ATF Biological Sex Selection on Firearms & Explosives Forms
Current understanding
The ATF has proposed amending its regulations so that individuals completing firearms or explosives forms (such as Form 4473 and related applications) must select their biological sex rather than a self-identified gender. The practical effect would fall on transgender and nonbinary applicants, whose form entries would need to match biological sex as recorded on identity documents, potentially affecting identity verification and denial risk. Status: proposed rule; not yet finalized.
Evidence log
- 2026-05-06 — Selecting Biological Sex on ATF Forms: cross-connection with atf-form-4473-modernization: Both proposals modify ATF Form 4473 fields and instructions; the biological-sex requirement would be implemented on the same form undergoing modernization. (novelty: 2)