ATF Straw Purchase Definition & Prohibited Conduct (Firearms Transactions)
Current understanding
ATF has proposed amending DOJ regulations to clarify the definition of a ‘straw purchase’ of firearms and the conduct prohibited under federal law, codifying long-standing interpretations that a person may not acquire a firearm on behalf of another prohibited or undisclosed principal. Framed as a clarifying rulemaking rather than a substantive expansion, the change is intended to give FFLs, purchasers, and investigators clearer notice of what conduct violates the Gun Control Act as amended by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Status: proposed rule.
Evidence log
- 2026-05-06 — Revising Regulations Defining “Engaged in the Business” as a Dealer in Firearms: cross-connection with atf-engaged-in-business-dealer-definition: Both are ATF regulatory implementations of Bipartisan Safer Communities Act firearms provisions; the dealer definition rollback and any straw purchase definitional changes together shape the scope of unlicensed-seller and prohibited-transfer enforcement. (novelty: 2)
- 2026-05-06 — Firearms Transactions and Straw Purchases: cross-connection with atf-form-4473-modernization: Straw purchase definitions directly govern the transferee attestation on Form 4473; clarifying the definition affects what buyers certify at point of sale. (novelty: 2)