Ninety-one days where interest runs wide — ATF proposes easing fingerprint and photo requirements
On 6 July 2026 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives proposed revising the fingerprint and photograph requirements for firearms applications, allowing a copy of a photo ID in place of a passport photo and cutting fingerprint cards to one. Comments were due 5 October, a window of ninety-one days.
Document overview (primary data)
- Document typeProposed rule
- AgencyDepartment of Justice
- Citation91 FR 40924
Key points
- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives proposed amending the fingerprint and photograph requirements for firearms applications.
- At present a two inch by two inch passport-style photograph and one or two fingerprint cards are required depending on the application type.
- Under the proposal all applicants could submit a copy of a photo ID instead, and individuals and Gun Control Act responsible persons would submit one fingerprint card.
- National Firearms Act responsible persons would submit one card only where needed to facilitate a background check.
- Published 6 July 2026 with comments due 5 October, a window of ninety-one days; among the 2,289 documents with deadlines this site holds as of 2026-09-05, only 16 (0.7%) run that long.
1Ninety-one days or more: sixteen out of 2,289
The series has passed eleven days, twenty-one, thirty, forty-five and sixty. This proposal carries ninety-one. In the records held here, that length is rare.
That rarity, 0.7%, is what gives the window its meaning. Even the 61 to 90 day band holds 373 documents (16.3%), so reaching past it took a further step.
2What would change
What is proposed reduces the paperwork a firearms application must carry.
A proposal that lightens a procedure is nonetheless given a long window. Requiring less paperwork is the same thing as having less information available for a background check, and how far that should go is a matter on which positions differ.
3Even the deadline is spelled out
The proposal is exact about the deadline as well. Comments must be in writing, and mailed comments must be postmarked by 5 October. Beyond that, it warns that the federal e-rulemaking portal stops taking comments once Eastern time passes midnight on the closing day.
Documents that take a long window tend to be careful about the handling of the deadline itself. Having granted ninety-one days, the Bureau writes in advance so that nobody loses them to the mechanics of the final day.
4What a long window says
Setting a window at ninety-one days is also a statement that many comments are expected. Where interest runs wide, both the number of people wanting a say and the range of positions grow. The next article follows a window that splits into two stages. The original is in the Federal Register.
Why it matters
Setting a window at ninety-one days states that many comments are expected. Such windows are 0.7% of these records, a step beyond even the 61 to 90 day band. A proposal that lightens a procedure can still draw one, because requiring less paperwork also means less information for a background check, and subjects where positions diverge are given more time.
FAQ
What would be eased?
Why a window as long as ninety-one days?
Is there anything to note about submitting comments?
Sources (primary)
Source: Federal Register (federal documents, public domain). Links go to the official site.