ATF Ditches Local Cop Notices for Gun Maker Applications
Published Date: 5/6/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
The ATF wants to stop sending copies of National Firearms Act applications to local police chiefs. This change affects people making or transferring certain firearms and aims to simplify the process without adding costs. Comments on this proposal are open until July 6, 2026, so now’s the time to weigh in!
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Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
CLEO Notice Requirement Removed
ATF proposes to remove the rule that applicants must send a copy of every National Firearms Act (NFA) application (Form 1 or Form 4) and related responsible-person form (Form 23) to the local chief law enforcement officer (CLEO). ATF estimates applicants currently spend about 15 minutes (0.25 hours) copying and sending the form and values that time at about $26 per hour (about $7 saved per application), with an annualized savings of about $11.4 million.
Form 1 and Form 4 Time Burden Reduced
ATF will remove CLEO-copy and CLEO-certification items from ATF Form 5320.1 (Form 1) and ATF Form 5320.4 (Form 4). The agency reports Form 1 has 148,975 annual respondents and a total burden of 29,795 hours, and Form 4 has 546,424 annual respondents and a total burden of 109,285 hours; ATF says removing CLEO notification will reduce respondents' time burdens (response time estimated at 12 minutes after related changes).
Form 23 Burden Removed for Responsible Persons
ATF will remove the requirement that responsible persons on Form 5320.23 (Form 23) submit a copy of that form to the CLEO and certify they did so. ATF reports Form 23 has 749,242 annual respondents with a total burden of 149,848 hours and expects removing the CLEO notice items will reduce that burden (response time estimated at 12 minutes after related changes).
CLEOs No Longer Receive NFA Notices
If finalized, ATF would stop forwarding NFA application copies to local chiefs of police, sheriffs, state police heads, or local prosecutors (CLEOs). ATF states it has no information that the CLEO notifications meaningfully aid investigations and that law enforcement agencies often discard these notices.
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