How NFA Mirror Laws Impact Silencer, SBR Sales (ft. Firearms Attorney Gilbert Ambler)

This week, we're taking a deep dive into the murky waters of National Firearms Act (NFA) mirror laws.

While an injunction has blocked enforcement of much of the NFA for a lot of people and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has voluntarily decided not to enforce those parts for anyone, state laws may still make NFA registration necessary for many. People in states like Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, and many others who want to buy silencers, short-barreled shotguns and rifles, as well as Any Other Weapons (AOWs) are directly impacted. So, we have a firearms lawyer practicing in several of those states on the show to explain the situation.

Gilbert Ambler runs a law firm that practices across several East Coast states and specializes in firearms law. He also runs The Commonwealth's Gun Rights channel on YouTube. He's handled cases involving NFA mirror laws, and he sees several issues people in states with them will face if they want to buy any of the affected NFA items.

First, Ambler said these mirror laws have historically been pretty dormant. But he agreed that they'd taken on new importance given the movement at the federal level. He said there's no clear count of how many NFA mirror laws exist since states tend to only regulate some NFA items and don't always regulate the same ones--although, he said some estimates put the number around 15.

Ambler noted that states also differ in how they word their mirror laws. Some, like Virginia, simply refer to owners needing to comply with federal law while others, like Pennsylvania, specifically say they need to comply with the NFA. But he argued the most important difference isn't necessarily in wording, but in the legal status of the owner: those directly covered by the Silencer Shop v. ATF injunction are on firmer ground when bypassing NFA registration than those only covered by the ATF's voluntary non-enforcement decision.