U. S. Department of Justice

As set out in the regulations (27 CFR 478.11), Curios or Relics include firearms which are of special interest to collectors by reason of some quality other than is associated with firearms intended for sporting use or as offensive or defensive weapons. To be recognized as Curios or Relics, firearms must fall within one of the following categories:1) Firearms which were manufactured at least 50 years prior to the current date, but not including replicas thereof;2) Firearms which are certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum which exhibits firearms to be Curios or Relics of museum interest; and3) Any other firearms which derive a substantial part of their monetary value from the fact that they are novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event. Proof of qualification of a particular firearm under this category may be established by evidence of present value and evidence that like firearms are not available except as collector's items, or that the value of like firearms available in ordinary commercial channels is substantially less.

During the past 31 months, the FBI has undergone a transformation in all areas of its operations. The transformation has involved both the institution of new functions and capacities as well as refinements of existing processes and programs to modernize our operations. This book provides an overview of that reform process. We have always had responsibility for the counterterrorism mission, and the Bureau has a history of impressive accomplishments in the war against terrorism. From the apprehension of Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, to the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the 1998 East Africa Embassy bombings, the FBI has investigated terrorist acts and helped to bring many of those responsible to justice. In addition, the Bureau has participated in preventing many terrorist acts before their commission, as evidenced by the foiling of the Millennium Plot to plant explosives at Los Angeles International Airport, the apprehension and prosecution of Ramzi Yousef and others for conspiracy to bomb United States commercial airliners, and the arrest and prosecution of Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman and his co-conspirators before they could carry out their plan to bomb office buildings, bridges, and tunnels in New York City. Throughout his tenure, Director Louis Freeh and his executives took steps to build that preventive capacity within the Bureau. They established an intelligence Section within the Investigative Service Division and staffed it with analysts who were tasked with identifying and predicting criminal and terrorist threats. They greatly enhanced our ability to coordinate investigations with our counterparts in other countries by nearly doubling the number of Legal Attach offices overseas. Also, they devised and implemented a strategy for developing a counterterrorism capability in each FBI field office. The FBI responded to the attacks of September 11, 2001, with a clear recognition that we needed both to build on the progress of the past decade and to enhance our operations and focus to meet the deadly challenge of modern terrorism. In a process that started on September 11, 2001, we have been reforming our organization, operations, and long-term objectives to make the prevention of terrorist attacks the Bureau's overriding priority. This new operational focus required that we fundamentally transform our organization to enhance our ability to predict and prevent terrorism. We have followed a plan for this transformation that has seven basic elements: - Prioritization- Mobilization- Centralization- Intelligence Integration- Coordination- Information Technology- Administrative ReformThese elements are the foundation of an effective Counterterrorism Program. The following describes each element of the plan in some detail.

This book is primarily for the use of persons in the business of importing, manufacturing, and dealing in firearms defined by the National Firearms Act (NFA) or persons intending to go into an NFA firearms business. It should also be helpful to collectors of NFA firearms and other persons having questions about the application of the NFA. This book is not a law book. Rather, it is intended as a "user friendly" reference book enabling the user to quickly find answers to questions concerning the NFA. Nevertheless, it should also be useful to attorneys seeking basic information about the NFA and how the law has been interpreted by ATF. The book's Table of Contents will be helpful to the user in locating needed information. Although the principal focus of the book is the NFA, the book necessarily covers provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Arms Export Control Act impacting NFA firearms businesses and collectors. The book is the product of a joint effort between ATF and the National Firearms Act Trade and Collectors Association. ATF takes this opportunity to express its appreciation to the Association for its assistance in writing and making this book possible.

The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) assesses with high confidence that the distribution and abuse of synthetic cathinones will increase in the United States in the near term, posing yet another challenge to U. S. law enforcement officials. Poison control centers and medical professionals around the country are increasingly reporting patients suffering adverse physical effects associated with abuse of these drugs, further compounding the problem. Available data and law enforcement reporting suggest increasing levels of synthetic cathinone availability and abuse, but such information is limited and precise levels are unknown. U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) currently tracks seizures of synthetic cathinones at U. S. ports of entry (POEs), but many synthetic cathinone products are disguised or mislabeled to impede detection. Because common field test kits, drug-detecting canines, and routine urine drug screens do not detect synthetic cathinones, law enforcement officials are challenged in interdicting such drugs and prosecuting their manufacturers and distributors. Synthetic cathinones, typically marketed as "bath salts" and "plant food," are sold legally under various names (Ivory Wave, Blizzard, etc.) in most areas of the United States. The products are generally sold in retail establishments such as adult stores, independently owned convenience stores, gas stations, head shops, and skateboard shops. The products, as well as their raw chemical components, are also sold on many Internet sites, including popular Internet auction sites. Additionally, synthetic cathinones have been sold by independent dealers as ecstasya-in powdered form, in single-component tablets and capsules, and in tablets and capsules containing cathinones combined with MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or other illicit controlled substances. Abusers typically ingest, inhale, inject, smoke, or snort (insufflate) the drugs to experience stimulant effects similar to those induced by amphetamine. Manufacturers and distributors of synthetic cathinone products evade U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulation and enforcement because synthetic cathinones are not scheduled under the Federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA). However, possession and distribution of the synthetic cathinones may be prosecuted, albeit with greater difficulty, under the Federal Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act of 1986 (as amended)b of the CSA. The availability and suitability of a prosecution under the analogue statute depends on the particular compound being trafficked and the facts of the case. Further, distributors deceptively market synthetic cathinone products as "not for human consumption" to evade U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scrutiny. Cathinone products that are introduced into interstate commerce and promoted as alternatives to illicit street drugs may be prosecutable under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act as unapproved new drugs and misbranded drugs. (See the offenses at 21 U. S. C. 331(a), (d) and penalties at 21 U. S. C. 333.)1 Additionally, members of the Congress have introduced legislation to nationally ban the sale of certain synthetic cathinones, c and, as of April 2011, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have introduced or announced plans to introduce legislation banning or restricting the distribution and possession of certain synthetic cathinones and cathinone derivatives. As synthetic cathinones become more regulated, abusers will likely use the Internet with greater frequency to purchase cathinone products, the raw chemicals used in their production, and products that contain cathinones not specifically prohibited by enacted legislation