The SHORT Act (Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act) would largely remove short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns from the federal definition of firearms under the National Firearms Act (NFA). In plain terms, these weapons would no longer be regulated as NFA firearms at the federal level. The bill also broadens certain NFA-related exceptions, preempts state and local rules intended to tax or register these weapons, requires automatic “deemed compliance” with state licensing for such weapons when they are possessed in accordance with federal firearms law, and would destroy related NFA records within a year. Additionally, it would restructure some NFA categories related to destructive devices and the treatment of shotgun shells and weapons designed to shoot shotgun shells. The act is sponsored and introduced in the House and referred to committees for consideration.
Key Points
- 1Removes short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns from the definition of firearms under the NFA, reducing federal regulation of these weapons.
- 2Modifies the NFA’s definition of a destructive device to exclude shotgun shells and any weapon designed to shoot shotgun shells, expanding the set of items not treated as destructive devices.
- 3Changes certain transfer tax language (conforming amendments) and establishes that shotgun-related items fall under the new framework.
- 4Adds a provision that, for state or local registration/licensing requirements that reference weapons governed by the NFA, possession or acquisition in accordance with federal law will be treated as meeting those requirements (deemed compliance).
- 5Preempts state and local laws taxing or requiring marking/registration of short-barreled rifles or short-barreled shotguns; such state laws would have no force or effect.
- 6Requires destruction of related NFA records within 365 days, including registrations, transfer applications, and maker applications for applicable weapons (as defined by the bill), effectively erasing federal trace records for these weapons.
- 7Effective date: the amendments apply to calendar quarters beginning after the 90-day period following enactment.