Gun rights groups and firearm industry leaders are launching a new legal effort to dismantle what remains of the National Firearms Act after President Donald Trump signed legislation Friday that eliminates excise taxes on suppressors and short-barreled firearms.
The forthcoming lawsuit, described by advocates as the “One Big Beautiful Lawsuit,” will argue that the NFA’s remaining provisions, including registration mandates and transfer rules, are now unconstitutional following passage of the Trump-backed “one big, beautiful bill.”
Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, Palmetto State Armory, Silencer Shop, B&T USA, and others say the Supreme Court only upheld the NFA in 1937 as a tax law, and that legal basis no longer applies after Congress reduced the $200 tax to zero dollars.
“The Supreme Court has made clear that the NFA survives only as a tax law,” said Sam Paredes on behalf of the Gun Owners Foundation board. “Once the President signs this bill and the tax disappears, the registry becomes an unconstitutional relic.”
The legislation, signed into law on Friday, reduced the NFA’s tax rate to zero on all covered firearms except machine guns and destructive devices. Plaintiffs argue this guts the original justification for the law in Sonzinsky v. United States and leaves behind a regulatory scheme with no constitutional foundation.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to dismantle one of the most abusive federal gun control laws on the books,” said Erich Pratt, GOA’s senior vice president. “With the tax struck down by Congress, the rest of the NFA is standing on air.”
The legal effort is expected to include gun owners, sellers, and manufacturers who say the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives registration process imposes unconstitutional burdens, despite the lack of a revenue-generating tax.
“This commitment drives us to continue the fight to lift the heavy restrictions placed on American gun owners by the National Firearms Act,” said Palmetto State Armory CEO Jamin McCallum. “Our mission has always been, and will always be, to champion freedom and uphold our constitutional rights.”
Separately, the Firearms Policy Coalition announced it would also challenge the NFA in federal court, calling the excise tax repeal a “critical step toward our ultimate goal of dismantling the NFA once and for all.”
Although the One Big Beautiful Bill Act fell short of fully repealing the NFA, GOA said it plans to use the courts to finish what Congress did not. The group said it pushed hard for a full repeal during the reconciliation process but was blocked by unelected bureaucrats and reluctant Republican lawmakers.
The lawsuits are expected to mark the most serious legal challenge to the NFA in nearly a century and come as the Trump administration continues to reshape federal gun policy through the Justice Department and legislative efforts.
SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN STRIKES SCHOOL VOUCHERS AND GUN PROVISIONS FROM TRUMP TAX BILL
Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, the DOJ has directed the ATF to pivot from enforcing paperwork violations and instead focus its resources on targeting transnational gun smuggling rings, cartel-linked trafficking, and violent crime.
ATF has also streamlined Form 4473 processing and deprioritized enforcement actions involving outdated or technical registration errors, moves gun rights groups see as long overdue course corrections.