Several gun rights organizations are suing the federal government to challenge the National Firearms Act’s (NFA) regulation of items such as suppressors and short-barreled rifles.
The lawsuit, dubbed the “Big Beautiful Lawsuit,” was filed by the Silencer Shop Foundation, Gun Owners of America (GOA), Palmetto State Armory, and other groups. It argues that the NFA’s restrictions are unconstitutional in light of the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year.
The bill included a provision eliminating the $200 tax required for registering suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and other firearms under the NFA beginning in 2026. The lawsuit contends that without this tax, there is no longer a constitutional basis for these items to remain under the NFA’s regulation.
“This lawsuit isn’t about picking a fight — it’s about ending one that started in 1934. For nearly a century, Americans have been told they need to beg for permission to protect their own hearing,” said Dave Matheny, CEO and founder of Silencer Shop, according to the Daily Wire. “That’s not safety. That’s government inertia. We’re fighting to restore the kind of common sense our grandparents took for granted — where you could enjoy your rights without a calendar and a checkbook standing in the way.”
In a statement released in July, Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of GOA, said that this is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to dismantle one of the most abusive federal gun control laws on the books.”
“With the tax struck down by Congress, the rest of the NFA is standing on air. We’re ready to take this fight to the courts and finally end the federal registry once and for all,” Pratt added.
