State Legality MatrixShort-Barreled RiflesDistrict of Columbia
Statute-cited, last verified 2026-08-12
Banned
No. Short-barreled rifles cannot be registered, and a firearm that cannot be registered cannot be lawfully possessed in the District.
Controlling law: D.C. Code § 7-2502.02
Contested entry
§ 7-2502.02(a) bars registration certificates for sawed-off shotguns, machine guns, and short-barreled rifles, and registration is the possession gate in DC. Do not omit DC when listing the six outright SBR bans.
Federal law
SBRs are federally legal to own. As of January 1, 2026 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (signed July 2025) zeroed the federal making and transfer tax on SBRs, formerly $200. Since October 9, 2026, ATF does not enforce the NFA's Form 1 and Form 4 approval and registration requirements for SBRs, SBSs, suppressors, and AOWs, as a matter of enforcement discretion announced by Attorney General Todd Blanche after the Justice Department did not appeal the August 5, 2026 Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF ruling, whose injunction covers only the plaintiffs, their members, and their customers. ATF also does not enforce the NFA prohibitions on making, receiving, transferring, or possessing an unregistered SBR (other than 26 U.S.C. 5861(h) and (k)), the 5861(j) ban on interstate transport of unregistered items, or the NFA marking requirement. 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(4) still requires Attorney General authorization for a dealer to sell an SBR; no non-NFA mechanism exists yet, and ATF will not enforce 922(b)(4) while it drafts regulations and forms. An approved Form 5320.20 is still required before interstate transport of an SBR, registered or not, under 18 U.S.C. 922(a)(4). Dealer transfers keep the Form 4473 and NICS background check. This is enforcement discretion, not repeal: ATF says enforcement could resume if Congress imposes a new tax, the injunction is dissolved or overturned, or the department rescinds its guidelines, and there is no automatic grandfathering for unregistered items. ATF still accepts Form 1 and Form 4 voluntarily. Most states tie NFA-item possession to federal registration or compliance, and ATF says it cannot opine on whether an unregistered SBR held under its enforcement discretion counts as lawfully held for state purposes.
Federal baseline verified 2026-10-09. Scope: Short-barreled rifles as defined by the NFA: a rifle with any barrel under 16 inches or an overall length under 26 inches. Excludes short-barreled shotguns and brace-equipped firearms that remain pistols; the 2023 ATF brace rule was vacated, but classification still turns on whether the specific weapon is designed and intended to be fired from the shoulder.
Common questions
No. Short-barreled rifles cannot be registered, and a firearm that cannot be registered cannot be lawfully possessed in the District. Controlling law: D.C. Code § 7-2502.02.
The controlling law is D.C. Code § 7-2502.02. Short-barreled rifles cannot be registered, and a firearm that cannot be registered cannot be lawfully possessed in the District.
SBRs are federally legal to own. As of January 1, 2026 the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (signed July 2025) zeroed the federal making and transfer tax on SBRs, formerly $200. Since October 9, 2026, ATF does not enforce the NFA's Form 1 and Form 4 approval and registration requirements for SBRs, SBSs, suppressors, and AOWs, as a matter of enforcement discretion announced by Attorney General Todd Blanche after the Justice Department did not appeal the August 5, 2026 Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF ruling, whose injunction covers only the plaintiffs, their members, and their customers. ATF also does not enforce the NFA prohibitions on making, receiving, transferring, or possessing an unregistered SBR (other than 26 U.S.C. 5861(h) and (k)), the 5861(j) ban on interstate transport of unregistered items, or the NFA marking requirement. 18 U.S.C. 922(b)(4) still requires Attorney General authorization for a dealer to sell an SBR; no non-NFA mechanism exists yet, and ATF will not enforce 922(b)(4) while it drafts regulations and forms. An approved Form 5320.20 is still required before interstate transport of an SBR, registered or not, under 18 U.S.C. 922(a)(4). Dealer transfers keep the Form 4473 and NICS background check. This is enforcement discretion, not repeal: ATF says enforcement could resume if Congress imposes a new tax, the injunction is dissolved or overturned, or the department rescinds its guidelines, and there is no automatic grandfathering for unregistered items. ATF still accepts Form 1 and Form 4 voluntarily. Most states tie NFA-item possession to federal registration or compliance, and ATF says it cannot opine on whether an unregistered SBR held under its enforcement discretion counts as lawfully held for state purposes.