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Preview – Stamp Collecting: NFA Tax Stamps



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Whenever NFA (National Firearms Act) items are discussed, the topic of tax stamps invariably comes up. If you’re looking into the purchase or transfer of an NFA item, such as a sound suppressor or short-barreled rifle, you’re going to end up having another hobby on your hands that you didn’t plan on — that of stamp collecting.

In order to purchase, transfer, or even manufacture NFA items, a tax stamp is required by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Interestingly, this tax stamp is literally a small paper stamp. Like an old-style postage stamp that needs to be licked on the back to stick, the NFA tax stamp is affixed to ATF forms as proof of tax paid. It’s 1934 technology carried over since the NFA was enacted.

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