At the request of industry types, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm and Explosives revised ATF Form 1 and Form 5, with the biggest change allowing the use of credit and debit cards to pay the making tax when filing a Form 1, the agency announced in a regulations update.
Both Form 1 and Form 5 pertain to National Firearm Act items — machine guns, suppressors, short barreled rifles or shotguns, and other destructive devices. Form 1 is the application to make or register an item, and Form 5 is an application for a tax exempt transfer and registration of an item.
Payment by check or money order is still accepted for applications submitted on paper. Both have also been re-worded to streamline the process.
According to the update, the forms have been revised to incorporate the questions relating to non-immigrant status on ATF Form 5330.20, Certification of Compliance with 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(5)(B), which clarifies an applicant’s citizenship.
“Form 5330.20 is to be submitted when the applicant maker is an individual, not a legal entity. With a submission of the revised Form 1, the submission of Form 5330.20 will not be required. This revision was also requested by the industry,” the update reads.
Forms in the eForms system have not been updated yet, nor has the ATF given a specific date for the change.
Also, the ATF also reminds patrons, “Since the eForm 1 may only be filed by legal entities or government agencies and the eForm 5 is for transfer by a qualified Federal firearms licensee when the transferee is a government agency, the answering of the questions is not required as they are for an individual applicant maker or transferee.”
This is hopefully an indication that the ATF is continuing to make it easier for people to make and register NFA-regulated firearms, which are becoming more and more popular every day.
