As pro-rights groups continue to call for the abolition of what remains of the National Firearms Act (NFA), they are having to battle the Trump Administration, along with a largely uninterested Congress in the process.
When President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill back on July 4, it contained a provision that removed the $200 tax on suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs) and guns defined as Any Other Weapons (AOWs) under the act. With the tax removed and the NFA unnecessary, gun-rights supporters are seeking to end the NFA through legislation and in the courts.
Unfortunately, Attorney General Pam Bondi and her staff are fighting in court to keep the NFA, drawing the ire of some in Congress. However, when Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Georgia, led a letter urging AG Bondi to halt her plans to continue registering NFA items, the number of lawmakers signing on was quite low.
“As Members of Congress who supported the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and participated in the legislative process surrounding Section 70436 of that Act, we wish to reaffirm that it was our intent, in enacting Section 70436, to repeal the transfer and registration requirements under the NFA by eliminating the associated excise taxes for certain firearms,” Rep. Clyde wrote. “It remains our clear intent that these transfer and registration requirements shall no longer apply to firearms now subject to a $0 tax, for the reasons outlined above.”
The lack of participation in the letter by congressmen and senators prompted Gun Owners of America (GOA) to speak out strongly on the issue.
“Congress cowers while the ATF attacks—and gun owners aren’t staying silent any longer,” GOA wrote in a national alert headlined “Congress Is Full Of Cowards.” “Last month, Rep. Andrew Clyde led a letter urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to cease her plans to unlawfully and unconstitutionally register suppressors, short-barreled firearms, and AOWs under the guise of a $0 NFA ‘tax’ on January 1st, 2026. Only 5 Senators and 37 House Representatives had the courage to stand up for our Second Amendment rights and sign the Clyde letter. The rest of our elected representatives in Congress were cowards.”
As GOA further explained in the alert, the vast majority of members of both the House and the Senate simply looked the other way rather than taking the opportunity to sway AG Bondi on the NFA.
“They stayed silent while the ATF unlawfully forced the registration of firearms despite the repeal of the NFA tax to $0, fights law-abiding Americans in court and treats gun owners like criminals for exercising a constitutional right. That betrayal hasn’t stopped. It’s getting worse.”
Ultimately, GOA is encouraging members to send letters to Congress, thanking those who stood up for the Second Amendment and “making it crystal clear to those who turned their backs on gun owners that we are furious, and we won’t forget.”
“If your Representative signed on to Rep. Clyde’s letter, thank them for supporting this pro-gun measure,” GOA concluded. “If your member failed to join Rep. Clyde and the 41 others, let them know they risk losing your vote unless they defend our Second Amendment rights.”