Although the pending legislation is occurring at the state level in Utah, Southern Gun Law Group wants firearm owners in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida to learn about these changes that could influence our states to similarly change gun laws.
Recently, Utah’s House of Representatives passed amendments to HB 373 in what became the United States’ first “Shall Sign” law*. The law requires Chief Law Enforcement Officers (CLEOs) to sign ATF applications for NFA items.
One advantage of a gun trust is that application for a NFA weapon by a trust does not require CLEO sign-off. However, our gun trust attorneys reviewed possible federal changes in gun trust regulations that may soon require trust holders to have a CLEO signature on their ATF applications for NFA firearms. The extra time involved and the hassle of an additional requirement based on the discretion of the CLEO would present a detriment to those who establish gun trusts, but another concern stemming from this possible signature requirement involves officers’ time. Signing off on a greater number of documents adds a significant workload to officers’ schedules, which could translate into further delays for gun applicants.
Officers in every state were not required to sign applications, until now. The “Shall Sign” law requires CLEOs in Utah to sign-off on approved ATF applications for NFA items within 15 days of submittal.
A handful of other states have already proposed similar amendments. To learn when gun laws change in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida, follow our gun trust attorneys on Facebook and Twitter, or visit our home page and subscribe to our blog in the top right corner. You will receive each new post by email.
*As of this writing the bill has been sent to print and requires the Governor of Utah’s signature to be passed into law.