Buckeye Reporter

The Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) has joined other Second Amendment advocates in urging the Senate budget and finance committees to restore the SHORT Act in the reconciliation bill. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill including the Hearing Protection Act, which aims to remove suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934, but it did not include the SHORT Act. This act seeks to exclude short-barreled rifles and shotguns from being defined as firearms under the NFA.

In a letter addressed to key members of the Senate, BFA and other signatories call for critical reforms to protect constitutional rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment. They urge retention and strengthening of the Hearing Protection Act, incorporation of the SHORT Act, and elimination of NFA manufacturing and transfer taxes on small arms.

"President Trump, in his campaign speeches, promised to deliver on correcting the pistol brace issue," states the letter. "Nothing short of a repeal of the NFA prohibitions on short-barrel firearms will fix the statutory framework that created problems for so many gun owners during the Biden administration."

The letter argues that current regulations imposed by NFA undermine constitutional guarantees. It emphasizes that suppressors are crucial for preventing hearing loss among shooters and hunters, while also criticizing state-level bans as violations of Second Amendment rights.

"We demand that the Senate preserve H.R. 404 in its entirety," says another part of their statement regarding federal preemption over state suppressor bans.

Advocates argue that restrictions on short-barreled rifles and shotguns serve no public safety purpose. They assert these measures infringe upon rights without justification.

"The urgency of these reforms is underscored by unified efforts," they note while dismissing opposition claims about public safety threats posed by deregulation.

The coalition views this legislative opportunity as a chance to bypass filibuster constraints in order to enact overdue reforms aligned with constitutional principles.

"We call upon...the Senate Majority Leader," concludes their message demanding inclusion within upcoming legislation changes aimed at upholding Second Amendment protections unconditionally.