Key facts
- A federal court order striking down regulations on firearm suppressors and certain guns took effect Thursday.
- The U.S. Justice Department did not file an appeal before the seven-day deadline set by a federal judge.
- The ruling allows for the purchase of silencers, short-barreled rifles, and shotguns without registration.
- The order also removes an additional layer of background checks for these firearms.
- U.S. District Judge James Hendrix ruled that regulations in a 1930s-era law are unconstitutional.
A federal court order that struck down regulations on firearm suppressors and certain guns took effect Thursday after the U.S. Justice Department did not file an appeal before a seven-day deadline. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge James Hendrix in Lubbock, Texas, allows individuals to purchase silencers, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and other firearms without registration, while also removing an extra layer of background checks.
Hendrix stated that the regulations, part of a 1930s-era law, are unconstitutional, particularly after Congress and President Donald Trump eliminated a $200 permit tax on the devices. The government's failure to appeal was criticized by gun violence prevention group Giffords as a "failure to defend public safety."
Gun Owners of America reported that two of its members successfully acquired suppressors without needing to register them, with the group's senior vice president, Erich Pratt, calling it a "historic victory" and stating that "the era of federal registration for constitutionally protected arms must end." The National Firearms Act, enacted in 1934, regulates firearms deemed most dangerous, which gun-rights advocates argue conflicts with the Second Amendment. Giffords chief counsel Adam Skaggs, however, maintained that the regulatory system has been effective and the need for it remains as strong as it was after the Prohibition era.