Firearms Transactions and Straw Purchases

A Federal Firearms Licensee (FFL) supports the proposed rule to distinguish straw purchases from lawful gifts but requests more concrete examples of common scenarios to ensure dealers are not unfairly penalized for processing honest family transactions. The commenter emphasizes that a customer's statement of a gift should not, by itself, create reasonable cause to suspect a crime.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), representing the firearm industry, supports the proposed rule to clarify what constitutes a "straw purchase." They argue that the new regulations will provide much-needed clarity for federal firearms licensees (FFLs) to distinguish between illegal transactions and permissible activities like gifting or marital property transfers.

The CEO of Silencer Central / BANISH Suppressors, a Federal Firearms Licensee, supports the proposed rule to codify straw purchasing laws into a single regulatory section. The commenter argues that the rule provides much-needed clarity but requests three specific refinements regarding age terminology, family relationship exclusions, and spousal payment conditions to ensure the rule is easily administrable at the point of sale.

Roger Grubb, a private citizen, opposes the proposed rule on the grounds that it exceeds the ATF's statutory authority, creates arbitrary cohabitation requirements for spouses, and lacks clarity regarding "consideration." He argues the rule creates constitutional and procedural vulnerabilities and requests specific revisions to protect lawful intra-family transfers.