{"id":2471577,"date":"2025-08-06T15:18:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-challenges-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T15:19:43","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:19:43","slug":"lawsuit-challenges-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-challenges-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawsuit Challenges Regulation Of Untaxed Firearms"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flawsuit-challenges-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2471577&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Several Second Amendment advocacy groups,including the National Rifle Association (NRA),have filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the National firearms act of 1934 (NFA).The legal action follows President trump&#8217;s One Big,Beautiful Bill,which eliminates the $200 tax on certain firearms-such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-gun-executive-action-risks-turning-millions-of-gun-owners-into-felons\/\" title=\"Biden gun executive action risks turning millions of gun owners into felons\">short-barreled rifles<\/a>,shotguns,suppressors,and other weapons-starting January 1,2026.However, despite the tax repeal, the firearms still must be registered and are subject to regulations linked to the now-removed tax. The lawsuit argues that maintaining these regulations is unconstitutional and infringes on Second Amendment rights.<\/p>\n<p>Filed on August 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, the case &#8220;Brown v. ATF&#8221; names the ATF and the Department of Justice as defendants. Plaintiffs include the NRA, the American Suppressor Association, the Second Amendment Foundation, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and others. They seek a court declaration that the regulations on the formerly taxed firearms and suppressors are unlawful and an injunction against their enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>The NFA was originally enacted in 1934 to curb transactions in certain firearms through heavy taxation and registration, a mechanism that critics say was intended to limit gun ownership. Advocates claim that with the tax removed, the associated registration requirements serve no constitutional purpose other than to hinder lawful gun ownership. The lawsuit reflects ongoing efforts by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/expert-warns-biden-has-launched-four-prong-attack-against-second-amendment-advises-how-to-respond\/\" title=\"Expert Warns Biden Has Launched \u2018Four-Prong Attack Against\u2019 Second ..., Advises How To Respond\">gun rights groups<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >roll back regulatory hurdles<\/a> they believe violate constitutional protections under the Second Amendment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/a-man-aiming-a-rifle-5202396\/\">Kaboompics.com \/ Pexels<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/06\/lawsuit-the-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms-under-federal-law-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Lawsuit:%20The%20Regulation%20Of%20Untaxed%20Firearms%20Under%20Federal%20Law%20Is%20Unconstitutional&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/06\/lawsuit-the-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms-under-federal-law-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Lawsuit:%20The%20Regulation%20Of%20Untaxed%20Firearms%20Under%20Federal%20Law%20Is%20Unconstitutional&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/06\/lawsuit-the-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms-under-federal-law-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/06\/lawsuit-the-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms-under-federal-law-is-unconstitutional\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Lawsuit:%20The%20Regulation%20Of%20Untaxed%20Firearms%20Under%20Federal%20Law%20Is%20Unconstitutional&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/08\/06\/lawsuit-the-regulation-of-untaxed-firearms-under-federal-law-is-unconstitutional\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Several Second Amendment advocacy groups, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), have filed a <a href=\"https:\/\/shared.nrapvf.org\/sharedmedia\/1512092\/doc-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> to challenge the constitutionality of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA).<\/p>\n<p>President Trump&rsquo;s One Big, Beautiful Bill erased the NFA&rsquo;s $200 stamp tax on short-barreled rifles, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/one-big-beautiful-bill-act-opens-door-to-ending-some-gun-controls\/\" title=\"One ... ... Act opens door to ending some gun controls\">short-barreled shotguns<\/a>, any firearm classified by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) as &ldquo;other,&rdquo; and suppressors starting Jan. 1, 2026. However, &ldquo;the firearms are still required to be registered and are subject to&rdquo; regulations designed to enforce the &ldquo;now-extinct&rdquo; tax, the lawsuit says. This &ldquo;regulatory regime&rdquo; no longer comports with Congress&rsquo; constitutional authority, plaintiffs claim. The lawsuit also argues that &ldquo;the NFA&rsquo;s regulation of suppressors and short-barreled rifles violates the Second Amendment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-20705990\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;The National Firearms Act&rsquo;s registration scheme only exists to ensure that the tax on NFA firearms was paid,&rdquo; Adam Kraut, the Second Amendment Foundation&rsquo;s (SAF) executive director, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nraila.org\/articles\/20250801\/nra-other-leading-second-amendment-groups-file-lawsuit-challenging-the-constitutionality-of-the-national-firearms-act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a> in a press release. &ldquo;With Congress removing the tax on silencers, short-barreled firearms, and &lsquo;any other weapons,&rsquo; the continued inclusion of these items in the NFA serves no purpose, except continuing to retain an impermissible hurdle to the exercise of one&rsquo;s constitutional right to keep and bear arms.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit, <em>Brown v. ATF, <\/em>was filed on August 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. The plaintiffs are the NRA, the American Suppressor Association (ASA), SAF, the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), Prime Protection STL Tactical Boutique, and two individual members of these organizations. They are suing both the ATF and the DOJ. The lawsuit asks the court to declare NFA regulations &ldquo;relating to making, transferring, receiving, possessing, or otherwise using&rdquo; the untaxed firearms and suppressors unlawful and to block anyone from enforcing the challenged portions of the law.