ATF Straw Purchase Definition & Prohibited Conduct
Current understanding
ATF has proposed amending DOJ regulations under the Gun Control Act to clarify the definition of a ‘straw purchase’ of firearms and the conduct prohibited under federal law, codifying longstanding enforcement interpretations (including post-Abramski v. United States case law) into the Code of Federal Regulations. The rule is framed as a clarification of existing prohibitions rather than a new substantive restriction, intended to give FFLs, purchasers, and prosecutors clearer regulatory text. Status: proposed rule; fiscal implications are limited (no material new compliance costs anticipated) with enforcement clarity as the principal effect.
Evidence log
- 2026-05-06 — Firearms Transactions and Straw Purchases: cross-connection with atf-notc-firearms-transaction-requirements: Straw purchase definition clarifies who the ‘actual buyer’ is in a firearms transaction, directly interacting with revised NOTC/remote transfer procedures where identity verification is decoupled from in-person FFL contact. (novelty: 2)