Having won in the House with its demand that the so-called “big, beautiful bill” eliminate the tax on firearms suppressors, Second Amendment advocates are now pushing the Senate to eliminate the tax and registration requirement on short-barreled rifles.
The industry is moving swiftly to build support for its call to include the Short Act in the tax and spending bill. That would essentially pull short-barreled rifles such as AR-style pistols and some shotguns out of the National Firearms Act, which requires that the arms be registered with Uncle Sam and a $200 tax paid.
On Monday, the House Freedom Caucus joined in asking the Senate to expand the House version of the “big, beautiful bill” to include the commonly owned and used firearms.
Always grateful to stand with leaders like @SteveDaines who boldly defend our 2A rights.
The Founders meant what they said—and it’s time to roll back unconstitutional infringements in the Big Beautiful Bill.
Let’s get it done! https://t.co/WyI4Sf3QeA
— Erich Pratt (@erichmpratt) June 10, 2025
On Tuesday, Second Amendment lobbyists were in the Senate pressing their case.
Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, a leading Second Amendment advocacy group, met with Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), who is working with other Republicans to include the Short Act in the Senate version of the bill.
Pratt said, “The House opened the door — now the Senate must walk through it. The inclusion of Section 3 of the Hearing Protection Act and the full SHORT Act is essential to restoring the rights of law-abiding Americans and rolling back unconstitutional mandates that the ATF has used for decades to harass gun owners. The time to act is now.”
On X, Daines wrote, “Our Founding Fathers were clear: the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Great meeting this morning with @GunOwners to discuss the need to end unconstitutional taxes and regulations on short barreled rifles & shotguns.”
The Second Amendment, and President Donald Trump’s promise to strengthen it, is becoming a major issue in the work on the legislation, which Republicans hope to approve by July 4.
If the Short Act is included with the House-approved elimination of registration and taxation of silencers, it will be a double-barrelled win for the industry, which has been pushing for legal changes since the Supreme Court’s 2008 “Heller” case, which allowed for firearms in “common use.”
BREAKING
The House @FreedomCaucus just called on the Senate to fix H.R. 1 by removing short-barreled firearms from the NFA. pic.twitter.com/6iLHpuU9qX
— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) June 9, 2025
There are millions of short-barrel AR-style rifles owned by Americans for plinking, self-defense, and hunting. Under rules set by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, those with fixed stocks are considered covered by the Al Capone era National Firearms Act, which requires a $200 tax, fingerprints, and registration.
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The agency had allowed for those configured as pistols to be exempt, but it flip-flopped under President Joe Biden and put them in the NFA. Courts have overruled that decision, which is headed to the Supreme Court.
The National Rifle Association last week urged the court to take up a case to decide the issue.