For nearly a century, the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) has stood as the cornerstone of federal gun control. It was the first federal law to impose limitations on firearm ownership, requiring Americans to pay a $200 tax — the equivalent of nearly $5,000 today — register, and undergo an intrusive application process just to own common firearms and accessories like suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), and shotguns (SBSs).
This wasn’t a minor fee. At the height of the Great Depression, $200 was intentionally set to price the average American out of owning these items, effectively creating a ban without passing one.
On paper, it was sold as a tax measure. In practice, it’s been weaponized as a tool of control. For decades, unelected bureaucrats at the ATF have exploited the NFA to impose regulations that Congress never voted on, turning law-abiding Americans into felons with the stroke of a pen.
The most recent example? The ATF’s pistol brace rule which reclassified millions of braced pistols as SBRs overnight. Despite three federal courts blocking the rule, the ATF still claims those firearms fall under the NFA.
Enough is enough.
The Lawsuit & The Bigger Picture
The Silencer Shop Foundation (SSF), along with heavyweights like Palmetto State Armory, GOA, SilencerCo, and others, is spearheading a direct legal challenge to the NFA. Their mission is simple yet bold: to dismantle the unconstitutional parts of this nearly 100-year-old law and permanently remove suppressors, SBRs, and SBSs from its scope.
This isn’t just about one lawsuit. It’s part of a growing national movement that includes lawmakers like Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO), who recently introduced federal legislation to repeal the NFA and abolish the ATF. Burlison has a proven track record of advancing pro-2A laws—he sponsored Missouri’s Stand Your Ground, Constitutional Carry, and the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), which bans state agencies from helping enforce unconstitutional federal gun laws.
As Burlison put it:
“The federal government has manipulated the National Firearms Act for nearly a century to strip Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. Unelected bureaucrats at the ATF have weaponized the NFA as a tool to criminalize millions of responsible gun owners. The time has come to dismantle this unconstitutional regime and restore our fundamental freedoms.”
The Immediate Aftermath: What Day One Could Look Like
Let’s be clear: this fight won’t be won overnight. But if SSF and its partners succeed in court, or if repeal legislation passes, here’s what gun owners can expect:
- No More Tax Stamps – The $200 “privilege fee” disappears. Buy a suppressor, SBR, or SBS just like you would a rifle or handgun.
- No More ATF Registry – No fingerprints, no CLEO notification, no Form 4 approval process.
- No More Wait Times – The year-long backlog for suppressor approvals? Gone.
- No More Rule-by-Decree – Bureaucrats won’t be able to criminalize millions of gun owners with arbitrary rule changes.
It would be the single most significant expansion of gun rights in the last century, eliminating one of the government’s biggest levers for chilling lawful ownership.
Industry Shockwaves: Suppressors and SBRs for Everyone
Think about what happened when the AR-15 became affordable and widely available. Prices dropped, innovation exploded, and we entered a golden age of rifle parts and customization. The same will happen with NFA-regulated items:
- Suppressors Become Standard – Instead of being a “luxury item,” suppressors will be as common as optics or lights.
- Short-Barreled Rifles Go Mainstream – Factory SBRs and braced pistols won’t live in a legal gray area. Expect new designs and innovation from manufacturers who no longer fear federal entanglement.
- New Jobs & Economic Growth – A post-NFA market means more production, more FFL sales, and more money going to American businesses instead of Washington bureaucracy.
State-Level Challenges: The Fight Won’t End Here
Winning at the federal level won’t end the battle. Some states will cling to their own suppressor and SBR bans, and SSF is already preparing to take that fight state by state. Expect:
- Targeted lawsuits against states that refuse to comply with constitutional precedent
- Legislative pushes to repeal outdated state-level bans
- Grassroots education campaigns to mobilize gun owners in hostile jurisdictions
The fight will move from Washington, D.C. to your state capital, and SSF is already planning for that next phase.
