In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), along with its partners, helps set the record straight regarding the removal of suppressors and short-barreled firearms from the National Firearms Act (NFA).

The letter reminds leadership that if removed from the NFA, suppressors and short-barreled firearms would still be considered firearms under the Gun Control Act for purposes of manufacture, sale and purchase. In short, purchasers would still be required to pass a background check just like when buying any other firearm from a Federal Firearms Licensee.

“The removal of silencers and short-barreled firearms from the National Firearms Act would allow peaceable citizens across the nation to exercise their full Second Amendment rights without the hindrance of an unconstitutional tax and waiting times,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “The name silencer is a bit of a misnomer because they merely lower the decibel level to a safer threshold but don’t eliminate the noise. Studies have shown that combining hearing protection along with a silencer when shooting significantly reduces the risk of hearing loss, making for a safer experience.”

As noted in the letter: “…the [National Hearing Conservation Association] and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology support the removal of the tax on suppressors as a method to improve access to these hearing safety devices.” Read more

BATON ROUGE, La. – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has signed FPC-supported House Bill 407, which repeals residency restrictions and expands access to the right to bear arms in the state. HB 407 is a legislative response to an FPC right-to-carry lawsuit, Mate v. Wescott, that was filed as part of FPC’s work to eliminate unconstitutional residency requirements throughout the United States.

“On behalf of our members, we thank Rep. Ventrella for her leadership on this important issue and Gov. Landry for signing this bill into law,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. “We are thrilled that Louisiana has made this critical change to improve access to the right to bear arms. We and our members are working to unlock the right to carry throughout the United States, and this bill helps do just that.

“Now it’s time for Congress to fix and pass H.R. 38 so that all Americans can exercise their right to bear arms without fear of arrest and prosecution.” Read more

Gun Owners of America (GOA) is calling on Congress to stand firm in support of Section 70436 of H.R. 1—the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—which would fully repeal the unconstitutional excise taxes on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and any other weapons under the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA).

GOA is demanding that lawmakers preserve Section 70436 and adhere to their Independence Day deadline to pass this legislation and deliver a historic win for the Second Amendment.

GOA will continue working with congressional allies and mobilizing grassroots support to ensure this key section remains intact and becomes law.

Sam Paredes, Gun Owners of America Board Member, issued the following statement: “July 4th is the perfect day to strike down the tyranny of the NFA’s unconstitutional tax scheme. This represents a long-overdue restoration of rights that never should have been taken away in the first place. Congress must not cave or delay. Gun owners expect action—and GOA will hold accountable any lawmaker who tries to gut this historic provision.” Read more

Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has withdrawn the flawed 3-judge panel opinion in United States v. George Peterson, an FPC-backed criminal case challenging the federal government’s regulation of suppressors through unconstitutional registration and taxation requirements.

“It’s clear that the Fifth Circuit is taking another look at this important issue in light of the excellent arguments our attorneys have made in Mr. Peterson’s appeal,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. “We hope the full Fifth Circuit will now rehear the case and confirm that suppressors are protected arms under the Second Amendment. Read more

Attorneys for George Peterson have filed a brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals responding to the federal government’s latest filing in United States v. George Peterson, an FPC-backed criminal case challenging the federal government’s regulation of suppressors through unconstitutional registration and taxation requirements.

“The Government’s letter brief only underscores why this Court should rehear this case en banc, as the Government now admits that suppressors are protected by the plain text of the Second Amendment,” says Mr. Peterson’s brief. “And while the Government argues that application of the National Firearms Act’s (‘NFA’s’) taxation-and-registration scheme to suppressors nonetheless is consistent with the Second Amendment, its arguments lack merit.”

Ultimately, the brief argues, “as Heller and Bruen establish, all arms that are in common use for lawful purposes are protected, full stop. And applying that test, suppressors fit the bill.” FPC strongly agrees. Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced the filing of an important Supreme Court brief in the case of Melynda Vincent v. Attorney General Pam Bondi, a challenge to the federal lifetime ban on the exercise of the right to keep and bear arms for nonviolent felons. FPC is joined by FPC Action Foundation (FPCAF), the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), and the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) as parties to the brief, authored by attorneys Joseph G.S. Greenlee and Erin M. Erhardt of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.

An “analysis of the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation shows that there is no tradition that supports disarming peaceable persons” like Vincent, the brief argues. Indeed, it goes on, “[h]istorically, no individual was disarmed because the law he violated was classified as a felony. Moreover, upon completing their sentences, offenders not only had full access to their Second Amendment protected rights, but able-bodied males were required to keep and bear arms under the state and federal militia acts.”

“This powerful brief highlights why the Supreme Court should take up this case and settle this issue once and for all by holding that non-violent people cannot be disarmed for life,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. Read more

BELLEVUE, Wash. —— The Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) and its partners have filed their brief with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in SAF’s challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons and magazine capacity bans.

SAF is joined in Harrel v. Raoul by the Illinois State Rifle Association, Firearms Policy Coalition, C4 Gun Store, Marengo Guns and Dane Harrel, for whom the lawsuit is named.

The case challenges the constitutionality of the Illinois assault weapons and magazine capacity bans, on the grounds that both modern semiautomatic rifles, and the standard capacity magazines that feed them, are overwhelmingly in common use for lawful purposes, including self-defense. Twice now, the District Court has agreed and ruled in SAF’s favor, first in granting a preliminary injunction, and then on the merits on remand. With a full trial record now before it, the Seventh Circuit has a second opportunity to properly apply the Heller/Bruen test and leave these Illinois statutes in the wastebin of history. Read more

CHICAGO – Today, Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) asked the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold its critical victory over the Illinois “Protect Illinois Communities Act” (PICA) gun control regulations, which bans so-called “assault weapons” and “large capacity” magazines. FPC’s brief says that the “question presented by this case is whether the Second Amendment allows Illinois to ban the best-selling rifle in America and its standard magazine. The answer,” FPC argues, “is no.”

“We were glad but unsurprised that the district court ruled PICA unconstitutional after development and review of an extensive trial record. The Seventh Circuit should apply the Supreme Court’s straightforward test and uphold our victory in this case,” said FPC President Brandon Combs. Read more

Friday, the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) filed a Petition for Certiorari requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court hear a challenge to the National Firearms Act of 1934’s restrictions on short-barreled rifles in a case named Rush v. United States.

The NFA imposes tax and registration requirements on any rifle having a barrel shorter than 16 inches. A violation is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000, in addition to the forfeiture of the rifle. The Petition requests that the Supreme Court hear the case and hold the regulations unconstitutional.

“The National Firearms Act imposes burdens on law-abiding gun owners that have no grounding in the text, history, or tradition of the Second Amendment,” said Doug Hamlin, NRA Executive Vice President & CEO. “The Second Amendment guarantees the right of Americans to own commonly used firearms—including short-barreled rifles—without government interference, and we’re hopeful that the Supreme Court will use this opportunity to reaffirm that right.” Read more