budget reconciliation bill

Uncategorized

It Is Only A Matter Of Time

July 3, 2025 by 4 Comments

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill passed the House today and will be sent to President Trump’s desk for signature. He wanted it before the 4th of July and he got his wish. The vote was 218-214 with two Republicans, Tom Massie (R-KY) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), joining all the Democrats in voting against the bill.

Sec. 70436 of the bill removed the transfer and making taxes on silencers, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, and any other weapons. The $200 tax is retained for machineguns and other destructive devices. The effective date will be the beginning of calendar quarters 90 days or more after the enactment of the bill. If I am calculating that correctly, then the tax goes to zero on January 1, 2026 given we have already started the 3rd quarter of 2025.

Once President Trump signs the bill then the real fun begins. The NRA, the American Suppressor Association, the Firearms Policy Coalition, and the Second Amendment Foundation issued a joint statement today stating their intention to sue.

Joint-NFA-LetterDownload

SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut had this to say:

“The NFA is nothing more than a tax scheme which has imposed an unconstitutional burden on Americans since 1934,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. “The registration of these items was only justified as the means to ensure taxes on them had been paid. With the One Big, Beautiful Bill zeroing out the tax for silencers and short barreled firearms, the registration scheme serves no other purpose than to create an unlawful barrier to keep people from exercising their Second Amendment rights. Our intention with this new lawsuit is to completely remove these barriers.”

UPDATE: The NRA just released these statements from President Bill Bachenberg, EVP Doug Hamlin, and ILA Director John Commerford.

“NRA worked throughout the reconciliation process on Capitol Hill to protect and strengthen the right to keep and bear arms,” said NRA President Bill Bachenberg. “Elections have consequences, and thanks to pro-gun majorities in both the House and Senate, American gun owners are seeing real results. A new era has begun in Washington, D.C., and the NRA is deeply grateful for President Trump’s unwavering support for our constitutional freedoms.”

“Congress has delivered a game-changing victory for gun owners – reducing the cost of a tax stamp for suppressors, short-barreled firearms, and ‘any other weapons’ to $0,” said Doug Hamlin, NRA Executive Vice President & CEO. “I thank the many NRA members and gun owners who contacted their Senators and Representatives urging them to protect Second Amendment rights. NRA looks forward to President Trump signing the One, Big, Beautiful Bill into law and building on his legacy as a champion for law-abiding gun owners.”

“Congressional Republicans took action to eliminate a nearly century-old punitive tax designed to discourage the lawful purchase and possession of constitutionally protected arms,” said John Commerford, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). “NRA-ILA applauds the leadership in both chambers for getting the One, Big, Beautiful Bill to President Trump’s desk. While removing the tax is a significant step forward, it is only the beginning. We remain committed to our ultimate goal: ending the unconstitutional National Firearms Act.”

Uncategorized

NRA Statement On One Big Beautiful Bill

May 22, 2025 by 3 Comments

This statement was released by the NRA on the passage of HR 1, “One, Big Beautiful Bill”, which included the removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act.

This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill known as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act, on a 215-214 vote. Included in the House’s reconciliation package was NRA-ILA’s number one legislative priority for the reconciliation fight – the full removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA). This is a massive win for NRA members, law-abiding gun owners, and Second Amendment supporters in this country. The work continues, though, as the bill now heads over to the Senate for their consideration. Following the passage of H.R. 1 this morning, the NRA released the following statements from Doug and John:

“On behalf of the millions of NRA members, I thank Speaker Johnson and Republican House leadership for including a pro-gun victory in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill. Eliminating the onerous tax and regulations surrounding suppressor purchases would mark a significant and long-overdue reform. Despite the fearmongering from anti-gun activists, suppressors are important safety devices that protect the hearing health of gun owners and hunters. The NRA looks forward to working with the pro-gun majority in the U.S. Senate to see that this bill becomes law.” – Doug Hamlin, NRA EVP & CEO

