The National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 has stood for nearly a century as a grotesque affront to the Second Amendment. Enacted under the guise of cracking down on organized crime, the NFA’s real-world impact has been punishing law-abiding Americans for exercising their fundamental rights. By taxing, regulating, and criminalizing basic firearm ownership, the NFA laid the groundwork for decades of federal overreach. At the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), we firmly believe that the NFA is not just outdated—it is unconstitutional. Now, with the introduction of the SHORT Act and SHUSH Act, we finally have a real opportunity to strike at the heart of this tyrannical law.
What is the National Firearms Act, and Why is Reform Needed?
The National Firearms Act was passed in 1934 and immediately began targeting law-abiding citizens, rather than criminals. It imposed arbitrary taxes and heavy regulations on short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns, suppressors, and a vague category known as “Any Other Weapons” (AOWs). For the mere act of owning an NFA item, Americans are forced to pay a $200 tax, submit fingerprints and photographs, register their personal property with the federal government, and wait for bureaucrats to grant permission. This is not law enforcement. This is unconstitutional control.
Rather than stopping crime, the NFA has empowered federal agencies to entrap and harass citizens. The burdens it places—in the form of taxes, paperwork, and extreme wait times—are designed to intimidate Americans into surrendering their rights. Reform is not just overdue; it is absolutely necessary. Every day the NFA remains law is another day the federal government violates the clear text of “shall not be infringed.”
The National Association for Gun Rights believes the NFA should not just be reformed—it must ultimately be fully repealed. The very existence of the National Firearms Act is an insult to the Constitution and a direct assault on the freedoms of every American. But we will not stop there. As part of our “Make America Armed Again” campaign, NAGR is calling for the full repeal of the National Firearms Act of 1934, the Gun Control Act of 1968, and the Hughes Amendment of 1986. The Supreme Court’s Bruen decision made it clear: any gun control must align with the text, history, and tradition of the Second Amendment as it was understood at our nation’s founding. These 20th-century gun control laws fail that test and have no place in a free America. It is time to correct these unconstitutional mistakes, restore the right to bear arms in its fullest form, and reaffirm that “shall not be infringed” still means exactly what it says.
Items Currently Regulated Under the NFA
The NFA regulates short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, suppressors, machine guns, destructive devices, and the intentionally vague “Any Other Weapons” category. To own one of these items legally, citizens must navigate an expensive and time-consuming process that includes the notorious $200 tax stamp, the submission of personal biometric data, and endless waiting periods—all for the “privilege” of owning common firearms and accessories.
Violations of the NFA’s devious rules can lead to lengthy prison sentences and life-destroying felony convictions, even for accidental paperwork mistakes. These penalties highlight exactly why the NFA must be dismantled: it criminalizes constitutionally protected activity.
The SHORT Act: Removing Short-Barreled Firearms from NFA Regulation
The Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act, better known as the SHORT Act, represents a long-overdue blow to the NFA’s overreach. Sponsored by Rep. Andrew Clyde in the House (H.R. 2395), the SHORT Act would remove short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and any weapons classified under the absurd “Any Other Weapon” label from the NFA.
This legislation is essential for restoring the constitutional rights of American citizens. By eliminating the need for tax stamps, lengthy approval processes, and federal registration for these firearms, the SHORT Act returns firearms law to its proper constitutional foundation. At NAGR, we strongly endorse the SHORT Act and are mobilizing gun owners nationwide to demand its passage.
How the SHORT Act Would Benefit Law-Abiding Gun Owners
If passed, the SHORT Act would immediately eliminate the $200 tax burden on millions of Americans, end months-long bureaucratic delays and destroy the ATF’s ability to criminalize the possession of common firearms based solely on barrel length. Gun owners would be able to build, buy, sell, and transfer short-barreled rifles and shotguns without federal interference, restoring rights that should have never been stripped away.
More importantly, the SHORT Act would align federal firearms laws with the Second Amendment. Short-barreled rifles and shotguns are not the tools of criminals; they are the tools of hunters, sportsmen, home defenders and patriots. The federal government’s attack on these items has always been an attack on freedom itself.
For those following the political developments, you can stay updated on new gun law efforts and victories through our “New Gun Laws Around the Nation for 2025” page.
The SHUSH Act: Simplifying Suppressor Regulations
The Silencers Helping Us Save Hearing Act, or SHUSH Act, is another critical piece of legislation aimed at gutting the NFA. Sponsored by Senator Mike Lee (S. 345) and Rep. Michael Cloud (H.R. 850), the SHUSH Act would remove suppressors from NFA regulation entirely.
If passed, the SHUSH Act would ensure that suppressors are treated like any other firearm accessory—no tax stamp, no registration, no government approval necessary. Effectively, you could buy a suppressor like a pack of gum at the supermarket – how awesome would that be? This simple, common-sense change would make firearms safer to use and protect the hearing of millions of Americans.
NAGR proudly supports the SHUSH Act because it directly addresses the unconstitutional barriers that have been artificially erected around firearm suppressors.
Suppressors as Safety Devices: The Truth About “Silencers”
Suppressors are not the Hollywood fantasy devices that render gunshots silent. In the real world, suppressors reduce the sound of a gunshot by about 20 to 30 decibels—enough to prevent permanent hearing damage but not enough to hide the sound of gunfire. They are safety devices, plain and simple.
Suppressors protect shooters, instructors, law enforcement officers, and even bystanders from hearing loss. They also reduce noise pollution, making shooting ranges and hunting lands more neighbor-friendly. Ironically, even countries like the United Kingdom, France, and Norway—nations with heavy-handed gun control laws—have fewer restrictions on suppressor ownership than the United States does under the NFA.
