The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) withdrew a proposal Wednesday that would have eased transfers between Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs), citing “significant adverse comments.”
ATF formally proposed a rule for “Licensee ‘eZ Check’ Verification for Transfers on May 6 after announcing plans to revise or shelve nearly three dozen regulations as part of a review ordered by President Donald Trump in February 2025. The agency sought to permit the use of “eZ Check” system, which allowed a dealer to verify the validity of another dealer when transferring firearms, citing the advanced technology many FFLs use, but anti-Second Amendment groups complained about the plans to revise the cumbersome process currently in effect.
“ATF stated that if significant adverse comments were received by June 5 the rule would not take effect, and ATF would publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register,” ATF said as it announced its withdrawal of the proposed rule in a Wednesday post on X. “ATF has subsequently received significant adverse comments on this direct final rule and is therefore withdrawing the rule.”
In the direct final rule entitled, “Licensee “eZ Check” Verification for Transfers” ATF stated that if significant adverse comments were received by June 5 the rule would not take effect, and ATF would publish a timely withdrawal in the Federal Register. ATF has subsequently… pic.twitter.com/a7dTKYbdyr
— ATF HQ (@ATFHQ) July 8, 2026
The anti-Second Amendment group Everytown for Gun Safety, backed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, submitted a letter alongside Brady United and Giffords seeking to maintain the old rule while also claiming it would increase “fraudulent” transfers,
“This rule has significant loopholes that would increase the risk of fraudulent shipments of firearms, risking the prospect of criminals and/or traffickers finding it easier to obtain guns,” the groups claimed. “We write to express strong concerns that this rule would increase the risk of fraudulent transfers to transferees who are able to obtain and use an unwitting FFL’s license number.”
“There are clear deficiencies with this direct final rule, including a lack of safeguards to help ensure that transferees are the FFLs they claim to be, no requirement that the transferee provide a mailing address that matches the FFL mailing address listed in eZ Check, and inadequate assurances that a fraudulent transferee cannot attempt to have firearms shipped to a mailing address different than the mailing address associated with the FFL license number provided,” the groups added. “Further, ATF is proposing to finalize this rule before fully considering or even completing the comment period for other recently announced regulatory changes that would intersect with this rule and potentially exacerbate the risk of illicit firearms trafficking.”
The old method for transfers between dealers involved the receiver providing a certified copy of their FFL to the sender, who could verify the validity of the license via eZ Check, which has been in place since 2002. In May, ATF proposed allowing the use of eZ Check itself as a means to verify the license, siting the advanced technology used by many FFLs.
“Even though the system was originally designed as a means to verify that a license copy was valid, it can also be used to verify that a licensee has a current and valid license without needing to compare the system information to a copy,” ATF said in its May announcement about the proposal. “Because this system has been widely available, and because a high number of FFLs use modern technologies to conduct their business, ATF is amending § 478.94 to allow transferor licensees to verify that a transferee FFL has a current and valid license through the FFL eZ Check system without first obtaining a certified copy of the license.”
“The transferor FFL would need only the transferee’s FFL number to confirm that the transferee’s license is active,” ATF continued. “Under this rule, the license number, expiration date, and address verified through FFL eZ Check must match the information the transferee provides at the time of the transaction. ATF is not removing the option to verify a transferee’s license by obtaining a certified copy, so licensees can elect either method to comply with the regulation’s verification requirements.”
The National Shooting Sports Foundation referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to its comments submitted on the proposed rule.
“ATF’s amendment to 27 C.F.R. §478.94 is precisely the sort of regulatory update that is needed to ensure that the Gun Control Act’s (‘GCA’) regulatory framework keeps pace with and takes advantage of modern technology,” NSSF wrote in its letter. “Currently this regulation requires that a licensee obtain a certified copy of any transferee licensee’s federal firearms license before transferring a firearm, as part of the license and identity verification process.”
“This requirement has remained unchanged since 1988 – well before the commercial adoption of the internet,” NSSF continued. “Since this time however, computer and network technology have advanced by leaps and bounds, to the point where businesses all but require these systems in order to survive. Whereas in 1988, the technology did not exist to provide licensees with a central directory of active licenses in order to verify status prior to a transfer, such technology is now ubiquitous, and should be exploited to streamline and strengthen the license verification process.”
The National Rifle Association did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation about ATF’s withdrawal of the proposed rule.
(DCNF)