SHORT Act

This bill would remove short‑barreled rifles, short‑barreled shotguns, and certain other weapons from the National Firearms Act’s extra tax and registration rules. Under the new definition, only machine guns, silencers, and destructive devices would stay under that law. It also ends the “sporting purpose” test for shotguns by clearly saying that shotguns and shotgun shells are not “destructive devices”. The bill removes special federal transport and sale rules that treated short‑barreled rifles and shotguns differently from other guns when they’re used lawfully.

If a state or city requires registration or licensing only because a weapon is listed under the National Firearms Act, a person who follows the regular federal gun laws would be treated as meeting those state or local rules for these items. States and localities could not add special taxes (beyond normal sales or use tax), or extra marking, recordkeeping, or registration rules, for short‑barreled rifles or short‑barreled shotguns; any such laws would be void. The bill also directs the Justice Department to destroy existing federal registration and application records for these items within one year.

Key points

• Who is affected: Owners and buyers of short‑barreled rifles and shotguns, dealers, and state/local governments with rules tied to the National Firearms Act .
• What changes: These items are removed from the National Firearms Act; shotgun “sporting purpose” test is ended; some state taxes and registration rules are blocked; certain federal records must be destroyed .
• When: Most tax/definition changes start about 90 days after the bill becomes law; record destruction must happen within 365 days of enactment .