Four years after the NFA, Congress adopted a second federal approach: regulating interstate firearm businesses and transactions rather than only special weapon categories.
Federal licensing became a central tool
The 1938 law required specified manufacturers and dealers engaged in interstate commerce to obtain federal licenses and keep records.
Certain transfers became unlawful
The statute restricted sales or shipments to categories Congress identified as legally disqualified, an early predecessor to the broader prohibited-person structure later adopted in 1968.
Commerce power became increasingly important
Unlike the NFA’s tax structure, federal firearm regulation increasingly relied on Congress’s authority over interstate commerce.
The 1968 Gun Control Act replaced the framework
The GCA repealed and reenacted significant federal firearms provisions within a broader system of licensing, prohibited persons, interstate-transfer rules and criminal penalties.
Where this fits in the larger timeline
This event is part of the History of Gun Laws in America series. Federal firearm law developed incrementally through constitutional amendments, taxation and commerce statutes, criminal prohibitions, background-check legislation and modern Second Amendment decisions.