{"id":44235,"date":"2026-08-14T11:41:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T06:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44235"},"modified":"2026-08-14T11:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T06:41:10","slug":"gun-owners-of-america-begin-transferring-silencers-without-national-approval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44235","title":{"rendered":"Gun Owners of America begin transferring silencers without national approval"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Gun rights advocates are wasting little time putting a \u201chuge\u201d federal court victory into action after a judge struck down decades-old firearms restrictions as unconstitutional.<\/p>\n<p>Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Silencer Shop, a federal firearms licensee covered by the ruling linked to the sale and transfer of silencers, notified the Trump administration Thursday they planned to begin transferring gun silencers without going through the National Firearms Act registration and approval process that has governed such transactions for decades.<\/p>\n<p>Just after midnight Thursday, two gun owners walked out of a\u00a0Texas\u00a0firearms dealer with silencers without first completing the federal registration and approval process that has governed such transfers for generations, according to Gun Owners of America.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>GOA said Brandon Herrera and Texas state Rep. Wes Virdell acquired the suppressors from Silencer Shop in Leander, Texas, in what the gun rights group called the first lawful transfers without National Firearms Act registration since the law was enacted in 1934.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the first time in 92 years that any gun owner has been able to do this,\u201d Aidan Johnston, Gun Owners of America\u2019s director of federal affairs, told Fox News Digital in an interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPreviously, this would have been punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine per violation. So, this was a big federal law. We took a really big bite out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"40336011\"><br \/>\n\t<default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><default:path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/default:svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.68144499;display:block\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"40336011\" width=\"992\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/2016-03-08T120000Z_570502244_GF10000320628_RTRMADP_3_USA-GUNS-SILENCERS.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"SilencerCo CEO Joshua Waldron shows off guns with suppressors in West Valley City, Utah, on Feb. 23, 2016.\" class=\"wp-image-40336011\" 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/2016-03-08T120000Z_570502244_GF10000320628_RTRMADP_3_USA-GUNS-SILENCERS.jpg?resize=664,395&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 664w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/2016-03-08T120000Z_570502244_GF10000320628_RTRMADP_3_USA-GUNS-SILENCERS.jpg?resize=101,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 101w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/2016-03-08T120000Z_570502244_GF10000320628_RTRMADP_3_USA-GUNS-SILENCERS.jpg?resize=135,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 135w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/2016-03-08T120000Z_570502244_GF10000320628_RTRMADP_3_USA-GUNS-SILENCERS.jpg?resize=1200,713&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/2016-03-08T120000Z_570502244_GF10000320628_RTRMADP_3_USA-GUNS-SILENCERS.jpg?resize=87,52&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/2016-03-08T120000Z_570502244_GF10000320628_RTRMADP_3_USA-GUNS-SILENCERS.jpg?resize=234,139&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 234w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/2016-03-08T120000Z_570502244_GF10000320628_RTRMADP_3_USA-GUNS-SILENCERS.jpg?resize=50,30&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\"\/><figcaption>SilencerCo CEO Joshua Waldron shows off guns with suppressors in West Valley City, Utah, on Feb. 23, 2016. <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., who attended the midnight transfers and helped write the legislation that set the stage for the ruling, called it \u201cliterally, the greatest\u00a0Second Amendment\u00a0win in the history of our country,\u201d adding that it marked \u201ca monumental day for the country and a monumental day for the Second Amendment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ruling also appears poised to stand without a\u00a0challenge from the federal government. Clyde said Wednesday he had received confirmation from the Trump administration that the\u00a0Justice Department would not appeal the decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGOA fought to crush the NFA\u2019s unconstitutional restrictions through the One Big Beautiful Bill, but we didn\u2019t stop there. We promised to keep fighting until these restrictions were gone, and now our members are putting the historic victory into action,\u201d said Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe era of federal registration for constitutionally protected arms must end.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The legal fight traces back to Republicans\u2019 2025 reconciliation package, which initially included broader efforts to roll back National Firearms Act restrictions on suppressors and short-barreled firearms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/06\/27\/us-news\/gun-rights-groups-slams-senate-parliamentarians-ruling-on-silencer-deregulation\/\">Senate parliamentarian blocked portions<\/a> of the deregulation push under reconciliation rules, the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0instead reduced the NFA\u2019s longstanding making and transfer taxes to $0 for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and certain other weapons, effective Jan. 1, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Gun rights groups seized on that change almost immediately.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"40335999\"><br \/>\n\t<default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><default:path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/default:svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.49926794;display:block\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"40335999\" width=\"885\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Firearms and suppressors are displayed at a gun trade in Las Vegas on Jan. 20, 2020.\" class=\"wp-image-40335999\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 3000w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=300,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=768,512&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=1024,683&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=1536,1024&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=2048,1365&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=600,400&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=878,585&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 878w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=744,496&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 744w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=720,480&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 720w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=576,384&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 576w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=457,305&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 457w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=440,293&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 440w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=424,282&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 424w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=389,260&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 389w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=360,240&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 360w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=340,227&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 340w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=320,213&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 320w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=314,209&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 314w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=306,204&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 306w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=280,187&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 280w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=60,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 60w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=105,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 105w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=81,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 81w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=200,133&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=231,154&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=322,215&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=662,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 662w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=90,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 90w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=1200,800&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=1038,692&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1038w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=87,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/firearms-suppressors-displayed-shot-show-136581219.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\"\/><figcaption>Firearms and suppressors are displayed at a gun trade in Las Vegas on Jan. 20, 2020. <span class=\"credit\">AP Photo\/Lisa Marie Pane<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The same day <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/05\/22\/us-news\/trumps-big-beautiful-bill-deregulates-firearm-silencers\/\">Trump signed the law,<\/a> Gun Owners of America, the Silencer Shop Foundation and other plaintiffs\u00a0sued the federal government, arguing the NFA\u2019s registration and approval requirements could no longer constitutionally stand for weapons on which Congress had eliminated the underlying tax.<\/p>\n<p>Fifteen states later joined the challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Justice Department\u00a0countered that the remaining regulations could still be supported by other NFA taxes and Congress\u2019 authority over interstate commerce.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongress didn\u2019t fully repeal the law. They just reduced this 1934 tax from $200 to $0,\u201d Johnston told Fox News Digital. \u201cAnd I think all of us could understand there\u2019s no such thing as a $0 tax. It doesn\u2019t raise any revenue. It\u2019s not a tax.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>US District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, sided with the challengers Aug. 5, ruling that once Congress eliminated the making and transfer taxes, the regulations that had existed to help collect those taxes lost their constitutional footing.<\/p>\n<p>Hendrix permanently blocked federal officials from enforcing the challenged requirements against the plaintiffs and, where applicable, their members and customers, while declining to issue a nationwide injunction.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, while the plaintiffs had separately argued that the NFA\u2019s registration and approval requirements violated the Second Amendment, Hendrix said that \u201cEfforts to render the NFA constitutional must come from Congress, not this Court.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gun rights advocates are wasting little time putting a \u201chuge\u201d federal court victory into action after a judge struck down decades-old firearms restrictions as unconstitutional. Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Silencer Shop, a federal firearms licensee covered by the ruling linked to the sale and transfer of silencers, notified the Trump administration Thursday they&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44236,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/newspress-collage-zhitbrrcp-1786687929725.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1786673535&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}