The purpose of this letter is to inform all Georgia Federal firearms licensees (FFL) that Georgia’s Concealed Weapons Permits no longer qualifies as an alternative to a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check.

The Department of Justice is amending the regulations of the ATF regarding the making or transferring of a firearm under the National Firearms Act. This final rule standardizes the requirements by ensuring that responsible persons for a trust or legal entity are subject to the same identification and background check requirements as individuals. To lessen potential compliance burdens for the public and law enforcement, this final rule eliminates the requirement for a certification signed by the chief law enforcement officer (CLEO) and instead requires CLEO notification. The final rule also clarifies the definition “responsible person” for a trust or legal entity to address concerns about the definition’s scope while maintaining the important objective of ensuring background checks for relevant parties associated with a trust or legal entity.

The Department of Justice is proposing to amend the regulations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to extend the term of import permits for firearms, ammunition, and defense articles from 1 year to 2 years. The additional time will allow importers sufficient time to complete the importation of the authorized commodity. In addition, it will eliminate the need for the importer to submit a new import application, ATF Form 6, where the importation was not completed within the 1-year period. Extending the term of import permits will result in a substantial cost and time savings for both the industry and ATF. This proposed change would be consistent with Executive Order 13563 of January 18, 2011, which directs agencies to review existing significant rules to make regulatory programs more effective or less burdensome in achieving regulatory objectives.

The Department of Justice is amending the regulations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) by removing the 90-day State residency requirement for aliens lawfully present in the United States to purchase  or acquire a firearm. The Department has determined that the Gun Control Act does not permit ATF to impose a regulatory requirement that aliens lawfully present in the United States are subject to a 90-day State residency requirement when such a requirement is not applicable to U.S. citizens. In addition, upon the effective date of this interim final rule the provisions of ATF Ruling 2004–1 will become obsolete.

DOJ is amending ATF regulations to remove the cross reference to the regulatory U.S. Munitions List (USML) of the Int'l Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) that appears at 27 CFR 447.21; to clarify that the Attorney General (AG) exercises delegated authority pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act (AECA) and Executive Order 13637 to designate defense articles and defense services as part of the  statutory USML for purposes of permanent import controls, regardless of whether the Secretary of State controls such defense articles or defense services for purposes of export and temporary import; and to clarify that defense articles and defense services controlled pursuant to the AG’s delegated AECA authority are part of the statutory USML (along with those that are controlled for export and temporary import by the Secretary of State), but that the list of defense articles and defense services controlled by the AG is labeled the USMIL to distinguish it from the list of defense articles and defense services in the ITAR that are controlled by the Secretary of State.

The Department of Justice is amending Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) regulations to remove those defense articles currently on the U.S. Munitions Import List that ATF by delegation has determined no longer warrant import control under the Arms Export Control Act.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (NGSC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC), has been granted relief from the disabilities imposed by Federal laws by the Director of ATF with respect to the acquisition, receipt, transfer, shipment, transportation, or possession of firearms.

The purpose of this letter is to inform Federal firearms licensees that the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System's (NICS) Voluntary Appeal File (VAF) has been established.