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Determine Legality of Firearm

rhmc24
Does anyone have the address of the person or section to address for necessity of registration, tax payment, etc. about legality of a possibly questionable gun?

I have (tentatively):
National Firearms Act Branch
244 Needy Road
Martinsburg, West Virginia 25405 USA

Wondering if anyone has used that address (or other). Thanks for any useful info, opinion, comment, etc. Robert
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Comments

12 comments

Date Votes
  • rufe-snow
    It would be best if you were more specific regarding type of firearm.

    My take on this is that you are supposed address this through your local PD, rather then contacting the feds directly. The locals have the ability to search the NCIC database, using S.N., type of firearm, caliber, barrel length etc.
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  • mark christian
    National Firearms Act registration information is private taxpayer information and cannot be released except to the owner of the firearm or the executor of their estate...If they have dropped dead. If the deceased died intestate then a spouse, lawful heir or an attorney can make an enquiry, but a friend of the family, a neighbor trying to help out or a potential buyer will not receive any information.
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  • rhmc24
    Rufe --hypothetically a 12 gauge, six shot, load/unload like a single action Colt, revolving & cocked by a lever, barrel and LOA legal. Local police wouldn't qualify for Keystone based on their performance when I got ripped off on an internet scam.

    mark ---seems like real cloak and dagger for them to keep their address secret.

    I would have thought BATF would be the contact point but I have a phone number for the address above I will try tomorrow. From my little info so far, revolving shotguns larger than .50 cal are illegal unless intended for hunting. Wonder who decides intent?
    Cheers
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  • bpost
    quote:Originally posted by rhmc24
    Rufe --hypothetically a 12 gauge, six shot, load/unload like a single action Colt, revolving & cocked by a lever, barrel and LOA legal. Local police wouldn't qualify for Keystone based on their performance when I got ripped off on an internet scam.

    mark ---seems like real cloak and dagger for them to keep their address secret.

    I would have thought BATF would be the contact point but I have a phone number for the address above I will try tomorrow. From my little info so far, revolving shotguns larger than .50 cal are illegal unless intended for hunting. Wonder who decides intent?
    Cheers


    How could a six shooter shotgun be bad and a 8-11 round pump gun is OK?
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  • perry shooter
    Hello I have a Colt LUNCH BOX The frame is marked Government model but has heart shaped cutouts in the grip frame area and it has a 1920 slide . However it has no serial number and NEVER HAD a serial number. Because I can prove the frame was made before 1934 GUN CONTROL act. Pictures on request. I have a letter on BATFE letterhead from West Virgina stating it is legal for me to own or sell this pistol. I got this letter direct from BATFE. I must admit I knew the person to send my request to. I had known him for many years when he was a Marine Marksmanship member. So my take is the BATFE will have to examine most firearms in person & one place that they do this is in West Virginia.

    EDITHello VICG1 thanks for your note but I was only trying to state that the BATF does in fact look at individual Firearms to make a ruling on if they are legal to own or need a stamp ETC. I think you will find that while the 1968 GUN CONTROL act did affect the serial numbers on LONG GUNS the 1934 Gun Control act mandated serial numbers on HANDGUNSIf my pistol was made after 1934 Then The BATFE would assign MY gun a serial number and I would have to stamp it with this number. for me to legally own or sell it.
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  • mark christian
    quote:Originally posted by rhmc24
    Rufe --hypothetically a 12 gauge, six shot, load/unload like a single action Colt, revolving & cocked by a lever, barrel and LOA legal. Local police wouldn't qualify for Keystone based on their performance when I got ripped off on an internet scam.

    mark ---seems like real cloak and dagger for them to keep their address secret.

    I would have thought BATF would be the contact point but I have a phone number for the address above I will try tomorrow. From my little info so far, revolving shotguns larger than .50 cal are illegal unless intended for hunting. Wonder who decides intent?
    Cheers


    I am reading this again and you have nothing there but a shotgun. Revolving, drum fed, pump fed...whatever it is it is still a shotgun. Unless the Secretary of the Treasury specifically declared that the firearm in question was no longer suitable for sporting purpsoes, as was the case with the USAS, Striker and Street sweepers, and declared them to be Destructive Devices, it is just a shot gun.
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  • rhmc24
    Thanks Mark, that's my take too. Hope "they" see it that way. To be continued ---->
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  • wpage
    when in doubt the source is a click away...

    http://www.atf.gov/
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  • vicg1
    quote:Originally posted by rhmc24
    Does anyone have the address of the person or section to address for necessity of registration, tax payment, etc. about legality of a possibly questionable gun?

    I have (tentatively):
    National Firearms Act Branch
    244 Needy Road
    Martinsburg, West Virginia 25405 USA

    Wondering if anyone has used that address (or other). Thanks for any useful info, opinion, comment, etc. Robert


    That is not an NFA item... there would be no tax stamp on it.

    quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
    Hello I have a Colt LUNCH BOX The frame is marked Government model but has heart shaped cutouts in the grip frame area and it has a 1920 slide . However it has no serial number and NEVER HAD a serial number. Because I can prove the frame was made before 1934 GUN CONTROL act. Pictures on request. I have a letter on BATFE letterhead from West Virgina stating it is legal for me to own or sell this pistol. I got this letter direct from BATFE. I must admit I knew the person to send my request to. I had known him for many years when he was a Marine Marksmanship member. So my take is the BATFE will have to examine most firearms in person & one place that they do this is in West Virginia.


    Serial number not required by the 1934 act, the serial number issue was a result of 1968 GCA.
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  • David Nunn
    IIRC, the Striker, Streetsweeper, and any other revolving cylinder shotguns were re-classified as "destructive devices" sometime during the Clinton administration. There would have been an amnesty period, during which such weapons could have been either turned in or registered with tax paid, and after that, all remaining guns are contraband.
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  • nmyers
    Yes and no.

    On February 28, 1994, the Secretary of the Treasury announced that 3 specific shotguns (Streetsweeper, USAS-12, & Striker-12) were being classified as DD's. The tax-free registration period ended May 1, 2001.

    This ruling did not apply to any other revolving shotgun.

    Neal
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  • rhmc24
    I sent a descriptive email with an illustration to ATFTips@atf.gov. Found it looking into http://www.atf.gov/ recco above. If/when I learn something I will post it here. Thanks, Robert
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