Imagine facing ten years in prison because your rifle barrel measures a fraction of an inch too short. The outdated National Firearms Act still enforces arbitrary barrel length restrictions from 1934—laws originally meant to stop gangsters with handguns.
Imagine going to federal prison because your rifle barrel measures 15.9 inches instead of 16 inches. Sound absurd? Welcome to the world of short-barreled rifle (SBR) and short-barreled shotgun (SBS) regulations, where a fraction of an inch determines whether you’re a law-abiding citizen or a potential felon facing up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The National Firearms Act of 1934 established these regulations, creating arbitrary barrel length restrictions that continue to baffle gun owners nearly a century later. A rifle must have a barrel length of at least 16 inches, and a shotgun must measure at least 18 inches. Fall short of these measurements, and your firearm becomes an NFA item requiring federal registration, a $200 tax stamp, months of waiting, and enough paperwork to wallpaper a small room.
The Historical Context Nobody Remembers
When Congress drafted the NFA in 1934, the country was reeling from Prohibition-era gangster violence. Lawmakers wanted to restrict concealable weapons that they believed criminals favored. The original bill actually targeted handguns as the primary threat. SBRs and SBSs were included to prevent people from circumventing a potential handgun ban by simply cutting down rifles and shotguns.
By Brent Spicer
