ATF Director Robert Cekada said the bureau has no power to shield current owners if suppressor and short barreled rifle rules change again. He explained that lasting court blocks can be reversed later and that bureau guidance may differ under a future administration, leaving an unregistered National Firearms Act item potentially illegal.

He said the agency cannot review Form 4473 paperwork held by dealers that remain open. The bureau kept Form 1 and Form 4 because over fifteen states still require its approval for those items. Sole authority to start an amnesty rests with the attorney general; talks have not started formally, yet Cekada viewed one as a realistic option.