National Firearms Act and Federal Law
The National Firearms Act (NFA) plays a critical role in regulating firearm-related contraband.
Under this law, machine gun conversion devices like “switches” and silencers are strictly prohibited from being imported into the United States.
The NFA was amended in 1986 to further regulate silencers, adding combinations of parts for silencer construction to the list of prohibited items. It also imposed a ban on the transfer and possession of machine guns, with limited exceptions for government agencies and individuals who lawfully owned such weapons prior to May 19, 1986.
