In a significant shift in federal firearms policy, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced on October 9, 2026, that it will no longer enforce key National Firearms Act (NFA) requirements for short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), silencers (suppressors), and “any other weapons” (AOWs). The change, detailed in an Open Letter [...]
Ernest Lintner is a lifelong firearms enthusiast who enlisted in the Air Force after high school. That led to an assignment to RAF Greenham Common, England which gifted him with opportunities to visit the Soviet Union in its waning days, complete the Vierdaagse at Nijmegen, Netherlands, and “work” full time in an armory. After returning home, he served as a city and state law enforcement officer before embarking on a career with ATF where he was assigned to three Industry Operations field offices, NFA, and NICS. Retiring in 2025, he founded Firearm Compliance Solutions LLC, a firearms industry consulting company. Other hobbies include military history, bunkers, masonry forts, museums, WWII memoirs, and lighthouses.
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Former ATF Employee Explains What the New NFA Non-Enforcement Policy Really Means
Published: October 11, 2026 { 18 comments }
ATF May Finally Kill CLEO Notification
Published: July 5, 2026 { 4 comments }ATF is proposing to remove the CLEO notification requirement from the NFA process, which could finally kill one more pointless paperwork headache for suppressors, SBRs, SBSs, AOWs, machineguns, and other NFA firearms.
Silencer Form 4s Exploded After the Tax Hit $0
Published: March 29, 2026 { 3 comments }The tax went away, and buyers did not exactly ease into the shallow end. FOIA data shows silencer applications surged hard in early 2026, but the real surprise is that approvals still moved far faster than many shooters feared.