Cultural Shift: Normalizing Responsible Ownership
When suppressors and SBRs are treated like any other firearm, the entire conversation around gun ownership changes. Expect:
- Demystify suppressors for non-gun owners
- Reduce noise complaints and range closures
- Improve hearing safety for shooters and hunters
- Strengthen the perception of lawful gun owners as responsible citizens
Your Role in This Fight
This fight is already underway, and your involvement matters. The Silencer Shop Foundation can’t do this alone. They’re already funding litigation, lobbying Congress, and rallying industry partners, but the grassroots piece is critical.
Here’s how to get involved:
- Donate – 100% of your contribution goes directly to lawsuits and advocacy.
- Round Up at Checkout – Every penny helps fund the next legal push.
- Educate Others – Share updates, correct misconceptions, and bring new people into the conversation.
Final Thoughts
This is our best chance in nearly 100 years to strip the NFA of its power and put the ATF back in its box. A victory here would mark a generational shift for the Second Amendment; one that your kids and grandkids will thank you for.
The time to get involved is now. Support the Silencer Shop Foundation, back lawmakers willing to repeal bad law, and help make “shall not be infringed” mean what it was always meant to mean.
Visit silencershopfoundation.org, get involved, and be part of the generation that put the NFA where it belongs—on the ash heap of history.
This is the way.
I’d also note, however:
When suppressors and SBRs are treated like any other firearm, the entire conversation around gun ownership changes.
You can already do this by following the NFA and then going out to the range with such things as a form of culture jamming.
When I bother to go to an actual, official range with, like RSOs and those annoying other people, these days I don’t get a ton of questions about the legality of my items or people loudly claiming they’re illegal, which used to be quite common. Shit, just five years ago people would call the cops at some ranges if you showed up with a muffler, even if the RSO assured them it was legal. Kinda fun if they got big mad when you knew all the responding officers.
These days, at most I get one guy who proclaims they’re illegal and that I’m some sort of [arch]criminal flaunting my felonies, is then promptly laughed at derisively by everyone present and then being somewhat ashamed of himself, tends to leave fairly quickly after that. Good, fuck off, Fudd. Don’t fuck off mad, just fuck off.
Check that, actually. Be mad. Be very mad. Seething, in fact would be great.
“…jam the culture.”
Man, I love that term!
It’s also why I insist that with Florida’s open carry, some of us SHOULD carry open. You know, to “jam the culture”. It needs jamming, and the only way we normalize something like gun ownership is to NORMALIZE the seeing of people carrying guns.
But noooooo, I get the “it’s not tactically smart” people. Even some smart ones like Colion Noir insist that nobody should carry open. And that’s my point. People need to see guns in everyday life, so that they stop losing their sh!t at every tiny little thing.
I agree on OC, though with the caveat that it requires attention and a quality retention holster.
When I see the videos of someone who’s not a cop (they’re a special case because of “Fuck 12” type stuff) getting their gun taken from them it seems like it’s nearly always the following:
A poor quality nylon generic holster on a grossly overweight guy who’s also dressed like a total slob and paying zero attention. The gun is almost always at 4 o’clock or past that too (reverse for lefties, obvs).
You pretty much never see the guy who’s jacked, paying attention with a retention holster getting jacked for his burner in line at a fast food restaurant.
Why? Because presentation matters. That guy looks scary. The fat dude only looks scary if your name is Frito Lay.
Regardless of what you might personally think of the guy, would you rather try to take a gun off DJ Shipley or the slob who outwardly advertises that he doesn’t even care if his heart works properly tomorrow? How about John Lovell?
These guys tend to rock jeans and a t-shirt too, but they still look put together like maybe they can handle themselves. They’re also not going to leave their burning hanging off their ass at 4:30 in an Uncle Mikes one-size-fits-all nylon holster that’s $15.
I like my Uncle Mike’s one size fits all $15 holster.
,,,,this publish my name and email address needs adressed.
As it is now I’m just going to use whatever email pops up.
Joatmon is the lucky winner today .
Hey, you do you on the holster.
And if men can be women and women can be men, you can be Joatmon.
