After 90 years, the National Firearms Act finally took the beating gun owners have long argued it deserved, this time from a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas.
As a result of the ruling, the NFA has effectively been gutted for the plaintiffs and covered parties, with the judge concluding that once Congress removed the NFA’s tax under the One Big Beautiful Bill, the constitutional foundation for regulating the affected items collapsed.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025. Formally designated H.R. 1, the bill extended the 2017 tax cuts, exempted tips and overtime from taxation, funded major border security initiatives, slashed federal spending, and eliminated the National Firearms Act’s tax provisions.
With the tax eliminated, Gun Owners of America and Firearms Policy Coalition challenged the remaining portions of the law, arguing that the NFA’s regulatory scheme cannot stand without its tax component. The judge agreed — at least for now.
Because the ruling is not a nationwide injunction, suppressors, short‑barreled rifles, and short‑barreled shotguns are no longer regulated under the NFA for the covered plaintiffs and members, pending the government’s response. The judge gave the federal government seven days to file its position.
President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has been inconsistent on Second Amendment litigation, at times backing gun owners, and at other times appealing pro‑2A rulings from lower courts. Whether DOJ will fight this decision remains to be seen.
Who Is Covered?
If you are a current or future member of one of these organizations, you are covered:
- Second Amendment Foundation
- Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
- Firearms Policy Coalition
- Texas State Rifle Association
- Gun Owners of America
- National Rifle Association
- Virginia Citizens Defense League
- Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition
If you shop at one of these businesses, you are also covered:
- Silencer Shop
- Palmetto State Armory
- SilencerCo
- B%26T USA
- Hot Shots Custom LLC
Finally, residents of these states are covered:
- Kansas
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- South Carolina
- Utah
This is a major victory for gun owners nationwide, but the fight is far from over. The judge did not declare the NFA unconstitutional. Instead, he ruled that without the tax, Congress lacks the constitutional authority to regulate the affected items under the NFA’s remaining structure.
Leave a Reply