ATF eRegulations

§ 478.11 Meaning of terms.

Complete muffler or silencer device. A firearm muffler or firearm silencer that contains all component parts necessary to function, whether or not assembled or operable.

Q&As Rulings Citations
• Does the GCA control the sale of firearms parts?

  No, except that frames or receivers of firearms are "firearms" as defined in the law and are subject to the same controls as complete firearms. Certain parts of silencers and machineguns are also regulated as firearms under the GCA, as well as under the National Firearms Act (NFA).[18 U.S.C. 921(a)(3), (23) and (24); 26 U.S.C. 5845; 27 CFR 478.11 and 479.11]

• 2005-4 - Ported Device Attached to the Barrel of a Paintball Gun
• T.D. ATF-48, 43 FR 13536, Mar. 31, 1978
• 44 FR 55842, Sept. 28, 1979

§ 479.11 Meaning of terms.

Complete muffler or silencer device. A muffler or silencer that contains all component parts necessary to function, whether or not assembled or operable.

Q&As Citations
• Which firearms are regulated under the NFA?

  The following weapons are regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA):A shotgun having a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length;A weapon made from a shotgun if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length;A rifle having a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length;A weapon made from a rifle if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length;Any other weapon, as defined in subsection (e);A machinegun;Any silencer (as defined in section 921 of title 18, United States Code); andA destructive device.[26 U.S.C. 5845; 27 CFR 479.11]

• Are Paintball and/or Airgun Sound Suppressers NFA firearms?

  The terms “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” mean 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.Numerous paintball and airgun silencers tested by ATF’s Firearms Technology Branch have been determined to be firearm silencers by nature of their design and function. Because silencers are NFA weapons, an individual wishing to manufacture or transfer such a silencer must receive prior approval from ATF and pay the required tax.[26 U.S.C. 5845; 27 CFR 479.11]

• T.D. ATF-48, 43 FR 13538, Mar. 31, 1978
• 44 FR 55842, Sept. 28, 1979
• T.D. ATF-241, 51 FR 39630, Oct. 29, 1986
• T.D. ATF-270, 53 FR 10492, Mar. 31, 1988
• T.D. ATF-396, 63 FR 12647, Mar. 16, 1998
• ATF 2013R-9F, 79 FR 46692, Aug. 11, 2014
• ATF-41F, 81 FR 2721, Jan. 15, 2016
• ATF 2018R-22F, 83 FR 66554, Dec. 26, 2018

§ 478.12 Definition of Frame or Receiver.

(b) Firearm muffler or silencer frame or receiver. The terms "frame" and "receiver" shall mean, in the case of a firearm muffler or firearm silencer, the part of the firearm, such as an outer tube or modular piece, that provides housing or a structure for the primary internal component designed to reduce the sound of a projectile ( i.e., baffles, baffling material, expansion chamber, or equivalent). In the c..

§ 478.92 Identification of firearms and armor piercing ammunition.

(iii) Multi-piece frame or receiver. In the case of a multi-piece frame or receiver, the modular subpart that is the outermost housing or structure designed to house, hold, or contain either the primary energized component of a handgun, breech blocking or sealing component of a projectile weapon other than a handgun, or internal sound reduction component of a firearm muffler or firearm silencer, as the case may be, shall be the subpart of the multi-pi..

§ 479.102 Identification of firearms.

(3) Multi-piece frame or receiver. In the case of a multi-piece frame or receiver, the modular subpart that is the outermost housing or structure designed to house, hold, or contain either the primary energized component of a handgun, breech blocking or sealing component of a projectile weapon other than a handgun, or internal sound reduction component of a firearm muffler or firearm silencer, as the case may be, shall be the subpart of a multi-piece ..