For a brief period, it seemed that Congress might secure a significant victory for gun owners in the United States. Initially, the House included the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) in H.R.1, known as One Big Beautiful Bill, excluding the SHORT Act. This change removed suppressors from the National Firearms Act of 1934’s definition.
Later, a Senate committee reinstated the SHORT Act, eliminating short-barreled rifles and shotguns from the NFA as well. This would have made these items no more difficult to purchase than ordinary firearms, removing requirements like the $200 tax and fingerprinting.
However, on July 3, Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough removed both pro-gun measures from the bill. She argued they exceeded Byrd rule provisions because they weren’t directly related to taxes. The only remaining change was reducing the “tax stamp” from $200 to zero.
At a national level, this means starting January 1, 2026, suppressors and short-barreled long guns will not have a $200 tax stamp but will still be under NFA regulation.
In response to MacDonough’s decision, several organizations including Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), National Rifle Association (NRA), American Suppressor Association (ASA), and Firearms Policy Coalition filed a lawsuit challenging these registration requirements as unconstitutional.
SAF executive director Adam Kraut stated on July 3: “The NFA is nothing more than a tax scheme which has imposed an unconstitutional burden on Americans since 1934… Our intention with this new lawsuit is to completely remove these barriers.”
While legal proceedings could take months or years to resolve, there is potential for HPA (H.R.404) and SHORT ACT (H.R.2395) to progress as standalone bills.
In Ohio, House Bill 331 and Senate Bill 214 proposed changes to state laws assuming federal bills passed. These aimed at removing suppressors from dangerous ordnance definitions and eliminating mandatory suppressor registration under NFA guidelines. Both bills are currently stalled in Ohio’s General Assembly.
BFA executive director Dean Rieck expressed disappointment that suppressors and short-barreled long guns were not fully removed from NFA regulations but remains hopeful for future successes.
“We still view this as a victory,” Rieck said. “Some progress is better than no progress… It took a quarter century to get where we are now in Ohio.”
Buckeye Firearms Association continues monitoring legal and legislative developments on this issue.
