Congressman Calls Out AG Bondi Over DOJ’s Defense Of NFA Registration Requirements

February 14, 2026
8:00 am

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In a fiery House Judiciary Committee hearing that had 2A advocates cheering from the digital sidelines, Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) put Attorney General Pam Bondi on the spot over the DOJ's stubborn defense of National Firearms Act (NFA) registration requirements—even after Congress zeroed out the punitive $200 suppressor tax stamp in the recent continuing resolution. Bondi, caught without a compelling rationale, essentially punted on explaining why Uncle Sam still demands fingerprints, photos, CLEO sign-offs (or workarounds), and endless wait times for tools that silence gunfire but don't make suppressors any more dangerous than a factory-muffler on your truck. Higgins didn't mince words, calling it bureaucratic overreach in real time, and the exchange went viral among gun owners who see this as the feds clinging to control long after the financial excuse evaporated. This isn't just theater; it's a textbook case of mission creep in the NFA's century-old framework, born from the 1934 panic over gangster Tommy guns but now absurdly applied to hearing protection. With the tax gone—thanks to relentless pressure from pro-2A warriors like Rep. Michael Cloud and Sen. Roger Marshall—the registration ritual stands exposed as pure regulatory theater, a vestige of New Deal-era distrust of the armed citizenry. Bondi's dodge highlights a deeper DOJ inertia: even under a friendly administration, entrenched bureaucrats treat the NFA registry as a sacred cow, potentially hoarding serial numbers for future confiscation lists or backdoor universal registration schemes. Critics like the GOA and FPC are right to pounce—this moment crystallizes why shall not be infringed demands more than tax cuts; it requires dismantling the entire NFA paper trail. For the 2A community, the implications are electric: this hearing turbocharges the Hearings Protection Act and full NFA deregulation pushes, proving public scrutiny can crack open these vaults. If Bondi won't justify it, Congress must—expect lawsuits from Gun Owners of America and a groundswell of suppressor owners ditching the wait for direct-market buys. Stay vigilant, folks; one zeroed tax is a win, but true freedom means no registry, no ATF busywork. Who's ready to make suppressors as routine as earplugs at the range?

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This isn’t just theater; it’s a textbook case of mission creep in the NFA’s century-old framework, born from the 1934 panic over gangster Tommy guns but now absurdly applied to hearing protection. With the tax gone—thanks to relentless pressure from pro-2A warriors like Rep. Michael Cloud and Sen. Roger Marshall—the registration ritual stands exposed as pure regulatory theater, a vestige of New Deal-era distrust of the armed citizenry. Bondi’s dodge highlights a deeper DOJ inertia: even under a friendly administration, entrenched bureaucrats treat the NFA registry as a sacred cow, potentially hoarding serial numbers for future confiscation lists or backdoor universal registration schemes. Critics like the GOA and FPC are right to pounce—this moment crystallizes why shall not be infringed demands more than tax cuts; it requires dismantling the entire NFA paper trail.

For the 2A community, the implications are electric: this hearing turbocharges the Hearings Protection Act and full NFA deregulation pushes, proving public scrutiny can crack open these vaults. If Bondi won’t justify it, Congress must—expect lawsuits from Gun Owners of America and a groundswell of suppressor owners ditching the wait for direct-market buys. Stay vigilant, folks; one zeroed tax is a win, but true freedom means no registry, no ATF busywork. Who’s ready to make suppressors as routine as earplugs at the range?

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