G/TBT/N/USA/1353  
 
3 April 2018  
(18-1995) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: UNITED STATES OF AME RICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), 
Department of Justice [1377]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or  authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point  
Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): 
Bump -stock-type devices; Other firearms and sim ilar devices which operate by the firing of 
an explosive charge (for example, sporting shotguns and rifles, muzzle -loading firearms, 
Very pistols and other devices designed to project only signal flares, pistols and revolvers 
for firing blank ammunition, c aptive - Bolt humane killers, line -throwing guns). (HS 9303). 
Military Engineering (ICS 95), Domestic safety (ICS 13.120).  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Bump -Stock -
Type Devices (16 page(s), in English)    
6. Description of content: The Department of Justice (Department) proposes to amend the 
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regulations to clarify that "bump fire" 
stocks, slide -fire devices, and devices with certain similar characteristics (bump -stock-type 
devices)  are "machineguns" as defined by the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) and the 
Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA), because such devices allow a shooter of a semiautomatic 
firearm to initiate a continuous firing cycle with a single pull of the trigger. Specifi cally, 
these devices convert an otherwise semiautomatic firearm into a machinegun by 
functioning as a self -acting or self -regulating mechanism that harnesses the recoil energy 
of the semiautomatic firearm in a manner that allows the trigger to reset and co ntinue 
firing without additional physical manipulation of the trigger by the shooter. Hence, a 
semiautomatic firearm to which a bump -stock-type device is attached is able to produce 
automatic fire with a single pull of the trigger. With limited exceptions,  primarily as to 
government agencies, the GCA makes it unlawful for any person to transfer or possess a 
machinegun unless it was lawfully possessed prior to the effective date of the statute. The 
bump -stock-type devices covered by this proposed rule were n ot in existence prior to the 
GCA's effective date, and therefore would fall within the prohibition on machineguns if this 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is implemented. Consequently, current possessors 
of these devices would be required to surrender them, destroy them, or otherwise render 
them permanently inoperable upon the effective date of the final rule.  G/TBT/N/USA/1353  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: Prevention of deceptive practices and consumer protection ; Protection of 
human health or safety  
8. Relevant documents:  83 Federal Register (FR) 13442, 29 March 2018; Title 27 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 447, 478 and 479.   Will appear in the Federal Register 
when adopted.   
9. Proposed date of adopt ion: To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force: To be determined  
10. Final date for comments: 27 June 2018  
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [  ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/TBT/USA/18_18 24_00_e.pdf