National Firearms Act no longer applies to silencers, judge rules
A large part of the National Firearms Act is now unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, in a decision that could erase registration requirements for sales or transfer of silencers and short-barreled long guns. Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee to the bench in Texas, said when Congress zeroed out a tax on those weapons and accessories last year, it erased the constitutional underpinnings for the paperwork and registration requirements that were part of the 1934 gun law. Lawmakers said they needed the registrations to carry out the tax.
- ▪A large part of the National Firearms Act is now unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, in a decision that could erase registration requirements for sales or transfer of silencers and short-barreled long guns.
- ▪Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee to the bench in Texas, said when Congress zeroed out a tax on those weapons and accessories last year, it erased the constitutional underpinnings for the paperwork and registration requirements
- ▪Lawmakers said they needed the registrations to carry out the tax.
2 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 1 hour. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: lean left. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ Federal Judge Weakens The National Firearms Act — NYT — US
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| Original publisher | The Washington Times |
| Canonical URL | https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/5/national-firearms-act-no-longer-applies-silencers-judge-rules/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:47:18 -0400 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-05T22:08:57.160Z |
| Last seen | 2026-08-05T22:08:57.160Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
A large part of the National Firearms Act is now unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, in a decision that could erase registration requirements for sales or transfer of silencers and short-barreled long guns. Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee to the bench in Texas, said when Congress zeroed out a tax on those weapons and accessories last year, it erased the constitutional underpinnings for the paperwork and registration requirements that were part of the 1934 gun law. Lawmakers said they needed the registrations to carry out the tax. But Judge Hendrix said no tax means no more registration. Thus, the regulatory provisions must be enjoined as unconstitutional because they exceed Congress’s enumerated powers, the judge wrote.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Washington Times.
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