“This morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed President Trump’s One, Big, Beautiful Bill, which includes the complete removal of suppressors from the National Firearms Act (NFA). This represents a monumental victory for Second Amendment rights, eliminating burdensome regulations on the purchase of critical hearing protection devices. The NRA thanks the House members who supported this bill and urges its swift passage in the U.S. Senate.” – John Commerford, NRA-ILA Executive Director

We are grateful for all the NRA members who have been calling their members of Congress advocating for this change. NRA-ILA will keep you updated as the One, Big, Beautiful Bill continues through the legislative process.

One gentle reminder – it is not time to stop calling Congress and in particular your two US Senators. Tell them you want to have suppressors removed from the NFA. You might also say that it would be even better if they included the SHORT Act in the bill. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. The US Capitol switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. Ask to be connected to your Senator’s office.

Uncategorized

Prohibitionists Gotta Lie, Example 3

May 22, 2025 by

Brady United considers suppressors to be dangerous accessories. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery disagrees and has endorsed their use as an effective means of reducing hearing loss.

From Kris Brown, President of Brady United:

“It is outrageous that the Trump administration and its allies in the House have advanced a bill that simultaneously puts countless lives at risk and gives a ‘big, beautiful’ gift to gun industry executives and any mass shooter or assassin who intends to take lives. We do not need to speculate about how dangerous this will be: In 2019, a shooter armed with a silencer killed 12 people in Virginia Beach, and most of the victims were unaware that a mass shooting was even taking place. Americans will die if this becomes law, hard stop.

This provision would allow anyone to buy or even 3D print a silencer without registration or even a simple background check. This flies in the face of almost 100 years of sensible regulation of silencers that has saved lives. If House leaders want to legislate actual changes to gun policies, they should hold public hearings on bills and not sneak devious provisions into a massive tax giveaway in the dark of night. Brady fiercely condemns the House bill and urges the Senate to reject any effort to put gun industry profits above American lives.”

Americans will die if this becomes law? What would the gun control industry do without hyperbole?

Hold public hearings on bills? What do you call the marathon sessions of the House Ways and Means, House Budget, and House Rules Committees? I guess they weren’t awake when their pet legislator Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) railed on about silencers (starts at about 9:00 mark) and her desire to raise the tax exponentially. I consider that a public hearing even if you don’t.

Devious provisions? Given how public we on the pro-rights side have been about our advocacy for both the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act, I hardly would call it devious. Devious implies that we went about this sneakily and that certainly is not the truth.

3D print a silencer? OMG! Why go to all that trouble when all you need to do is screw on the right sized oil filter.

The funny thing is that in countries that have the level of gun control that they desire for in the USA, you can pick up a silencer readily, cheaply, and without any government interference. Here is an example from the gun control paradise formerly known as Great Britain. Or in South Africa given how their president is making news by visiting the White House. I can assure you that transporting a firearm from one airport to another in South Africa is strictly controlled.

Uncategorized

Prohibitionists Gotta Lie, Example 2

May 22, 2025 by

Our next example of prohibitionists lying about suppressors comes from the Cult of Personality known as Giffords.

Silencers, also known as “suppressors,” obstruct law enforcement efforts to quickly and effectively respond to active shooters since they make it more difficult to recognize the sound of gunfire and locate the source of gunshots. They also mask muzzle flash and reduce recoil, increasing the risk of multiple-casualty shootings. A silencer was used in the 2019 Virginia Beach shooting that killed 12 people. It has also been reported that the shooters in the 2022 Tops Friendly Market massacre in Buffalo, New York, and the 2023 Lewiston, Maine, shooting that murdered 18 people, had tried to purchase silencers, but were denied. 

