Gun-rights lobby’s covert plan helps Senate pass bill cutting suppressor taxes

Gun Owners of America coordinated a clandestine lobbying drive for about half a year, aiming to remove the $200 tax on suppressors and related items under the National Firearms Act. The effort stayed hidden to avoid opposition from Democrats and anti-gun groups. The House passed a version of the bill on May 22, 2025, and after a parliamentary review that initially deemed the provision a Byrd-rule violation, the Senate approved the amendment in July 2025.

GOA filed a lawsuit challenging the ATF’s enforcement of the NFA, and on August 5, Judge James Wesley Hendrix declared the registration and processing requirements unconstitutional because the tax had been reduced to zero. The Justice Department has conceded that suppressors are protected by the Second Amendment but continues to argue for enforcement under other constitutional powers. Additional gun-rights groups have joined similar lawsuits in other states, hoping to extend the ruling’s impact.