Bondi Dodges Challenge to DOJ’s Position That Suppressors Should Still Be Regulated Under the NFA

February 12, 2026
6:10 am

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In a recent courtroom skirmish that's got 2A advocates sharpening their pitchforks, Florida AG Ashley Bondi faced a pointed question from Judge Reed O'Connor: How are you justifying the existence of this registry? The context? A challenge to the DOJ's stubborn insistence that suppressors—those hearing-saving devices demonized as silencers since the 1930s—should remain shackled under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Despite the Supreme Court's Bruen decision torching interest-balancing tests and demanding historical analogs for gun regs, Bondi's team dodged like a politician at a presser, offering no substantive defense for the $200 tax stamp, endless wait times, and that creepy federal registry logging every suppressor owner. It's a classic D.C. stall tactic: cling to outdated precedents while the judiciary slowly dismantles the NFA's house of cards. Dig deeper, and this isn't just bureaucratic inertia—it's a litmus test for post-Bruen reality. Suppressors have zero historical tradition of regulation akin to the NFA's 1934 burdens; they're tools for hunters, range rats, and anyone valuing their eardrums over Hollywood myths of ninja stealth kills. The DOJ's position reeks of the same public safety sleight-of-hand SCOTUS rejected in Rahimi and Garland v. Cargill (dumping bump stock bans). Bondi's evasion signals weakness: if they can't justify a registry for harmless tubes, what's next? SBRs? AOWs? The entire NFA? For the 2A community, this is red meat—cases like Mock v. Garland and lower court wins are piling up, eroding the registry's legitimacy. Expect more judges to echo O'Connor, forcing ATF to either deregulate or watch their empire crumble. The implications? A deregulated suppressor market could explode, slashing prices from $800+ (plus tax stamp) to sub-$400 impulse buys, normalizing them like red dots or holosights. That's millions more ears protected, fewer range bans, and a cultural shift dismantling suppressor stigma. But vigilance is key: with Garland's ATF still playing overlord, 2A warriors must flood amicus briefs, support groups like GOA and FPC, and vote out squishy AGs. Bondi's dodge bought time, but the clock's ticking—the NFA's on borrowed time, and freedom's whisper just got louder. Stay frosty, patriots.

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In a recent courtroom skirmish that’s got 2A advocates sharpening their pitchforks, Florida AG Ashley Bondi faced a pointed question from Judge Reed O’Connor: How are you justifying the existence of this registry? The context? A challenge to the DOJ’s stubborn insistence that suppressors—those hearing-saving devices demonized as silencers since the 1930s—should remain shackled under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Despite the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision torching interest-balancing tests and demanding historical analogs for gun regs, Bondi’s team dodged like a politician at a presser, offering no substantive defense for the $200 tax stamp, endless wait times, and that creepy federal registry logging every suppressor owner. It’s a classic D.C. stall tactic: cling to outdated precedents while the judiciary slowly dismantles the NFA’s house of cards.

Dig deeper, and this isn’t just bureaucratic inertia—it’s a litmus test for post-Bruen reality. Suppressors have zero historical tradition of regulation akin to the NFA’s 1934 burdens; they’re tools for hunters, range rats, and anyone valuing their eardrums over Hollywood myths of ninja stealth kills. The DOJ’s position reeks of the same public safety sleight-of-hand SCOTUS rejected in Rahimi and Garland v. Cargill (dumping bump stock bans). Bondi’s evasion signals weakness: if they can’t justify a registry for harmless tubes, what’s next? SBRs? AOWs? The entire NFA? For the 2A community, this is red meat—cases like Mock v. Garland and lower court wins are piling up, eroding the registry’s legitimacy. Expect more judges to echo O’Connor, forcing ATF to either deregulate or watch their empire crumble.

The implications? A deregulated suppressor market could explode, slashing prices from $800+ (plus tax stamp) to sub-$400 impulse buys, normalizing them like red dots or holosights. That’s millions more ears protected, fewer range bans, and a cultural shift dismantling suppressor stigma. But vigilance is key: with Garland’s ATF still playing overlord, 2A warriors must flood amicus briefs, support groups like GOA and FPC, and vote out squishy AGs. Bondi’s dodge bought time, but the clock’s ticking—the NFA’s on borrowed time, and freedom’s whisper just got louder. Stay frosty, patriots.

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