How to register a Short Barrel Rifle in Louisiana

The Best online firearms community in Louisiana.

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • aroundlsu

    Bayou Photo Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    19   0   0
    Dec 21, 2007
    2,795
    38
    Baton Rouge
    Registering and building a short barrel rifle is much more fun than buying other NFA toys like a silencer or machine gun. Things generally move faster and you get to order parts and think about how you want to build this thing while you are waiting. Plus you can get the ball rolling with just a cheap stripped lower and spend additional money as you have it. Here is what you need to get started:

    1) A lower receiver.
    2) Application To Register As Firearms Manufacturer
    3) Application To Register Firearm
    4) ATF Form 1
    5) Certification of Citizenship Form
    6) Set of Fingerprints
    7) $200 Check
    8) Chief Law Enforcement Officer who will sign your Form 1
    9) Engraving

    OK, let's take it step by step.

    1. The lower receiver can be stripped, complete, attached to a weapon, or not. It can be an AR-15 lower, AK47, FAL, Glock 17, or a BIC pen. If you can make it shoot a bullet and attach a stock to it you can call it a short bbl rifle and register it.

    2. Application To Register As Firearms Manufacturer is a Louisiana State Police form you can get here: http://www.lsp.org/pdf/chDealerReg.pdf Submit the form in duplicate.

    3. Application To Register Firearm is again from the Louisiana State Police and you can get it here: http://www.lsp.org/pdf/chFirearmReg.pdf Submit this form in duplicate, too. You can send both applications in the same envelope at the same time. The address is at the top of the form. You'll get it back approved in two weeks or so.

    4. ATF Form 1 you can get here: http://www.atf.gov/forms/pdfs/f53201.pdf If you are savvy with computers you can copy-paste your photo in the square. Otherwise print the application out and tape your photo in the box on the back. This form must also be done in duplicate.

    5. Certification of Citizenship Form you can get here: http://www.atf.treas.gov/forms/pdfs/f533020.pdf This is widely considered to be the dumbest form in the history of the United States Government. It's also the easiest to fill out. Lines 1 & 2 is your name. Line 3 is United States. Skip to the bottom, sign and date. Submit in duplicate.

    6. Set of fingerprints. Find a police station that has a nice digital fingerprint scanning machine. The State Police headquarters on Independence Blvd. has one and will do prints for $10. You need two duplicate cards.

    7. $200 personal check made payable to Department of the Justice. They cash them very fast so make sure you have the money in the bank.

    8. CLEO Signoff. You need your chief of police or sheriff to sign the back of the Form 1. If you live in East Baton Rouge this is no problem. Just drop the Form 1 off with the Sheriff's secretary and he'll sign it in a few weeks.

    9. Engraving. Before you can finish your weapon and take it out shooting you'll need to get your name and city, state engraved somewhere on the lower. Orion Arms http://orion-arms.com/new/content/view/26/84/ has a good write up about possible locations. RequestDustOff (member on this board) can engrave your lower for you.

    OK that's it. Once get your CLEO signature and your approved Application to Register Firearm you can mail everything off to the ATF. The address is at the top of the Form 1. Good luck!

    Notes:

    A. The imminent Assault Weapons Ban Version 2.0 may make this process more difficult (or it may not). During the last AWB you had to start with a pre-ban lower that you could prove was assembled into a complete firearm before the ban. If you are thinking of doing an AR-15 SBR I'd suggest doing it right now. It's not going to get any easier.

    B. Yes, you can set up an LLC and skip the CLEO signature however I don't personally have experience with that method so I'm not going to advise anyone on how to set that up.

    C. It is currently taking 8 - 12 weeks for your Form 1 to get approved. That timeframe goes up and down throughout the year.

    D. If you aren't certain what length barrel you are going to use or what the overall length of your weapon will be just estimate. That part isn't critical and you can easily update the lengths after you are approved and you have the weapon complete.

    E. Does this make my gun more likely to be confiscated during a gun grab? This could be argued either way. Historically, Title II weapons (what yours will become) have been safer from bans and gun grabs than Title I weapons. Politicians already view the NFA as a ban so our little hobby has stayed under the radar for some time. To play it safe you could keep a few unregistered lowers hidden. Theoretically, should a gun grab occur all you'd need to turn over was your registered stripped lower.

