Gun Rights Groups Sue to Challenge National Firearms Act After Taxes Lifted in ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

The move comes amid concerns NFA could be used as firearms registry. Critics say loss of $200 firearms tax a ‘golden gift to gun industry CEOs.’

An assortment of silencers are displayed in a case at Lawful Defense in Gainesville, Fla., on April 19, 2023. Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times

Gun rights organizations sued the government on July 4 to have the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 declared an unconstitutional gun registry for silencers, short-barreled shotguns, and short-barreled rifles.

According to the lawsuit, President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act effectively removed the tax on these items by reducing it from $200 to $0. However, the firearms must still be registered, making the NFA a firearms registry.