On November 28, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) issued a 60-day notice for comments on a measure that would digitize and shorten the process required to transport NFA items like machine guns and short-barreled rifles, and shotguns.
The Department of Justice published OMB 1140-0010 under the 1995 Paperwork Reduction Act as a means to simplify the process of submitting an NFA Responsible Person Questionnaire – also known as ATF Form 5320.20, or more colloquially, Form 20. This is the approval process required prior to transporting an NFA item across state lines. The process is “voluntary” but legally required to obtain the benefit.
According to the notice, the ATF plans to replace the former process, which required submission of a paper application through the United States Postal Service, with an electronically fillable form, submittable via email, and integrated into its eForms platform.
The ATF estimates that this will cut in half the time required to fill out the form (from 20 minutes to 10 minutes) and eliminate the required postage.
The ATF notes that the use of the form has been decreasing significantly, “…from 20,000 respondents during the last renewal to 12,878 during this renewal, a decrease of 7,122 respondents.” This could hint at the agency’s desire to increase participation in the “voluntary” process by making it easier. They note that the nearly 13,000 respondents in the last period spent 2,151 hours combined filling out the form.
The deadline for comment is January 27, 2026. The ATF encourages comments to be submitted by email at [email protected], or by telephone at 304.616.3219.
The NFA is being challenged by gun rights groups since the One Big Beautiful bill repealed the $200 excise tax. The most recent development in one of the most significant lawsuits occurred in late November when the Bondi Justice Department submitted a brief that attempted to reframe the issue as primarily a tax issue and not a Second Amendment rights issue.
Hat tip to Jared Yanis at Guns and Gadgets for bringing this story to our attention.
