ok here's the deal, it was supposed to say james w hovious nfa trust and what it really says is j. w. hovious trust. how far out of compliance am I? and what can be done. the other problem that may actually be a blessing is that the engraving isn't very deep in fact i'm sure it's not deep enough. i'm in Bloomington what engraver is closest to me and who has the skills to fix this snafu?
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nfa engraving snafu
- Thread starter maxipum
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Sorry to hear about your snafu. No "I told you so" here, but I think this is the exact reason why you should get your guns engraved BEFORE filing your paperwork with the ATF.
engineerpower
Shooter
Well, worst case you can fill, obliterate, engrave over, or otherwise cover up the old mark.
You're allowed to mark up your guns however you like, as long as it's not falsified official marking, like Manufacturer or Country of Origin or SN. I don't know if "James W Hovious NFA Trust" = "J. W Hovious NFA Trust" in a legal sense, but you're obviously not trying to pull anything. I'd go with Viper above and just run out your name below it. Maybe you can add in an American flag or something in the space to the right of "ames"?
You're allowed to mark up your guns however you like, as long as it's not falsified official marking, like Manufacturer or Country of Origin or SN. I don't know if "James W Hovious NFA Trust" = "J. W Hovious NFA Trust" in a legal sense, but you're obviously not trying to pull anything. I'd go with Viper above and just run out your name below it. Maybe you can add in an American flag or something in the space to the right of "ames"?
engineerpower
Shooter
Hmm, I wrote mine such that to make a change to the trust, all it takes is notice to the trustees. I think legally, changing the trust name may be possible, but have some hurdles of some kind.
Its easy to change your trust name...just have an attorney (or you if you are DIY) redraft the document with a different trust name.
However.....if you already filed your ATF paperwork with the first trust name...you cannot switch it without paying the $200 stamp tax again.
engineerpower
Shooter
I guess the Crux of the issue is whether or not that beautiful blue stamp is in hand or not.
If it is not filed yet, you could change the trust name on paper to reflect the rifle.
If you have the stamp, you could cancel the stamp, receive a refund, and reapply with the new trust name. That's a couple/several months though, so you could just bite the bullet and get creative.
Or just don't worry about it. If someone's hassling you over "J." versus "James", you probably did something to get yourself in trouble anyway.
If it is not filed yet, you could change the trust name on paper to reflect the rifle.
If you have the stamp, you could cancel the stamp, receive a refund, and reapply with the new trust name. That's a couple/several months though, so you could just bite the bullet and get creative.
Or just don't worry about it. If someone's hassling you over "J." versus "James", you probably did something to get yourself in trouble anyway.
I certainly agree with this. Chances are very high that nobody but you will ever see this and if they do, will compare it to your trust, and even if they get that far, will notice it's different, and if they notice, it will be someone from the BATFE who thinks what you have done is illegal. That's an awful lot of if's here and it's not clear that having the name on the trust not exactly match the name on the item is a crime anyway. (I suppose someone here who is an attorney can cite the statute or case reference where this has actually happened.)
If it gets to that, they're looking to pile-on charges anyway and this will be the least of your worries.
I'd leave it as is, going through the expense and hassle of re-creating or renaming your trust or having your item re-engraved is a mess.
But if this sort of thing keeps you up at night, then get it fixed. But not worth it in my opinion.
The engraving is supposed to match the trust name 100%. I like the idea of putting the James vertical. Technically it follows the rules and as others have said if the ATF is looking at it there's already a problem. The ATF requires the engraving to be .003" of an inch or more. Laserscribe does theirs at .005" so they maybe able to salvage it.
When the fickle laws of the ATF and 10 years in the pokey and a lifetime ban on firearm ownership are in question...I prefer to be a stickler for the rules.
Can you just get the correct info engraved somewhere else? Assuming it's an AR lower, have them put the proper engraving in the trigger guard. That way you're in compliance. It doesn't matter if it's engraved in both places, and you'll hardly ever see the trigger guard engraving unless you're looking for it.
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