    F. Your new registered rifle becomes yours and only yours for life. You can't leave it laying around unsecured where someone else could assume control of it. It needs to stay locked up or under your direct control 100% of the time for the rest of your life. If you forget it in your wife's car and she gets caught alone with it both of you will be prosecuted for unauthorized transfer of a Title II weapon. ATF is very serious about this.

    G. If enough people are confused about how exactly to fill out any of the forms I'll post sample forms. Once you do it once and figure out what they are asking you'll be able to fill out another one in just a few minutes.
    3002900639_8e19832b1a.jpg

    Rock River lower, POF 9.25" upper, M4-2000 silencer.
     
    Last edited:

    howellusn

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Sep 1, 2008
    152
    16
    Gulfport, MS
    This is exactly what I am working on right now.. Do you happen to know if any of this is different for ms besides the obvious la forms you mentioned? I am waiting for the next gun show here to pick up a lower and then I should be getting the paperwork in after that. Thanks though for this very helpful info!!
     

    aroundlsu

    Bayou Photo Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    19   0   0
    Dec 21, 2007
    2,795
    38
    Baton Rouge
    I'm sorry I have no idea what Mississippi requires in the way of registration (if any at all) but please let us know when you figure it out.
     

    rockmup

    Please be my friend
    Rating - 100%
    73   0   0
    Apr 21, 2007
    3,501
    38
    City of Central
    Great write up !

    My Form 4 is 6mths in the making now. My first one done with LLC took 8 wks.

    Word of advise when you pick up form from CLEO read it and make sure they fill out all their info. I didn't.
     

    djl7780

    Glock Connoisseur
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    Feb 18, 2008
    186
    16
    Prairieville
    I figured if I bugged you enough you would just write me a set of instructions!:D I am in the middle of this process, although going the LLC route.
     

    cajun 22

    Shooter
    Rating - 100%
    40   0   0
    May 22, 2008
    1,497
    48
    Houma, LA
    does anyone know how to go about this via trust route?

    btw great write up:)

    I currently have three form-1s and a form-4 pending on a trust. You fill the forms out the same as an individual but list the trust as the applicant. I will post in this section when they are approved or denied to let others know how it went. My dealer said he has not had any turned down using a standard trust. FWIW I had the trust drawn up by a trust attorney just to cover my *ss.
     

    Nomad.2nd

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    66   0   1
    Dec 9, 2007
    6,823
    38
    Baton Rouge... Mostly
    I've got a reciever in route for my Krink kit...

    (Actually it's sitting at my FFL waiting on me to pick it up)

    I'm gonna use a trust so that "F" Will not apply.

    I'm gonna have LOOOOOTS of people on that trust!:D
     

    bigrobkell

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    14   0   0
    Oct 4, 2009
    237
    16
    NOLA
    i just checked out the atf's website and it doesnt have form 1 or form 4. any ideas?
     

    whitjct

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    27   0   0
    Nov 3, 2009
    1,011
    36
    Rhode Island
    Does the CLEO have to be in the parish you reside? Example if I work as a LEO in another parish and will use it for work/personal use can that Parish' CLEO sign off.
     

    Dustin-R

    Well-Known Member
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jul 27, 2010
    233
    16
    Abbeville, Louisiana
    Has to be CLEO where you reside.

    e. Law Enforcement Certification. Item 17 must be completed for an individual transferee, unless the transferee is licensed as a manufacturer, importer, or dealer under the GCA and is a special (occupational) taxpayer under the NFA at the time of the submission of the application for transfer. The chief law enforcement officer is considered to be the Chief of Police for the transferee's city or town of residence; the Sheriff for the transferee's county of residence; the Head of the State Police for the transferee's State of residence; a State or local district attorney or prosecutor having jurisdiction inthe transferee's area of residence; or another person whose certification is acceptable to the Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. If someone has specific delegated authority to sign on behalf of the Chief of Police, Sheriff, etc., this fact must be noted by printing the Chief's, Sheriff's, or other authorized official's name and title, followed by the word "by" and the full signature and title of the delegated person. The certificate must be dated no more than one year prior to the date of receipt of the application.
     
    Last edited:

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    195,036
    Messages
    1,544,756
    Members
    29,121
    Latest member
    Nexus2024
    Top Bottom