wanting to set up gun trusts to buy silencers in NY and generally advise against it because of the risks of separation from the police and the consequences. Some police officers form trusts and buy and keep NFA firearms in other states where they are legal but it is risky to bring them to NY.

September 25, 2012

Can an Alien purchase NFA firearms with a Gun Trust?

by David M. Goldman

Aliens who are legally in the United States can purchase NFA firearms as long as they are not a prohibited person. When doing so they often have confusion over how to fill out a 5330.20 when it asks if they are a non-immigrant Alien in question 5. The following definition may help answer the question in your particular circumstances.

Under 8 USCS § 1101 a non-immigrant alien is defined as “an alien having a residence in a foreign country which he has no intention of abandoning who is coming temporarily to the United States to perform temporary services or labor, if unemployed persons capable of performing such service or labor cannot be found in this country.” Rowland v. Marshall, 650 F.2d 28, 29 (4th Cir. Va. 1981)

September 19, 2012

More Invalid Gun Trusts being provided by Gun Stores

by David M. Goldman

Today we received another copy of a Gun Store Generic NFA Trust that was provided to a customer of the shop. Not only was it a generic trust and did nothing to advise or protect the client from issues regarding the transfer, ownership, possession or use of TItle II firearms (sold by Class 3 dealers) but the trust itself was invalid as it did not comply with the requirements to create a valid trust in the State. While it may have been a valid trust in another state, each state has its own requirements for creating a valid trust. These requirements change and a trust that may have been valid a few years ago may not be valid under the current laws of the state. It is important to make sure your trust complies with the state’s requirements for creation of a valid trust. What is disturbing is that ATF approved transfers to this invalid trust.

Remember just because ATF approves a transfer, the agency is not stating that your trust is valid nor that you are legally able to be in possession of the firearms. If you have a free trust or a gun shop trust it is important to have it reviewed for legality as well as compliance with the ATF to make sure your document is valid and that your document does not instruct you or others to break the law in regards to regular firearms or those restricted by the NFA.

September 7, 2012

How long should my Gun Trust Last? Controlling your Guns from the Grave.

by David M. Goldman

One of the benefits of a gun trust is that it can be created by a Gun Trust Lawyer® to last throughout your life or in some cases can be designed to last for generations. Trusts are subject to the Rule Against perpetuity (RAP) which may limit how long the trust can last.

The common law RAP was designed to keep people from controlling from their grave. Today the modern trend it to extend or eliminate this restriction and many states like Alaska, Idaho, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and South Dakota have abolished the RAP by statutes.

In addition, 26 States (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia), the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and is currently under consideration in New York) have enacted the Uniform Statutory Rule Against perpetuity which extends the time your trust can control from 21 years after the death of a life in being at the time it was created to 90 years of creation if it actually vests.

September 5, 2012

Wyoming Bill Proposes Legalizing Hunting With SIlencers

by David M. Goldman

While the Bill would legalize hunting with silencers, the bill also includes stiffer penalties for poaching while using a silencer. Most legislation regarding silencers has been based on anti-poaching concepts. The NRA and the American Silencer Association have done a good job at helping to pass similar bills in other states over the past few years. Anyone who has used a silencer knows that a suppressor is a better name and that unlike they are shown in the movies, a suppressor does not make a firearm silent.

The modern trend is to make silencers legal to use while hunting.

August 20, 2012

Revised: Are SBR’s legal in Illinois?

by David M. Goldman

Starting January 1, 2013 you will be able to purchase, transfer, make, possess, and use a SBR in IL. At first glance it appears to be very limited and only apply those with a valid and active military re-enacting group membership to use them for military re-enacting. But there is an interesting exception, those with a Valid C & R license can also own them.

The Law is poorly written and leaves many questions unanswered. A Gun Trust cannot have a C&R license, but a Trustee of a Gun Trust Can have a C&R license. The question is will ATF allow a Trust to purchase a SBR if all Illinois based Trustee’s (the authorized users) have a C & R License as required under IL law. If not you will still need a CLEO sign off because you can’t have a C&R within a Trust. ATF has stated that a Trust cannot own an SBR in IL (2014).

Also, once you modify a C&R firearm it no longer retains its C&R status, but the Illinois law is different than similar laws in CA because if you have a C&R license, you can buy any SBR not just a C&R SBR.