Federal Judge in Texas Nullifies 1930s Firearm Regulations

A federal judge in Texas has nullified a law from the 1930s that regulated firearm suppressors and other firearms deemed dangerous. This decision comes over a year after President Donald Trump signed a bill that removed taxes on these items. The ruling may allow the purchase of suppressors, short-barreled rifles, shotguns, and other specific firearms without registration, also lifting certain background checks.

Republicans had previously eliminated a $200 tax on these devices as part of Trump’s tax and spending cut bill. The National Firearms Act, established in the 1930s, required these regulations due to concerns about mafia-related violence. While gun restriction advocates view the law as important for safety, the recent ruling has been criticized as reckless. U.S. District Judge James Hendrix argued that without the tax, the regulation’s justification under Congress’s taxing power is invalid.

No longer can the challenged NFA provisions be justified — as they have been for nearly 90 years — under Congress’s taxing power, Judge Hendrix wrote.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, responsible for enforcing these regulations, has not yet commented on the ruling.

The National Firearms Act, in place since 1934, differentiates and regulates firearms considered most dangerous. The act initially used registration to ensure tax compliance, as noted by gun rights groups. These groups celebrate the ruling as a victory, aiming to use it to influence future legal arguments nationwide for Second Amendment rights.

The Second Amendment Foundation stated, This ruling will set a precedent we can now argue in courts across the country to allow Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights without fear of being placed on some government registry.

While federal law still requires background checks, registration previously involved local law enforcement notifications and the evaluation of any application objections. Adam Skaggs, Chief Counsel at the Giffords Law Center, noted that this process acted as an enhanced background check, which can no longer be enforced following the ruling.

As of June, over 6.4 million firearm suppressors were registered in the U.S., according to the ATF. The Giffords Law Center, advocating for stringent gun control, criticized the decision as a step backward for public safety.

Wilder reports for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative, a program placing journalists in newsrooms to cover underreported issues.