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Posted: 9/10/2007 4:49:16 AM EDT
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Does the engraving need to have the word TRUST or just the name city and state ? |
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If the Form 1 project is a trust build, you engrave the Trust's name and location (city+state). If it is an individual build, you engrave your name. It's not a difficult concept. If your trust's name is Homer J. Simpson Trust, that's what you engrave. If you only engraved Homer J. Simpson (your name), you'd be pulling a "Homer" and committing a federal felony as well, not properly marking your firearm, in that the Homer J. Simpson Trust, not Homer J. Simpson is the person that applied to make and register the firearm. |
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Yes It is a trust Let say Homer jumped the gun so to speak and engraved Custom Built By Homer j. Simpson Stanley N.C. DOOOOHHHHHH Now what there is room above to engrave H.J Simpson TRUST Or should I call our friends at the ATF  <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v694/over_clock/005.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> |
When Homer Simson "jumped the gun" with that engraving, he created a huge problem: The SBR was not manufactured and registered by Homer J Simpson -- instead, it was manufactured and registered by the Home J. Simpson Trust, which is a completely different, separate legal entity. For all its relevance, you could also have engraved "Custom Built by Hillary Clinton'' and it would be equally legally irrelevant. If the Homer J. Simpson Trust already has an approved Form 1 to SBR that receiver, the engraving does not meet legal requirements. Sometimes, "jumping the gun" equals "jumping the shark." 
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He's not sol, imho. He can just engrave somewhere else (I suggested on the right side over the trigger/hammer pin holes) with the correct info. Saying "Custom Built by..." isn't the ATF required marking and, imo, can be treated as an unnecessary, extra marking. |
As noted by Tony above you must engrave as the form 1 reads. As noted by one person "Common abbreviations" may indeed be used. The intent here is that the abbreviation be commonly recognized by the average person. Examples would be: Lakeland, FL = Lakeland, Florida Houston, TX = Houston Texas. Blvd = Boulevard And so forth. These are recognized by the average person. H.J. would not be recognised by anybody (other than the owner and maybe his direct family) as to exactly who or what it was. Likewise, "RLT" is in no way a common abbreviation to anyone other than somebody trying to take a shortcut and or not really wanting to apply their full and proper information as required by law. Certainly you can argue this view. However, if you call the NFA and ask for an opinion you will be told as above. That is their opinion and their opinion is the only one that counts. Besides, why unnecessarily put yourself in a position of possible difficulty just for the sake of saving a few letters on the side of your receiver?? Hope this helps. Jon K. |
You are correct -- he can just engrave the receiver somewhere else with the correct info. But as it stands, right now it is the same as an "unengraved" receiver. It does not meet the requirements, so he is going to have to repeat everything (but correctly this time) somewhere else on the receiver. 
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Jon, I have never heard that NFA requires the full trust name---not doubting you, just saying I've never heard that. In my approved Form 1, I listed under "additional markings" "HJ Simpson Revocable Living Trust Anytown, FL" and it was approved. Of course, that was under "additional" markings. Doh!  On the other hand, I would think that everyone would agree that it is the last name, Simpson, that is the most important (Not Homer or J.) part of the trust name. |
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I'm mostly with Jon on this -- I don't see a problem with using initials for both first and middle name as long as you have the full last name, unless there are several different Simpson family members with "H" for a first name (Lord knows, we do not want BATFE to think said NFA item was manufactured by Hector Simpson or Hermina Simpson as opposed to the illustrious Homer). I do agree, however, that "RLT" is not an abbreviation recognized by anyone, and thus should not be used. "Trust" covers the requirement sufficiently in and of itself -- the "revokable living" is a descriptive term that is neither relevant nor required by law, any more than "Mr.' or Mrs." would be. I would engrave it "Homer Simpson Trust" or "H.J. Simpson Trust" and IMHO it would meet the legal requirements. Of course, as always, YMMV. |
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Isn't it fun playing a game where the rules are so vague that you can get so many different opinions? Yet, the only opinion that REALLY matters is that of the particular agent from the NFA branch of the BATF that happens to be present at the time. And of course his opinion may well (in fact probably does!) differ from that of the next agent that shows up which it different that the agent that showed up last time. Bottom line is that if you do it as correctly as possible then you stand the least amount of chance of allowing some agent that was cut off by his woman last week and has just spent 2 hours stuck in traffic with a broken A/C unit an opportunity to take his problems out on you. I would say that in MHO (for whatever it is worth) "Homer J Simpson Trust" should be fine. Remember, as always, my opinion is worth almost as much as you paid for it and is guaranteed for 5 feet or 5 seconds, whichever comes first.  JK |
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