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6d ago

Gun Rights Groups File Suit to End NFA Registration After Tax Repeal

Plaintiffs argue that repeal of taxes on suppressors, short-barrel rifles, short-barrel shotguns under the One Big Beautiful Bill voids the revenue purpose for ATF fingerprinting, record-keeping, multimonth approvals

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Overview

  • On August 5, gun rights groups including the NRA, Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, American Suppressor Association, Prime Protection STL and two NRA members filed suit in the Eastern District of Missouri seeking to overturn NFA registration for suppressors and short-barreled firearms.
  • The lawsuit asserts that removal of the $200 making and transfer tax under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated the constitutional authority for registration requirements such as fingerprinting and ATF approval delays.
  • Plaintiffs invoke Supreme Court decisions in Sonzinsky v. United States and Hayne v. United States to underscore the NFA’s reliance on tax power and cite an 8th Circuit ruling in United States v. Hall rejecting Commerce Clause support.
  • Individual and commercial plaintiffs describe the remaining NFA regime as intrusive and burdensome, saying fingerprint and firearm data mandates have deterred sales in minority communities.
  • Filed in a district known for pro-Second Amendment rulings, the case is expected to unfold over several years and could reach the Supreme Court while machine guns and destructive devices remain regulated and taxed.