Who completes the Annual Firearm Manufacture Export Report (AFMER) when a firearm is changed from a pistol to a short-barreled rifle (SBR) per the Final Rule?

The AFMER is for 07/10 FFL Manufacturers to submit annually, for identification of firearms manufactured and distributed into U.S. commerce or exported out of the U.S.

If an FFL Manufacturer has transferred a pistol equipped with a stabilizing brace to another FFL Manufacturer, and that second Manufacturer now registers it on an ATF Form 2 (as an SBR, per the Final Rule), the second Manufacturer distributing the registered SBR into commerce must complete the AFMER for that weapon.

If an FFL (dealer/pawnbroker/importer) has within their inventory a pistol equipped with a stabilizing brace and opts to submit application to register the SBR (on an eForm 1), they are not required to submit an AFMER because the firearms already existed in commerce.

Last Reviewed March 23, 2023