Texas Judge Rules National Firearms Act Requirements Unconstitutional

U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas ruled on August 5, 2026, that permitting and registration requirements under the National Firearms Act (NFA) for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns are unconstitutional. The ruling follows lawsuits from the Silencer Shop Foundation and the National Rifle Association.

Hendrix determined that because the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July 2025, reduced the $200 excise tax on these items to zero, Congress no longer possesses a legal basis to impose regulatory requirements under its taxing power. The court issued a permanent injunction against the enforcement of these requirements, though it left regulations intact for machine guns, destructive devices, and the any other weapons category, as those items remain taxed.

The decision removes a layer of background checks that previously included notifying local law enforcement. While gun rights advocates, including the Second Amendment Foundation, hailed the ruling as a victory against government registries, the Giffords Law Center described the move as a dangerous step backward for public safety.

Hendrix paused the ruling for one week to provide the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives time to appeal the decision to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.