“Instead of focusing on the safety of American families, House Republicans just gave gun industry CEOs a $1.5 billion tax break to help boost their bottom line. Silencers will only enable shooters to cause more violence and damage without being detected. Law enforcement has opposed efforts to make silencers more accessible for a reason—they’re dangerous and make their jobs harder. For a party that claims to ‘back the blue,’ House Republicans just gave dangerous people a big win and ignored the impact to public safety,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. 

As I noted in my previous post, 130 decibels is the average of a suppressed gun shot from a 9mm Glock. That is the same amount of sound of a F-18 taking off from a carrier deck. More difficult to recognize the sound of gunfire? I don’t think so.

Reducing recoil and muzzle flash increase the risk of mass-casualty events? Are you kidding me? That has to be one of the more ludicrous arguments made by the prohibitionists.

Insofar as law enforcement opposing efforts to deregulate suppressors, the very article used by Giffords says just the opposite. It points out that the then head of the Fraternal Order of Police didn’t consider it a law enforcement problem. Using 7-8 year old articles regarding LEOs and suppressors to try and make your point just fails.

Uncategorized

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

May 22, 2025 by 1 Comment

As Mick Jagger famously sung in the Rolling Stones’ classic hit:

No, you can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime you’ll find
You get what you need

The House of Representatives passed One Big, Beautiful Bill aka the budget reconciliation bill very early this morning. It passed 215-214 with 2 Republicans voting no and 1 voting present. Included in the bill was a provision that removed suppressors from the National Firearms Act.

We wanted to get both the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act in the final bill as sent to the Senate. We only got the Hearing Protection Act provision which removed suppressors from the National Firearms Act.

Is this a loss?

The answer is an unequivocal no.

As any trader in a Third-World market would tell you, the bidding process begins by asking for more than you reasonably think you can get. By asking for both the HPA and the SHORT Act it gave us room to bargain. While we wanted both, getting suppressors removed from the National Firearms Act is much better than what the Ways and Means Committee was offering which was a reduction of the tax to zero but with suppressors remaining registered in the NFA. In my opinion, if we had started the negotiations with only asking for the Hearing Protection Act then we probably would have only gotten the reduction in tax.

Thanks to a post by the American Suppressor Association, here is the final wording that the House voted to approve.

This now goes to the Senate where we must fight to keep this provision in the bill. It, of course, has riled up the gun control industry but that was to be expected.

Provided this passes the Senate and suppressors are removed from the NFA in their entirety I expect to see an explosion in the sales of suppressors as well as court battles in those states like Illinois, New York, and California that ban suppressors. I look forward to the latter as it is hard to argue against something that reduces overall noise pollution and is backed as a health safety device by the medical community.

Uncategorized

Who Has A Committee Meeting At 1am?

May 21, 2025 by 4 Comments

The quick answer to the headline is the House Rules Committee. They are scheduled to meet to discuss the budget reconciliation bill aka A Big, Beautiful Bill at 1am Eastern on Wednesday morning.

And here I have thought the House Budget Committee reconvening their markup meeting on the budget reconciliation bill at 10pm Sunday night was a bit unusual.

If you are awake and want to watch the sausage being – I mean legislation considered – there will be video.

Will Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC-5) listen to gun rights groups and include the portions of the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act as requested? She has been pro-2A in the past so there is some, if slim, hope. It is interesting to note that Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) is a member of the committee as he has been supportive of both measures.

In a tweet on X from Erich Pratt of Gun Owners of America which featured a video of an interview with Mr. Roy, it was noted that a lot of progress had been made on suppressors and they are still working of SBRs and SBSs.

I guess we may know tomorrow morning when we get up to have our morning coffee.

While it appears that many state level groups and others such as GOA are going for the whole enchilada, i.e., SBRs, SBS, AND suppressors, it appears the NRA has given up on anything more than suppressors. This is from my reading of an alert sent out on Monday urging people to call representatives to push for the inclusion of suppressors in the bill. In my opinion – and it is only my opinion – this is a mistake as a win on the whole lot would galvanize the grass roots and mark the NRA as hard-core supporters of gun rights.