Half a Loaf Is Better Than None: Big Beautiful Bill and Suppressors

Flickr/Mike Finn

What the gun community really wanted was to remove silencers from the NFA entirely, but that’s off the table for right now.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill” has passed the Senate. We’re disappointed that it did so without the proviso that suppressors would be removed from the National Firearms Act list of items, such as machine guns, that cannot be purchased without extra scrutiny. The problem is that the OBBB is, at its core, a budget reconciliation bill. It’s supposed to directly address government spending. The problem is that the NFA has been in existence for over 80 years, and the question of having silencers on it or not … well, it’s not exactly a budget question.

That, in a nutshell, is why the current version of the OBBB does not address the general legality of suppressors as we had hoped it would. The negotiation was done entirely by Senators; this isn’t a matter of “rights being negotiated away” by anyone in the gun industry or our lobbying groups like the NRA, CCRKBA, and FPC.

However, the government’s ability to collect taxes DOES apply directly to a budget bill, and that’s why the bill in its current form has removed the $200 tax stamp. This may not be the whole loaf of bread we really wanted, but half a loaf is better than none.

Furthermore, the bill is not yet ready for President Trump’s signature! The NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action has the current status … and what you and I can still do to make the OBBB as pretty as possible for law-abiding Americans.

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One Big Beautiful Bill Clears Senate, and Heads Back to House

Earlier today the U.S. Senate passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This bill contained a provision that would, among other things, eliminate the burdensome $200 excise tax imposed by federal law on suppressors, short-barreled firearms, and “any other weapons” as defined by the National Firearms Act (NFA).

This bill has worked its way across Capitol Hill for months and is closer to becoming law than ever before. But it is now headed back to the U.S. House for final passage. If the “One Big Beautiful Bill” is passed by the U.S. House, it will then go to President Trump’s desk for his signature and it will become law.

Far from perfect, this bill represents an opportunity for NRA members and gun owners nationwide to pull back the draconian tax scheme that is the NFA, and we are closer to that goal than ever before.

Your U.S. Representative needs to hear from you! The U.S. House is preparing to move very quickly to pass this bill before the 4^th of July, so there’s no time to waste. Please call your U.S. Representative today and urge them to vote YES on the “One Big Beautiful Bill!” If you don’t know the number for your U.S. Representative, you can reach them at (202) 224-3121.