Firearm Activities in Foreign Trade Zones, Customs-Bonded Warehouses

What it does

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives ("ATF") proposes amending the definition of "importation" in the implementing regulations for the Gun Control Act ("GCA") and the National Firearms Act ("NFA"). Specifically, the rule proposes to create an exclusion from the GCA and NFA's import requirements for items brought into a customs-bonded warehouse ("CBW") (in addition to the existing exclusion for a foreign-trade zone ("FTZ")). The proposed modification to the definition would also remove the condition that items may be brought into FTZs and CBWs only "for storage." The proposed rule does not exempt merchandise from any applicable customs requirements.

The Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What it would change

2 parts of Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

27 CFR 478, 27 CFR 479

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 1140-AA93 since Jan. 1, 2025.

What happens next and when

Comments must be submitted in writing, and must be submitted on or before (or, if mailed, must be postmarked on or before) August 6, 2026. Commenters should be aware that the federal e-rulemaking portal comment system will not accept comments after midnight Eastern Time on the last day of the comment period.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket ATF-2026-0069 on Regulations.gov
• Title 27 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register