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Any Other Weapon (AOW)s in 2026?

TheRatDragon said:
Very interesting, it must be then that that 5k plus number must be total AOWs which includes corporations and law enforcement agencies. You requested total number of individual persons so they gave you the number tied to individual eForm approvals. Yeah, I'm definitely part of that 91 approvals in 2025.
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I imagine a lot AOWs in the state are owned by movie prop weapon companies too. I just submitted another FOIA, this time specifying a breakdown of Form 1s and Form 4s for individuals in the years 2025, and 2026, by year. Usually takes about a month to hear back.
 
M_N04H said:
Ridiculous. I'm just glad I didn't pay for this application just to have waited this long without a single update.
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That's what I was saying, can you imagine paying 200 dollars for your eForm 1? I'm lucky mine was only 5 dollars but this is bullsh*t. Absolutely bullsh*t.
 
So from what I understand, the only FFL type that can process an AOW has to be a FFL07 with an SOT type two. And I believe they have to do it on their behalf for you. If I am understanding the rule correctly. Please let me know if I am wrong.
 
raptor13 said:
So from what I understand, the only FFL type that can process an AOW has to be a FFL07 with an SOT type two. And I believe they have to do it on their behalf for you. If I am understanding the rule correctly. Please let me know if I am wrong.
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Yes and no.

Yes if you are going the eForm 4 route, this is an AOW that has already been manufactured and built and registered in the NFRTR. The NFRTR or the National Firearms Registry and Transfer Record is the complete record of any and all NFA items from the moment they were built or manufactured to the latest transfer, each NFA item has a record. Let's just say 2A Zone has a Serbu Super Shorty for sale for example. Okay, you go in, you see it, you want it. You pay for it. 2A Zone and you would sit down and fill out an eForm 4 which is just a more indepth 4473 with added steps. Once approved, you'd go in and do your DROS on it and boom, after ten days you take it home and its yours. Now a lot of Californian FFL07/02SOTs don't know how to handle eForm 4 AOWs but 2nd Amendment Zone does. That's where I did mine. Though I purchased my AOW out of state via GunBroker and they eForm 3'd it to another FFL/SOT who was charging me up the kazoo for storage and who kept getting these weird disapprovals so I had them eForm 3 it to 2A Zone and I was approved within 5 days of submitting my eForm 4. If you want to learn more, I made a reddit thread on my experience that I'd be happy to link. Anyways in this case, yes they do sit through it with you and make sure everything is above board and goes through.

For an eForm 1 though, it's a lot different. This is a firearm that is not a Title 2 firearm yet but is either a handgun or listed as a handgun/other firearm. This is for a firearm you already own. You submit the eForm 1 and make sure to list everything in the paperwork, it's all up to you. Once you submit your eForm 1 paperwork, you'll have to engrave your firearm with your information or if you did it under a trust/corporation, you'll engrave your trust or corporation on it. Once you receive approval on your eForm 1, it's basically permission to build it or go through with it, which for the state of California since AOWs are the only legal thing would be putting a vertical foregrip on an AR Pistol AOW and putting a pistol brace on. That's it. If it's say a smoothbore other firearm like a PGO Mossberg 500, you'll just install a shorter barrel on it and put a foregrip on it. That's it. Never EVER EVER put a stock on an AOW as you will basically have created an illegal SBR/SBS and you'll be in sh*tsville. The parameters are very clear. However an FFL/SOT can help you with the steps and do work on say a barrel you want created for the AOW. But they can't do it for you per se.

Let me know if you have any additional questions.
 
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Sent the Director of the ATF a message on Twitter and he is currently on the case, I'll update again when I get another DM.
 
M_N04H said:
You can do that? My applications are approaching 6 months with zero movement.
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This is probably the first director in the history of the ATF that will actually respond to us peons and help get us. I also have a federal agency help request through my Congressional Rep (Calvert) going at the moment to get this moving on two fronts.
 
CadeH said:
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Sent the Director of the ATF a message on Twitter and he is currently on the case, I'll update again when I get another DM.
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Didn't I suggest this a couple of weeks ago? I'm really proud of you guys, he's gonna be able to get a better answer than we ever will.
 
Well F-... I better get off my ass and do something too.
 
TheRatDragon said:
Wow, they really are f*cking over everyone that has applied recently. And I mean everyone. Back when I did my first eForm 4 attempt, it was basically told to me to expect a denial but eventually you'd get approved and that's exactly what happened but now they aren't denying anyone. They aren't approving either. It's so bad. Multiple people have told me including in this thread that the ATF has attempted to contact the CADOJ for more clarification and clarity on whether AOWs are legal here or not and the CADOJ hasn't and will not respond. It's wild man. At least you don't have to pay for the tax stamp anymore, I was lucky I only had to pay 5 dollars but before this year, all eForm 1s were 200 bucks. Can you imagine them doing this while you're 200 dollars in the hole? F*cking hell.

Someone needs to contact that ATF Director on Instagram or X or whatever and ask him what the hell is going on? Apparently he's been very transparent and communicative with everyone who DMs him. Try DMing the ATF Director, we could get some leeway here.
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I did lol.
 
CadeH said:
This is probably the first director in the history of the ATF that will actually respond to us peons and help get us. I also have a federal agency help request through my Congressional Rep (Calvert) going at the moment to get this moving on two fronts.
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If only we had someone who was applying for an AOW that lived in an area represented by a Republican.
 
TheRatDragon said:
Didn't I suggest this a couple of weeks ago? I'm really proud of you guys, he's gonna be able to get a better answer than we ever will.
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I am honestly surprised he responded to me, I don't have a real Twitter just a burner without a profile pic or any posts.
TheRatDragon said:
If only we had someone who was applying for an AOW that lived in an area represented by a Republican.
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I am.
I have a federal agency help request going through the process at the moment as well. The Congressional aide I am working with is a gun guy as well, he was not aware that AOWs were a thing or legal here but after explaining it to him over the phone he promised to help me as much as he could on his end.

I will continue this until I have my tax stamps, the CA DoJ is not ready for a mildly annoying man with too much time on his hands 🤣🤣
 
CadeH said:
I am honestly surprised he responded to me, I don't have a real Twitter just a burner without a profile pic or any posts.

I am.
I have a federal agency help request going through the process at the moment as well. The Congressional aide I am working with is a gun guy as well, he was not aware that AOWs were a thing or legal here but after explaining it to him over the phone he promised to help me as much as he could on his end.

I will continue this until I have my tax stamps, the CA DoJ is not ready for a mildly annoying man with too much time on his hands 🤣🤣
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I still don't get what a AOW is either, or why I want it
 
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