You do not need to register a firearm in Arizona. The state has no firearm registry, no forms to file after a legal purchase, and no fee tied to ownership. Arizona law also blocks cities and counties from creating their own registration schemes. The only firearms that must be registered are those covered by the federal National Firearms Act, and that registration goes through the ATF, not the state.
Arizona Preempts Local Registration Rules
Arizona’s preemption statute is unusually broad. Under ARS § 13-3108, no city, county, or other political subdivision may require the licensing or registration of firearms, ammunition, or firearm components.1Justia. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3108 – Firearms Regulated by State; State Preemption; Violation; Classification The same statute forbids local governments from maintaining records that identify firearm owners, buyers, sellers, or anyone involved in a transfer, unless a specific law enforcement investigation is underway. Once you legally acquire a gun in Arizona, no state or local agency tracks that ownership.
The Federal NFA Exception
Federal law requires registration for a narrow set of weapons regulated under the National Firearms Act. The ATF maintains the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, a central database of every NFA firearm not in government hands.2United States Code. 26 USC 5841 – Registration of Firearms NFA items include machine guns, short-barreled rifles (barrels under 16 inches), short-barreled shotguns (barrels under 18 inches), suppressors, destructive devices, and a catch-all category the law calls “any other weapons.”
If you own only ordinary rifles, shotguns, or handguns, none of this applies to you. If you own or want to build an NFA item, it does.
Making or Buying an NFA Item
To build an NFA firearm yourself, you file ATF Form 1 (Application to Make and Register a Firearm) and wait for approval before starting.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. ATF Form 5320.1 (Form 1), Application to Make and Register NFA Firearm To buy an existing NFA item from a dealer or another person, the seller files ATF Form 4 (Application for Tax Paid Transfer and Registration of Firearm) on your behalf.4Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. ATF Form 5320.4 (Form 4) – Application to Transfer and Register NFA Firearm (Tax-Paid) Both forms require ATF approval and a background check before you can take possession.
Tax Rates as of 2026
Starting January 1, 2026, the federal tax for most NFA items dropped to $0 for both making and transferring. Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and “any other weapons” no longer carry a tax. Machine guns and destructive devices still require a $200 tax on each Form 1 or Form 4.3Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. ATF Form 5320.1 (Form 1), Application to Make and Register NFA Firearm This replaces the longstanding $200 flat tax that previously applied to nearly every NFA transaction.
Processing Times
As of January 2026, ATF electronic Form 1 applications averaged about 14 days to process, while electronic Form 4 applications averaged 10 to 11 days.5Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Current Processing Times These times fluctuate, so check the ATF site before planning a purchase around a specific date.
Individual Registration or Gun Trust
You can file NFA paperwork as an individual or through a gun trust. Filing individually is simpler up front, but you are the only person legally allowed to possess the item. A gun trust lets multiple trustees legally possess and transport the NFA items, and it eases inheritance because the trust continues to own the items if something happens to you. Moving an individually registered NFA item into a trust later requires a new Form 4 and, for machine guns or destructive devices, another $200 tax payment per item.
Buying and Selling Between Private Individuals
Arizona does not require a background check for private sales between individuals. You can sell or give a firearm to another person without going through a licensed dealer, and no paperwork needs to be filed with the state. There is no state waiting period, no purchase permit, and no cap on how many firearms you can buy or transfer at once.
Federal law still applies. You cannot knowingly sell or transfer a firearm to someone who is prohibited from possessing one. If you have reason to believe the buyer is a felon, a domestic violence offender, or otherwise disqualified, completing the sale is a federal crime. The ATF encourages private sellers to voluntarily use a licensed dealer to run a background check on the buyer, and most dealers will handle the transfer for a fee that typically ranges from $25 to $50.6Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Firearms Licensee Quick Reference and Best Practices Guide
Even though Arizona does not require it, keeping a personal record of private sales with the buyer’s name, date, and a description of the firearm is a smart practice. If the gun is later recovered at a crime scene, a paper trail showing you sold it can spare you an uncomfortable investigation.
Inheriting a Firearm
Standard firearms pass through the normal probate process. The executor distributes them to the beneficiary named in the will, or according to Arizona’s intestacy rules if there is no will. No registration or ATF paperwork is required, but the executor should verify that the beneficiary is legally allowed to possess the firearm before handing it over.
NFA items follow a different path. The executor must file ATF Form 5 (Application for Tax Exempt Transfer and Registration of a Firearm) before distributing a registered NFA item to the heir. The transfer is tax-exempt because inheritance is treated as an involuntary transfer by operation of law rather than a voluntary sale.7ATF. NFA Handbook – Transfers of NFA Firearms – Distribution of Estate Firearms The heir still submits fingerprints, and the ATF must approve the form before the item changes hands. File the Form 5 early in probate rather than waiting until the estate is nearly closed.
What Arizona Still Regulates
No registration does not mean no rules. Arizona bars certain people from possessing firearms at all. Under ARS § 13-3101, prohibited possessors include people convicted of a felony whose civil rights have not been restored, individuals on probation for a domestic violence offense, and anyone found by a court to be a danger to themselves or others due to a mental health condition.8Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 13-3101
Federal law adds its own restrictions that apply regardless of state law. Under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), you cannot possess a firearm or ammunition if you fall into any of these categories:9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 US Code 922 – Unlawful Acts
- Felony conviction (any crime punishable by more than one year in prison, state or federal)
- Fugitive from justice
- Unlawful drug use or addiction, including marijuana even where state-legal
- Adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to a mental institution
- Illegally or unlawfully in the United States, or admitted under most nonimmigrant visas
- Dishonorable discharge from the Armed Forces
- Renounced U.S. citizenship
- Active restraining order protecting an intimate partner or their child, where the order includes a credible-threat finding or explicitly prohibits the use of force
- Domestic violence misdemeanor conviction
A prohibited person who possesses a firearm faces serious federal charges. The average federal sentence for illegal possession under § 922(g) was 71 months in fiscal year 2024, and repeat violent offenders sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act averaged 199 months.10United States Sentencing Commission. Section 922(g) Firearms
Penalties for an Unregistered NFA Firearm
Possessing an NFA firearm that is not properly registered to you is a serious federal crime. Conviction carries up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for an individual.11ATF. NFA Handbook – Chapter 15 – Penalties and Sanctions This applies even if you legally own an ordinary firearm and unknowingly modify it into an NFA item, such as putting a short barrel on a rifle without filing a Form 1 first. The ATF does not treat ignorance as a defense, and Arizona’s permissive state laws do not override these federal requirements.