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A recent court ruling has invalidated key components of a federal firearms law. For nearly a century, the law has mandated extra requirements for people who wanted to buy certain firearms and silencers. Gun rights groups are calling the ruling a huge win, but the issue is far from resolved. NPR's Jaclyn Diaz has more.
JACLYN DIAZ, BYLINE: Let's go back to last summer. That's when President Trump signed his sweeping budget and policy bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. A provision buried inside it altered a key part of the 1934 National Firearms Act. That law mandated a $200 tax on silencers, which muffle the sound of a gun, and weapons, including short-barreled rifles.
In last year's budget bill, Congress eliminated that tax. That move prompted groups like Gun Owners of America and 15 Republican-led states to sue. They argued that without a tax, there's no constitutional basis for any of the other requirements in the National Firearms Act. And last week, a Texas federal judge agreed. Here's Erich Pratt with Gun Owners of America.
ERICH PRATT: This is truly one of the greatest Second Amendment victories in the last 100 years.
DIAZ: Under this ruling, some Americans can now buy and sell silencers, certain rifles or shotguns without having to register with the federal government, no need to submit fingerprints or photos. The DOJ told NPR it respects Americans' Second Amendment rights and is assessing the impact of the ruling.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the federal agency which regulates firearms, said it would continue to process forms according to existing policies. Jack Budish is with Everytown for Gun Safety. He says these weapons are just as dangerous, if not more so today, than when this law was first established in the '30s.
JACK BUDISH: It is the antithesis of public safety to now all of a sudden say, we're going to unleash these weapons into communities and onto our streets.
DIAZ: There is a limit to this ruling. It only covers the plaintiffs in the Texas case, and states may still impose their own restrictions. Two other lawsuits challenging the National Firearms Act are ongoing in Missouri and Kentucky. In the meantime, Pratt, with Gun Owners of America, says, if you want to buy, say, a silencer, do so carefully, and maybe consult a lawyer to help clarify how this ruling applies to you. Jaclyn Diaz, NPR News.
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