A federal court decision has eliminated registration requirements for firearm suppressors and certain weapons in more than a dozen states, marking what gun rights advocates are calling one of the most significant Second Amendment victories in nearly a century.
Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas struck down key provisions of the National Firearms Act, a law dating back to the 1930s that regulated the sale and registration of specific rifles, shotguns, and suppressors. The ruling allows eligible Americans to purchase and sell these items without submitting fingerprints, photographs, or federal registration paperwork.
The decision took effect after the Justice Department declined to file an emergency appeal within the one-week deadline Hendrix imposed. While the department retains more than a month to pursue a non-emergency appeal, such action appears unlikely given recent policy shifts.
The Justice Department published a final rule Monday outlining a broader initiative to restore gun rights to individuals with felony convictions, though exceptions remain for violent offenses including domestic violence and gang-related crimes.
"This is truly one of the greatest Second Amendment victories in the last 100 years," Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, told NPR. "It's something that we have wanted since we were first incorporated in 1976."
The National Firearms Act emerged from Prohibition-era gang violence when Congress passed the legislation in 1934. Lawmakers sought to restrict weapons deemed particularly dangerous by imposing a $200 tax on the manufacture and transfer of regulated firearms and requiring owners to register those weapons with federal authorities.
That tax remained in place until 2025, when Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A provision within that legislation reduced the tax to $0 for transfers and manufacture of short-barreled shotguns, short-barreled rifles, and silencers.
Gun rights organizations, including Gun Owners of America and the Silencer Shop Foundation, subsequently filed suit alongside several states. Their legal argument centered on the elimination of the tax: without it, they contended, no constitutional foundation existed for the National Firearms Act's other requirements.
Hendrix agreed with that reasoning. In his decision last week, he wrote that Congress had eliminated the constitutional basis for the regulations by zeroing out the transfer and making taxes for most NFA firearms. The challenged provisions could no longer be justified under congressional taxing power after nearly 90 years, the judge concluded.
Gun control advocates have expressed alarm at the implications for public safety. "It is the antithesis of public safety to now all of a sudden say, we're going to unleash these weapons into communities and onto our streets," Jack Budish, federal counsel for Everytown for Gun Safety, told NPR.
The ruling does not apply nationwide. It affects only the plaintiffs in the Texas case, including the organizations that brought the lawsuit and their members in the states involved. This creates a confusing patchwork of regulations across the country.
Affected firearms include certain short-barreled shotguns and rifles, suppressors, and a specialized category the federal government designates as "any other weapons." This catch-all classification covers concealable, unique firearms that do not fit standard categories, such as pen guns or umbrella guns.
Gun Owners of America cautioned that individual states may maintain additional requirements, and firearm registration forms could still be necessary under the federal Gun Control Act. Pratt urged individuals to consult an attorney before forgoing registration due to the legal uncertainty.
Two additional cases challenging the National Firearms Act remain active in Missouri and Kentucky. The Justice Department has defended the law in those proceedings.
The department declined to respond to questions from NPR regarding potential future appeals. In a statement, officials said the department respects Americans' Second Amendment rights and is currently assessing the impact of the court's ruling.
Gun rights groups and Republican lawmakers are pushing for the Justice Department to apply the ruling nationwide on a permanent basis.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives stated in a release that the agency continues processing forms consistent with applicable law, regulations, and agency policy. Like Gun Owners of America, the ATF advised anyone with questions about how court rulings may affect their particular circumstances to consult with an attorney for legal advice.
Despite the regulatory confusion, Pratt characterized the decision as a watershed moment for gun rights. "In the end, freedom is advancing," he told NPR. "We're slowly dismantling the regulatory shackles that have bound gun owners for generations. Each victory builds upon the last one."
