No Feds Allowed: After 92 Years, National Firearms Act (NFA) Mortally Wounded
A major Second Amendment victory may just result in the implosion of the 92-year-old National Firearms Act (NFA), after the DOJ missed a key deadline to file an appeal. A federal judge ruled that the government exceeded its constitutional taxing authority in enforcing key provisions of the law. Stephen Willeford, the citizen who stopped the Sutherland Springs mass shooter in 2017, and Gun Owners of America (GOA) spokesman, is at the center of that fight. He now represents an organization that is a named plaintiff in this monumental victory.
AUGUST 13 PRESS RELEASE FROM GOA (CLICK HERE)!!!
The historic victory moved from the courtroom to reality just after midnight on August 13, when GOA members Brandon Herrera and Wes Virdell became the first Americans since 1934 to lawfully acquire suppressors without NFA registration. The transfers took place at Silencer Shop in Leander, Texas, with GOA Senior Vice President Erich Pratt and Congressman Andrew Clyde on hand to witness the 12:01 a.m. milestone. The unprecedented transactions put a 92-year-old federal registration regime into practice—and demonstrated just how dramatically the Second Amendment landscape has shifted following the court’s injunction.
WATCH THE MONUMENTAL PURCHASE HERE:
Click here to order Stephen Willeford’s book, A Town Called Sutherland Springs
- Major 2A victory could fundamentally weaken the 92-year-old National Firearms Act.
- DOJ’s August 12 deadline passed without an appeal, leaving the injunction intact.
- Judge ruled Congress exceeded constitutional taxing authority when creating NFA restrictions.
- Willeford explains what this landmark ruling means for millions of gun owners.
- The NFA’s origins in fighting Capone-era crime could finally prove its undoing.
In 2017, Willeford ran toward the gunfire at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, confronting the mass shooter and helping stop an attack that claimed 26 lives. His actions likely saved an untold number of others. Now, Willeford and GOA are celebrating a potentially historic legal victory that could have consequences for millions of American gun owners.
A federal judge has ruled that Congress exceeded its constitutional taxing authority when it imposed NFA taxes on suppressors, short-barreled firearms and other regulated items. The ruling effectively stripped the NFA’s tax mechanism of its teeth, leaving a law that has governed these firearms for generations facing an uncertain future.
Then came August 12.
The Justice Department’s deadline to appeal came and went without an appeal being filed, leaving the injunction in place. As explained by Guns & Gadgets, GOA and Silencer Shop prepared to conduct what could be the first post-injunction, non-NFA suppressor transfer immediately after midnight. The historic transaction underscores just how dramatically the legal landscape has shifted.
But gun owners should not assume the battle is over. Federal officials could still seek a stay or pursue further appellate action, and firearms dealers are navigating territory the industry has not seen in more than nine decades. The ATF will also face pressure to provide guidance on how the ruling affects dealers and consumers.
Willeford can explain what this victory means for the average gun owner, why the NFA’s origins in the era of Al Capone matter today, and how a law created through an exercise of federal taxing power could be unraveling in federal court.
Most importantly, he can explain why this isn’t simply another Second Amendment lawsuit. If the ruling survives, the NFA could be dramatically de-fanged after 92 years—and an obscure tax imposed in response to Depression-era gangsters could become the legal Achilles’ heel that finally brings the law down.
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THE DEADLINE PASSED: NFA Injunction Is Now LIVE
Q&A:
- What does this ruling mean for the Second Amendment and the future of the National Firearms Act?
- Why did the judge conclude that Congress exceeded its constitutional taxing authority?
- How significant is the DOJ’s failure to appeal by the August 12 deadline?
- Could this ruling effectively de-fang the NFA after 92 years of federal regulation?
- What should gun owners know about suppressors and other NFA-regulated firearms right now?
- Why are firearms dealers proceeding cautiously despite the court’s ruling?
- How could this victory affect other federal restrictions on Second Amendment rights?
- After stopping a mass shooter in Sutherland Springs, what does this victory mean to you personally?
ABOUT STEPHEN WILLEFORD…
Stephen represents Gun Owners of America and is known around the country as the “good guy with the gun” for helping stop the largest Texas mass shooting in the history of the state in 2017. He is available to speak about all gun rights issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. He is the author of the book A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy. You can read more about him at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com and www.gunowners.org
TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW, CALL OR TEXT 512-966-0983 OR EMAIL BOOKINGS@SPECIALGUESTS.COM
