Store Hours

Mon-Fri: 10am-8pm
Sat-Sun: 9am*-7pm

*First hour of weekend range time (9am-10am) is reserved for members only. Retail store is open to everyone during these hours.

What are NFA or Class III Items

The abbreviation NFA stands for National Firearms Act which was enacted in 1934. This was the United States' first federal gun control law, primarily designed to ban "gangster type weapons" such as machineguns and sawed-off shotguns in response to a high incidence of crime with these weapons.

What are NFA (Class III) Items?

Transferable Firearms. This is the most common item to be found and includes such firearms as machineguns, sears or conversion kits that were manufactured before May 19, 1986.

Suppressors (Defined Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Volume 1, Parts 1 to 199).

"Firearm muffler or firearm silencer. Any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm, including any combination of parts, designed or redesigned, and intended for use in assembling or fabricating a firearm silencer or firearm muffler, and any part intended only for use in such assembly or fabrication."

Also called Silencers or mufflers, these items can be acquired by individuals and are not limited to use on a specific firearm.

Curios and Relics (Defined Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Volume 1, Parts 1 to 199).

"Curios or relics. Firearms which are of special interest to collectors by reason of some quality other than is associated with firearms intended for sporting use or as offensive or defensive weapons. To be recognized as curios or relics, firearms must fall within one of the following categories:
 (a) Firearms which were manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, but not including replicas thereof;
 (b) Firearms which are certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum which exhibits firearms to be curios or relics of museum interest; and
 (c) Any other firearms which derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event. Proof of qualification of a particular firearm under this category may be established by evidence of present value and evidence that like firearms are not available except as collector's items, or that the value of like firearms available in ordinary commercial channels is substantially less."

Specific lists and additional information Curios and Relics can be found at ATF Curios and Relics

Dealer Samples. These can be broken down into those dealer samples before May 19th, 1986 and those after. Not applicable to private purchases.

Short-barreled Shotguns (Defined Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Volume 1, Parts 1 to 199).

"The term "short-barreled shotgun" means a shotgun having one or more barrels less than eighteen inches in length and any weapon made from a shotgun (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than twenty-six inches."

Short-barreled Rifles (Defined Code of Federal Regulations, Title 27, Volume 1, Parts 1 to 199).

"The term "short-barreled rifle" means a rifle having one or more barrels less than sixteen inches in length and any weapon made from a rifle (whether by alteration, modification, or otherwise) if such weapon, as modified, has an overall length of less than twenty-six inches."

DEWATS. The term comes from DEactivated WAr Trophy, see ATF on War Trophies for details. These are weapons that by some means or other have been rendered unserviceable.

Any Other Weapon (AOW) (Defined NFA title 26).

"Any other weapon. -- The term "any other weapon" means any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive, a pistol or revolver having a barrel with a smooth bore designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell, weapons with combination shotgun and rifle barrels 12 inches or more, less than 18 inches in length, from which only a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading, and shall include any such weapon which may be readily restored to fire. Such term shall not include a pistol or a revolver having a rifled bore, or rifled bores, or weapons designed, made, or intended to be fired from the shoulder and not capable of firing fixed ammunition."

This also includes such items as pen guns and the like.

Destructive Device (DD) (Defined NFA title 26).

"Destructive device. -- The term "destructive device" means (1) any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas (A) bomb, (B) grenade, (C) rocket having a propellant charge of more than four ounces, (D) missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce, (E) mine, or (F) similar device; (2) any type of weapon by whatever name known which will, or which may be readily converted to, expel a projectile by the action of an explosive or other propellant, the barrel or barrels of which have a bore of more than one-half inch in diameter, except a shotgun or shotgun shell which the Secretary finds is generally recognized as particularly suitable for sporting purposes; and (3) any combination of parts either designed or intended for use in converting any device into a destructive device as defined in subparagraphs (1) and (2) and from which a destructive device may be readily assembled. The term "destructive device" shall not include any device which is neither designed nor redesigned for use as a weapon; any device, although originally designed for use as a weapon, which is redesigned for use as a signaling, pyrotechnic, line throwing, safety, or similar device; surplus ordnance sold, loaned, or given by the Secretary of the Army pursuant to the provisions of section 4684(2), 4685, or 4686 of title 10 of the United States Code; or any other device which the Secretary finds is not likely to be used as a weapon, or is an antique or is a rifle which the owner intends to use solely for sporting purposes."

Dealer Samples. These are a special category of NFA items that are, as the name suggests, dealer owned. There are two categories of samples that depend upon their date, either before or after the May 19th 1986 cutoff date. These items are not available to non Class-III dealers.

Definitive information on the exact letter of the laws as well as interpretations on definitions can be found by looking at the web pages of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF)