DraftDraft definitions, under editorial review. Informational content is not legal advice.
Draftfederal law
The Gun Control Act of 1968 is the federal statutory framework governing firearms commerce, including licensing, importation, interstate transactions, and categories of persons subject to firearm restrictions. [1] ATF identifies later enactments, including the 1986 Firearm Owners’ Protection Act and the 1993 Brady Act, as amendments to that framework. [1] Its firearm definition includes specified weapons, frames or receivers, silencers, and destructive devices, with an antique-firearm exclusion. [2] The National Firearms Act separately enumerates the firearm categories regulated under that statute. [3]
- 1. ATF: Gun Control Actretrieved 2026-10-04
- 2. 18 U.S.C. section 921, 2024 editionretrieved 2026-10-04
- 3. 26 U.S.C. section 5845, 2024 editionretrieved 2026-10-04
See also
- silencerDraft
Federal law defines firearm silencer and firearm muffler by their purpose of reducing a portable firearm’s report, and extends the definition to specified combinations of parts and parts intended solely for that purpose.
- destructive deviceDraft
A statutory category defined in Penal Code section 16460 for specified provisions, encompassing several classes including explosive devices, certain projectiles, launching devices and firearms above a stated caliber threshold, subject to the section’s express qualifications and exclusions.
- antique firearmDraft
A term with context-specific definitions in Penal Code section 16170.
- National Firearms ActDraft
The National Firearms Act originated in 1934 as a federal tax and registration statute for specified firearm categories, later amended by Congress.
Terms that use Gun Control Act
About this glossary
This entry is one of 153 defined terms in the CalGunHub glossary of California and federal firearm-law vocabulary. The 11 core terms are short plain-English definitions; the extended terms are cited research drafts, labelled as drafts, with their statutory sources listed under each entry. Every definition here is informational only and is not legal advice.
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