The “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed through Congress and was signed by President Donald J. Trump (R) on July 4. It included a provision eliminating the $200 excise tax on suppressors, short-barreled firearms and “any other weapons” as defined by the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934. The tax ends as of 2026.
These days, most federal gun control relies on an expansive reading of the Commerce Clause. But when it came to the NFA, the Roosevelt administration and members of Congress subscribed to the old maxim “if you want less of something, tax it.” This, after all, is a tactic gun-control-supporting politicians use today and have long used to disenfranchise citizens who don’t have the time or money to navigate the system.
Interestingly, also in 1934, an engineer named Charles Darrow reimagined the board game Monopoly, transforming it from an anti-capitalist game into the board game we know today; in fact, Darrow included an Income Tax space that gives players landing on it two options: Either pay $200 or pay 10% of their total worth. He included this space to teach people about the punishing nature of arbitrary taxes.
In either case, the $200 tax was severe in 1934. According to U.S. Inflation Calculator, $200 in 1934 is equal to $4,797.99 today’s dollars.
Over time, this $200 tax became more affordable for normal Americans. Today, in the 42 states that don’t outright ban suppressors, these hearing-saving devices are popular despite the $200 tax, the paperwork and having to wait for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to register and approve the sale.
Unfortunately, the application and registration process for a suppressor (as well as for the firearms for which the tax was zeroed out) is still in the NFA. The NRA lobbied to end the need for citizens to apply to the ATF for what amounts to a permit for these common arms. That language did not make it through the reconciliation process.
“While the final bill is far from perfect, this bill represents the first major reduction of taxes imposed on law-abiding gun owners in decades. Additionally, the bill opens the NFA to new legal challenges which could finally put an end to the NFA and its infringement on our Second Amendment Rights,” wrote NRA-ILA.
Legal challenges, indeed; just after the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the NRA issued a joint statement with the American Suppressor Association, Firearms Policy Coalition and the Second Amendment Foundation announcing plans to file a "new strategic lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the NFA in Federal Court.”
Without the tax, the NFA is nothing more than an unconstitutional gun registry for suppressors and short-barreled firearms.
So, stay tuned; this fight is not over.
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