In a massive win for the Second Amendment, gun owners across America will no longer be subject to a long, drawn out process in order to purchase rifles with barrel lengths shorter than 16″ known as short-barreled rifles (SBR), short-barreled shotguns, or suppressors for their firearms.
Previously, purchasing an SBR or suppressor generally required a $200 National Firearms Act (NFA) tax, an application to the ATF, a thorough background check, and a long wait for ATF approval. Even then, oftentimes gun owners would utilize a gun trust to register the item rather than individually register them.
However, following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025, the NFA’s transfer tax was reduced to $0 for suppressors and SBRs. In August, a federal district court in Texas ruled that once Congress eliminated that tax, the 1934 NFA’s authority to require additional registration and transfer procedures could no longer be sustained.
Initially, the injunction allowed the purchase of the devices without the extended ATF process but only applied to SilencerShop.com and the Gun-Owners of America, who were plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
As of October 9th, 2026, ATF wrote an open letter to inform the public that they will no longer be requiring the extended ATF approval. The letter reads:
Consequently, effective October 9, 2026, ATF will no longer require individuals to seek ATF approval under the NFA before making or transferring short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, silencers, and ‘any other weapon[s]’ as defined in 26 U.S.C. § 5845(e).
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These policies apply uniformly to anyone otherwise subject to these requirements, not just to the plaintiffs in the litigation.
🚨BREAKING: ATF has finally issued guidance following GOA’s historic NFA victory.
The agency says it will NO LONGER enforce federal registration and approval requirements for suppressors and short-barreled firearms for everyone, nationwide. https://t.co/eEIerqNlvt
— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) October 9, 2026
