Attorneys for George Peterson have filed a petition for certiorari with the United States Supreme Court in Peterson v. United States, a Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC)-backed challenge to the federal government’s unconstitutional National Firearms Act (NFA) tax and registration requirements for suppressors.
George Peterson is represented by David H. Thompson, Peter A. Patterson, and Jack Tucker of Cooper & Kirk, PLLC, along with Cody J. Wisniewski of FPC Action Foundation and Richard J. Richthofen, Jr.
The petition was filed at the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C., and a decision in this case would affect the entire country.
The petition was filed on March 9, 2026, with the government’s response to be due one month after it is docketed at the court.
A ruling in Mr. Peterson’s favor would overturn his conviction and restore the right of peaceable people to possess suppressors without submitting to unconstitutional taxes and registration schemes.
“FPC is proud to back this important Supreme Court petition challenging the federal government’s immoral and unconstitutional NFA registration-and-tax regime. Forcing people to pay special taxes on constitutionally protected rights and register their firearms is precisely the kind of tyranny our Founders rejected.
The Fifth Circuit wrongly rebranded the federal registry and tax as a mere ‘licensing’ system to dodge the Supreme Court’s binding Second Amendment cases. The Court should take this case and make clear that the government can’t treat the Second Amendment like a second-class right, especially not through a federally imposed tax and registration scheme. We will keep supporting Mr. Peterson’s case and continue our work to eliminate these unconstitutional laws for all peaceable people across the United States.” -FPC President Brandon Combs.
Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) is a nonprofit membership organization that exists to create a world of maximal individual liberty and eliminate unconstitutional gun control laws. FPC works—and wins—for the People through high-impact strategic litigation, groundbreaking research, legislative and regulatory advocacy, grassroots activism, education, and public engagement. FPC’s legal division, FPC Law, is the nation’s leading initiative dedicated to restoring the right to keep and bear arms across the United States. To learn more about how FPC is working—and winning—for the People, sign up for FPC news alerts at firearmspolicy.org and follow FPC on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
