National firearms registry??

Never mind...
Later in the chapter they define 'firearm' as a short-barreled whatever, a machine gun, a 'silencer'.
Love how they can just change the definition at whim, to suit their purposes.

I thought it was illegal (in federal law) to have a national firearms registry.
But here (a recent decision from the 7th Circuit) I see reference to a bit of the US Code saying that it's illegal to possess a firearm that's not registered to you in this registry. (Page 4.)

It references 26 USC 5861 (d) which says:
It shall be unlawful for any person -
(d) to receive or possess a firearm which is not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

This would seem to make it illegal to loan a firearm, or rent one, and private sales suddenly aren't private.

Can anyone find the federal law that says it's illegal to have such a registry?
And does that newer law supercede this apparently older one?
So why could someone still be charged with having an unregistered firearm??

Weapons registered in the NFRTR are NFA items and require a tax stamp($200). The restricted value allows them to be registered per the National Firearms Act 193(4?).

I know which code you are talking but don't have my notes to cite it.


Edited for spelling.

Eta: I believe it is in FOPA, along the lines of "no firearm in this act is allowed to be registered" NFA items don't fall under FOPA. I believe machine gun registration(also nfa) is approved in FOPA as well. Still no cite.

The cite is 18USC926

No such rule or regulation prescribed after the date of the
enactment of the Firearms Owners' Protection Act may require that
records required to be maintained under this chapter or any portion
of the contents of such records, be recorded at or transferred to a
facility owned, managed, or controlled by the United States or any
State or any political subdivision thereof, nor that any system of
registration of firearms, firearms owners, or firearms transactions
or dispositions be established. Nothing in this section expands or
restricts the Secretary's (!1) authority to inquire into the
disposition of any firearm in the course of a criminal
investigation.

Click to expand...

http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/18C44.txt