By Chad Adams
The passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBB) brings the end of excise tax levied on silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and “Any Other Weapons” (AOWs), marking one of the bigger wins for the gun community in some time. But that could just be the beginning of something even greater.
The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), along with the American Suppressor Association, National Rifle Association, and Firearm Policy Coalition are rallying the troops. The collective effort aims to challenge the remaining registration requirements for the affected arms under the current National Firearms Act (NFA). The joint statement deems the NFA unconstitutional.
Big Beautiful NFA Challenge
“The NFA is nothing more than a tax scheme which has imposed an unconstitutional burden on Americans since 1934,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “The registration of these items was only justified as the means to ensure taxes on them had been paid. With the One Big, Beautiful Bill zeroing out the tax for silencers and short barreled firearms, the registration scheme serves no other purpose than to create an unlawful barrier to keep people from exercising their Second Amendment rights. Our intention with this new lawsuit is to completely remove these barriers.”
The statement claims: “While we continue to fight for the total legislative elimination of the NFA, our organizations are proud to stand together in a new strategic lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the NFA in Federal Court.”
What’s at Stake
If successful in federal court, the challenge could potentially eliminate the requirement for registration of silencers, short-barreled rifles and other items forever. That would mark a landmark win for gun owners.
“SAF has been fighting for more than 50 years to remove unnecessary burdens to our constitutional freedoms, and we welcome the opportunity to fight for the further dismantling of the NFA in court,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “The reforms in the One Big, Beautiful Bill represent the biggest blow to the NFA since its inception, and we fully support its complete repeal. Just like we’ve done for more than five decades, SAF will continue to fight so all Americans can have the freedom to exercise their Second Amendment rights for generations to come.”
For more information visit SAF.org.
