Still Time to Get It Right: End All NFA Taxes

The Senate may have just delivered a historic step by voting to zero out the $200 NFA tax for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and AOWs. But make no mistake: this fight isn’t over—and stopping here would be a huge mistake.

There’s still time to finish the job and repeal every last NFA tax, including machine guns. Here’s what you need to know.

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The Process Moving Forward

After last night’s 51–49 procedural vote in the Senate, the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) is advancing toward final passage. Majority Leader Schumer has already vowed to slow it down by forcing the entire text to be read aloud on the Senate floor.

If the bill passes the full Senate, it must return to the House.

At that point, House members have two options:

1️⃣ Accept the Senate version exactly as written.
2️⃣ Amend the bill further, then send it back to the Senate for another vote.

That means there is still an opportunity—right now—to improve this language and finally strip every remaining NFA tax out of the law.

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Why Full NFA Tax Repeal Matters

Since 1934, the federal government has defended the NFA as a “tax law.” In Sonzinsky v. United States (1937), the Supreme Court upheld it specifically because it was a revenue measure.

But if Congress repeals the $200 tax for most NFA items while leaving the tax on machine guns intact, the government can still claim the NFA is primarily about collecting revenue.

That would be a gift to anti-gun bureaucrats and judges trying to salvage what’s left of the law in court.

On the other hand, if every NFA tax disappears, the law becomes pure regulation—with no credible tax justification. That is precisely the scenario that makes the NFA legally vulnerable under Bruen.

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The Risk of Stopping Halfway

Some lawmakers believe repealing part of the tax is enough. It isn’t.

Leaving the tax on machine guns and destructive devices keeps the door wide open for:

• A future Congress to reinstate the tax on everything else (or raise it to $4,000).
• Expanding NFA regulation to AR-15s, standard-capacity magazines, or semiautos.
• Renewed claims that the NFA is “still a tax law,” blunting legal challenges.

Half-measures today will be used against us tomorrow.

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What Gun Owners Should Do Next

This is the moment to act. Contact your Representative and demand an amendment in the House to fully repeal every NFA tax, including machine guns.

If you care about ending unconstitutional infringements in your lifetime, you cannot sit this out. Removing the tax entirely is the only path that fully undermines the NFA’s legal foundation.

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The Predictable Backlash

Yes, the anti gunners will push back hard against this move. They will claim that Republicans are “legalizing machine guns”, but machine guns are already legal, as long as they were manufactured prior to 1986. If we pass the OBBB with all NFA taxes removed, the process to purchase a machine gun stays the same – the only difference is it will cost you $200 less. You still have to go through the enhanced background checks, fingerprints, photos, plus still fill out the form 4473. Machine guns made after 1986 are still restricted, and if you have not priced out a machine gun, well about the cheapest I have seen is still over $4,000, with many costing upwards of $50,000 to $100,000 or more.

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The Bottom Line

Congress is closer than ever to dismantling the legal pretext that has sustained the NFA for nearly a century.

Don’t let them stop halfway.

Demand complete repeal of every NFA tax.

This is a once-in-a-generation chance to do it right.

Stay engaged. Stay loud. And don’t settle for less than the full restoration of your rights. For those who are threatening to stay home in the 2026 midterms, DON’T! Don’t be the kid that says “I’m taking my ball and going home” when they aren’t winning. That is exactly how you guarantee a loss.

While the republican party is far from perfect, they are far better than the alternative when it comes to gun rights. At least they aren’t trying to take away our ARs, standard capacity magazines, and limit us on how many or how often we can purchase a gun.

You need to not only make yourself heard, but get all of your friends, family and like minded associates involved. It was through the grassroots efforts that the HPA was added to the House bill, and grassroots efforts that got the SHORT act added in the senate. Don’t say that contacting your representatives doesn’t work. It does, but only if enough like minded people take action. A single voice is like a raindrop in the ocean. But voices in numbers are like a tsunami.