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/linkprotect.cudasvc.com\/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nraila.org%2farticles%2f20250616%2fsenate-finance-committee-releases-text-of-reconciliation-bill&amp;c=E,1,gE5pg59jqmF7LszDgOS8ePIuGPr3ecMbajK1UyXzILigArckEnZ_JcZggBKX-_srnuyMpUiGcXZEEEeU6V4EjN4sZc-fYBavpHeQQDq5Rvhmp7-rIA,,&amp;typo=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According<\/a>&nbsp;to the NRA, an earlier version of the Big, Beautiful Bill included language that would have removed the $200 &ldquo;federal excise tax, registry, and paperwork currently imposed on suppressors,&rdquo; short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and &ldquo;any other weapons&rdquo; under the NFA. However, this language was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/linkprotect.cudasvc.com\/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nraila.org%2farticles%2f20250627%2fus-senate-forced-to-remove-pro-gun-language-from-reconciliation-bill&amp;c=E,1,_8WgY5VTgxCR5LwK8ABkEk00O4SiUOhOaBFKB34aRod87y2V-poe3IH1jlRCs0nCUogp87koZkGJqlyUObV7ghvHZ8CoZdAC3oFOHzKyFD6w4UxvMIeMEA,,&amp;typo=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">removed<\/a>&nbsp;from the legislation after the Senate parliamentarian advised it violated the Byrd rule. As The Federalist&rsquo;s Jordan Boyd&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/06\/27\/report-senate-parliamentarian-nixes-language-eliminating-suppressor-tax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the parliamentarian&rsquo;s role is &ldquo;purely advisory.&rdquo; The Senate chair can ignore her recommendations, and &ldquo;60 senators &hellip; could overrule the chair if he sides with the parliamentarian.&rdquo; What&rsquo;s more, a &ldquo;simple majority could add the language back to the bill as an amendment.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The final version of the Big Beautiful Bill cut the tax from $200 to zero but, as the lawsuit details, still allows for &ldquo;burdensome&rdquo; registration requirements.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The NFA was originally introduced, by the ATF&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/rules-and-regulations\/laws-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives\/national-firearms-act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admission<\/a>, with an &ldquo;underlying purpose&rdquo; to &ldquo;curtail, if not prohibit, transactions in NFA firearms.&rdquo; It was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2016\/06\/30\/484215890\/prohibition-era-gang-violence-spurred-congress-to-pass-first-gun-law\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed<\/a> into law by FDR under the age-old pretense of preventing violence. At the time, the $200 tax was closer to $5,000 in today&rsquo;s dollars. The law was later <a href=\"https:\/\/www.atf.gov\/rules-and-regulations\/laws-alcohol-tobacco-firearms-and-explosives\/national-firearms-act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">revised<\/a> because of concerns about its constitutionality, but the tax and registration requirement remained.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Congress took a major step by eliminating the NFA tax on suppressors and short-barreled firearms through the OBBB, and we&rsquo;re proud to work alongside other leading Second Amendment organizations to finish the job,&rdquo; said John Commerford, executive director of the NRA&rsquo;s Institute for Legislative Action.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Jacqueline Annis-Levings is a correspondent for the Federalist. She is a rising junior at Patrick Henry College, where she is majoring in English.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Jacqueline Annis-Levings<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JacqLevings\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@JacqLevings<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/jacquelineannislevings\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/american-suppressor-association\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">American Suppressor Association<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/atf\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">ATF<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/firearms\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">firearms<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/firearms-policy-coalition\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Firearms Policy Coalition<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gun-registration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">gun registration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gun-regulations\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">gun regulations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/gun-rights\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Gun Rights<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/national-rifle-association\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">National Rifle Association<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/one-big-beautiful-bill\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">One Big Beautiful Bill<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/prime-protection-stl\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Prime Protection STL<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/second-amendent\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Second Amendent<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/second-amendment-foundation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Second Amendment Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/second-amendment-rights\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Second Amendment rights<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Several Second Amendment groups, including the NRA, sued to challenge the National Firearms Act of 1934<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3848,"featured_media":2471578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pexels-karolina-grabowska-5202396-scaled.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[9473,4585,5270],"class_list":["post-2471577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-firearms","tag-lawsuit","tag-regulation"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pexels-karolina-grabowska-5202396-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3848"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2471577"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471577\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2471581,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2471577\/revisions\/2471581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2471578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2471577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2471577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2471577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}