It is sheer insanity that in America, a nation built on individual liberty, suppressors are treated more harshly than in some of the most anti-gun countries in the world.
The Constitutional Case for NFA Reform
The Second Amendment’s language is absolute: “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” There is no carve-out for short barrels, noise levels, or bureaucratic oversight. Every restriction placed by the NFA is a direct infringement on this right.
Recent Supreme Court rulings, particularly the landmark decision in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, have reaffirmed that modern gun regulations must be grounded in the text, history, and tradition of the Second Amendment. The NFA, with its tax schemes and registration requirements, lacks historical basis and constitutional legitimacy.
NAGR’s Dudley Brown and our entire legal team are aggressively pushing for the courts to recognize that the NFA stands on crumbling legal ground.
Recent Court Challenges to the NFA
In the wake of Bruen, court cases have challenged elements of the NFA, including lawsuits targeting the NFA’s regulation of suppressors and short-barrelled rifles. To date, these lawsuits have been primarily unsuccessful.
The Supreme Court’s 2008 landmark pro-gun precedent in D.C. v. Heller included language that many leftist judges have exploited to treat elements of the NFA as essentially untouchable. Overall, the federal courts have been reluctant to apply real constitutional scrutiny to the NFA even post-Bruen.
This means that if gun owners want to reclaim the rights trampled by the NFA, we will need to mobilize for its repeal by Congress.
What Gun Owners Can Do to Support NFA Reform
We have a historic opportunity to end one of the worst gun control laws in American history—but only if gun owners act.
Contact your U.S. Representative and Senators and demand that they support the SHORT Act and SHUSH Act. Educate your friends, family and fellow gun owners about the truth behind the NFA. Join the fight by becoming a member of the National Association for Gun Rights at our Join NAGR page.
Financial support is critical, too. If you are able, please consider donating to NAGR’s efforts through our Donate page. Your donations help us fund litigation, lobbying, and grassroots mobilization to finally drive a stake through the heart of the NFA.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About NFA Reform Legislation
What is the current status of the SHORT Act?
The SHORT Act has been introduced and referred to committee. It is gaining traction thanks to the efforts of groups like NAGR and the unrelenting pressure from gun owners nationwide. We are monitoring its progress closely and mobilizing support at every stage.
Would the SHUSH Act completely deregulate suppressors?
Yes. If the SHUSH Act passes, suppressors will be treated like any other firearm accessory. There would be no tax, no registration, and no bureaucratic approval process.
How would these acts affect state-level restrictions on NFA items?
Federal deregulation would remove the NFA’s grip at the national level. However, some states have their own restrictions on suppressors and short-barreled rifles that would remain in place. That’s why NAGR continues to fight at both the federal and state levels to fully restore gun rights across the country. You can learn more about our state-level fights through our “Constitutional Carry” campaigns.
NAGR’s Commitment to NFA Repeal: The Time to Strike is Now
The National Firearms Act has been an anchor around the neck of the Second Amendment for 90 years. Passed in 1934 under the guise of “public safety,” the NFA is nothing more than a blueprint for civilian disarmament—crafted by bureaucrats, enforced by unelected thugs at the ATF, and weaponized against law-abiding gun owners.
Under the NFA, it’s a felony to own a suppressor or a short-barreled rifle without federal approval, a tax stamp, and registration in a government database. Think about that: the federal government treats a hunk of metal that muffles sound or a slightly shorter barrel like it’s a machine gun. And for what? The NFA hasn’t stopped crime. It hasn’t made America safer. All it’s done is criminalize honest gun owners and give Washington politicians a roadmap for more bans, more red tape, and more control.
It’s time to burn the NFA to the ground—legislatively speaking—and send a clear message: We’re done asking for permission to exercise our rights.
That’s why the National Association for Gun Rights is all-in on the SHORT Act and SHUSH Act—two bold bills that would gut key sections of the NFA. The SHORT Act repeals the federal regulations on short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and suppressors. The SHUSH Act goes even further by removing suppressors from all regulation, including background checks, tax stamps, and registry mandates.
These bills aren’t half-measures. They’re not compromises. They’re a direct assault on the unconstitutional power the federal government has claimed for nearly a century.
And while the D.C. swamp may tremble at the idea of repealing any gun control law, we don’t. We know the tide is turning. We know millions of Americans are sick of being treated like criminals for owning common firearm accessories. And we’re not going to stop until the NFA is nothing more than a footnote in the history books—a warning of what happens when a government overreaches.
But we can’t do this alone.
If you believe that no American should be forced to register a suppressor, SBR, or SBS with the federal government…
If you believe that the ATF should not exist as a gun control enforcement agency…
If you believe that the Second Amendment is not up for negotiation…
Then now’s the time to stand with us.
Sign our official petition to Congress demanding full support for the SHORT Act—and help us rip apart the NFA, one corrupt statute at a time.
We’ll deliver this petition straight to the desks of your politicians, and we won’t stop until they’re forced to choose: side with the Constitution, or face the wrath of millions of gun owners who’ve had enough.
About the Author
Taylor Rhodes is the Director of Communications at the National Association for Gun Rights. A seasoned political strategist and unapologetic defender of the Second Amendment, Taylor has led high-impact campaigns at both the state and national levels. He lives in Hoover, Alabama, with his wife, Madison, and enjoys bourbon, golf, and collecting firearms—especially his 12.5” Geissele Super Duty.
