U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) recently filed legislation to roll back the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) taxation, registration and regulations under the National Firearms Act (NFA).
The Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act would remove “unconstitutional” taxation, registration and regulation of short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and any other weapons under the NFA.
Since 1934, the ATF has added multiple regulations to the NFA, constantly reinterpreting the statute to enact various restrictions, taxes and penalties.
In January 2023, the ATF announced it was changing its rules, now classifying pistols with stabilizing braces as “short-barreled rifles (SBRs). SBRs are regulated under the NFA, requiring a $200 excise tax stamp and a lengthy application process to own legally. Pistol braces have been used for decades and were not considered butt stocks, meaning they remained pistols and were not able to be classified as SBRs. In releasing the rule change, the ATF also allowed an application process where pistol brace users could receive approval for their pistols without paying the $200 tax.
Similar tax stamps are also required for suppressors, automatic weapons and other items unilaterally deemed applicable under the NFA by the ATF.
A federal injunction currently blocks the pistol brace rule, but the ATF, under the Biden administration, has fought the injunction for over a year.
“For too long, unelected bureaucrats have misplaced their priorities by overregulating the use of firearms that Americans are legally entitled to own,” Tuberville said. “Every American has a right to bear arms to protect themselves and their families. I’m proud to join legislation that cuts red tape and protects law-abiding gun-owners.”
In addition to removing the unconstitutional taxation, registration and regulation of firearms, this legislation would also require the ATF to destroy all records relating to the registration, transfer, or manufacture of NFA firearms, preventing the ATF from tracking owners and possibly confiscating firearms.
Tuberville is joined by State Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) in pushing the legislation. Alabama’s junior U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) also joined the bill as a cosponsor.
“’Shall not be infringed’ is crystal clear – and the Biden-era abuses of the Constitutionally protected rights of gun owners across the country need to be undone,” Marshall said. “The SHORT Act takes a step toward rolling back nonsensical regulations that the National Firearms Act has placed upon gun owners. I challenge my colleagues in both chambers to pass this legislation and join me in fully restoring and protecting our God-given Second Amendment rights.”
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