# 2026-08912: ATF Ditches Local Cop Notices for Gun Maker Applications

2026-08912, Removing CLEO Notification Under the National Firearms Act, is a Federal Register proposed rule from Justice Department, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau published 2026-05-06, effective Comments must be submitted in writing, and must be submitted on or before (or, if mailed, must be postmarked on or before) July 6, 2026. Commenters should be aware that the federal e-rulemaking portal comment system will not accept comments after midnight Eastern Time on the last day of the comment period. (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08912
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-08912
- Title: Removing CLEO Notification Under the National Firearms Act
- Type: Proposed Rule
- Agencies: Justice Department; Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau
- Citation: 91 FR 24471
- Published: 2026-05-06
- Effective: Comments must be submitted in writing, and must be submitted on or before (or, if mailed, must be postmarked on or before) July 6, 2026. Commenters should be aware that the federal e-rulemaking portal comment system will not accept comments after midnight Eastern Time on the last day of the comment period.
- Comments close: 2026-07-06
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: 1140-AA65
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

ATF Ditches Local Cop Notices for Gun Maker Applications

## 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!

## Abstract

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ("ATF") proposes amending Department of Justice ("Department") regulations to remove the requirement that a copy of all applications to make or transfer a firearm subject to the National Firearms Act, and the specified form for responsible persons, as applicable, be forwarded to the chief law enforcement officer of the locality in which the applicant/transferee or responsible person is located.

## Effects PRIA read

- CLEO Notice Requirement Removed: benefit, medium. 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…
- Form 1 and Form 4 Time Burden Reduced: benefit, medium. 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 rem…
- Form 23 Burden Removed for Responsible Persons: benefit, medium. 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 burd…
- CLEOs No Longer Receive NFA Notices: benefit, low. 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 no…

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- [2026-19693](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19693): Implementing the Safe Explosives Act, 2026-09-25
- [2026-16981](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16981): Application for Relief From Disabilities Imposed by Federal Laws With Respect to the Acquisition, Receipt, Transfer, Shipment, Transportati…, 2026-08-20
- [2026-13586](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-13586): Registering NFA Firearms That Fall Out of Government Contract, 2026-07-06
- [2026-09160](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-09160): Implementing PATRIOT Act Improvements: Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco, 2026-05-08
- [2026-09155](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-09155): Changes to National Firearms Act Tax Remittance Provisions, 2026-05-08

## Sources
- [2026-08912 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/06/2026-08912/removing-cleo-notification-under-the-national-firearms-act)
- [2026-08912 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-05-06/pdf/2026-08912.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-08911, Update to Proscribed Countries for Import Restrictions](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08911)
- [Next: 2026-08914, Importing Training Rounds](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08914)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-08912 (as of 2026-06-11).