In a bold strike against one of the oldest pillars of federal gun control, the NRA has teamed up with heavyweights like the American Suppressor Association (ASA), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), and even a tactical boutique to file a federal lawsuit dismantling the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). This isn’t just another incremental challenge—it’s a direct assault on the NFA’s core provisions, including the $200 tax stamp regime that burdens suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and other Title II items. The plaintiffs, including two everyday members, argue that these restrictions violate the Second Amendment as clarified by the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision in 2022, which demands gun laws align with our nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. No more interest-balancing tests or deference to ATF bureaucracy—this suit leverages Bruen’s historical test to expose the NFA as an unconstitutional relic from the Great Depression era, born not of public safety but political pandering after gangsters like Al Capone wielded Thompsons.
The context here is electric for 2A advocates: the NFA has long been the sacred cow of gun control, taxing and registering Americans out of affordable access to tools like suppressors (which actually reduce hearing damage and noise complaints) and compact defensive firearms. Past efforts, like the Hearing Protection Act or SHORT Act, chipped away via legislation, but this litigation flips the script to the courts, where post-Bruen momentum has already nuked bump stock bans and age restrictions. Cleverly, the coalition spans grassroots (NRA members) to specialists (ASA on cans), signaling unified firepower that could force a circuit split ripe for SCOTUS review. Implications? A win could obliterate the NFA’s tax-and-register scheme overnight, unleashing a suppressor boom (pun intended), normalizing SBRs for home defense, and slashing ATF overhead—potentially saving billions while affirming that the right to keep and bear arms isn’t contingent on Uncle Sam’s permission slip.
For the 2A community, this is a rallying cry: donate, amplify, and brace for backlash from gun-grabbers who’ll scream machine guns! despite the suit’s focus on common items. If successful, it reframes Title II not as infringing but extinct, paving the way for broader challenges to red flag laws or assault weapon bans. Stay tuned—this could be the shot heard ’round the ranges that echoes Heller and Bruen into a true restoration of rights.