Haha to both of you!
I don’t have an Uncle Mike. Rats!
We know it’s still you, Duly…by the stupidity of the comment. Just write your own information in?
strych9,
Huh. I never thought about advancing culture (with respect to suppressors) at a public gun range. I will do just that.
Using a suppressor at a public range has another benefit: observers there get to experience first hand that a firearm with a suppressor is still really LOUD. That is an important counterpoint to people who claim that suppressors make firearms silent, thus enabling criminals to maximize their carnage–especially with respect to spree killers. Observers would realize, contrary to that false talking point, that a crowd of intended victims would immediately hear and react defensively to a spree killer who opens up with a suppressed firearm.
F.Y.I. I would do the same with a rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches (the arbitrary term “short-barreled”) if I had one. Alas, I do not have any. I may look into acquiring a rifle with a barrel less than 16 inches after the $200 fee for a tax stamp goes away on January 1st, 2026–although ideally I want to see if the special registration requirement goes away all together before buying one.
Unless you see someone who’s a lib.
Then you slap the Osprey on the USP, add water, fire a mag and stare at them ominously. Works with a 10/22 and the right ammo/muffler combination too.
” I want to see if the special registration requirement goes away all together before buying one.”
Efforts are now being made to do just that very thing.
The arguments being made are, the registration was away to enforce the the tax being paid.
Zero tax, zero need for the paperwork…
When enough people see Gun Control for what History Confirms it to be it becomes a whole new ballgame.
Latest 4 Boxes…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LyYhlwfL9dM&si=tamx2WBlFAxFFURx
Machine guns and short-barrelled shotguns are clearly “arms” within the meaning of the 2A, but after recent appellate court rulings holding that magazines are accessories outside the scope of the 2A, I anticipate that the courts will apply the same reasoning to silencers. Even if the NFA goes away, California gun owners can expect no changes whatsoever in their ability to acquire silencers/suppressors. Yes, a challenge to the state law will be mounted, but any legal challenge will take many years to ultimately and finally be decided. California will take any and all available legal avenues to prevent the legalization of these items in this state, including any and all appeals on interim and final trial court rulings, that will take years to decide.
I am old enough now that if and when it becomes legal to own silencers in this state I will likely be deaf anyway. Oh well.
Political challenges are sometimes more effective than legal challenges. At it’s core, the NFA and the subsequent gun laws such as the GCA, are political.
Which comes first Ice water in hell or the repeal of the NFA.
I’m betting on ice water in hell.
Yeah, but Florida, senior citizens and all, rejected “recreational” MJ, but also got open carry. And New York City forgot all the well-taught lessons of Mayor Guiliani.
So anything can happen.
If the polls are anything to go by we are about to relearn everything that got us Guiliani to begin with especially with a bond crisis.
I want to offer an important correction to the wording in this article.
“It would be the single most significant expansion of gun rights in the last century …”
That line should be:
It would be the single most significant restoration of gun rights in the last century …
While the difference is subtle, it is important. The word “expansion” implies going beyond what it has always been. The word “restoration” is obvious and does not involve any expansion beyond what something has always been. That can be significant because many people who support restoring rights may not support expanding rights, especially when it comes to firearms.
You’re right. It would be a RESTORATION of rights. And yes, words mean things.
We should all endeavor to be more careful about the words we use, and we need to be willing to flag something when one of us gets it wrong (or overlooks a fine point like this one you’ve made).
When we don’t make the correction, even if it seems pedantic to do so, it can quickly escalate to having invalid premises incorrectly applied/accepted…by the press, our opponents, our own weak-kneed politicians, or even ourselves. And that’s one sure way to lose not only the argument, but all of our God given rights.
Thank you for catching that.
The Second. Amendment its only twenty-seven words long for a reason. It’s time to pull Section 42 Title 18 out of the closet and dust it off.
What does “… the importation or shipment of injurious wildlife, including certain mammals, birds, and fish” have to do with the NFA? Unless, you’re talking about illegal immigrants…