North Dakota prohibits anyone from purchasing, selling, having, or possessing a machine gun or fully automatic rifle unless that person has complied with the National Firearms Act, which only requires that the firearms be registered.¹ North Dakota law requires local law enforcement to approve the registration of a machine gun if the applicant meets minimal requirements.²

Federal law requires machine guns to be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), and generally prohibits the transfer or possession of machine guns manufactured after May 19, 1986.³ In December 2018, ATF finalized a rule to include bump stocks within the definition of a machine gun subject to this federal law, meaning that bump stocks will be generally banned as of March 26, 2019.⁴

 See our Machine Guns policy summary for a comprehensive discussion of this issue. 

1. N.D. Cent. Code § 62.1-05-01.[↩]
2. N.D. Cent. Code §62.1-05-03. Such registration must be approved “if the applicant is not prohibited by law from receiving or possessing the firearm or is not the subject of a proceeding that could result in the applicant being prohibited by law from receiving or possessing the firearm.” Id.[↩]
3. 18 U.S.C. § 922(o); 26 U.S.C. § 5861(d).[↩]
4. Bump-Stock-Type Devices, 83 Fed. Reg. 66,514 (Dec. 26, 2018) (to be codified at 27 C.F.R. pts. 447, 478, 479).[↩]