For the first time since 1934, American gun owners legally purchased firearm suppressors without federal registration after a judge struck down National Firearms Act requirements as unconstitutional. Two buyers walked out of a Texas gun shop just after midnight Thursday with silencers that previously would have triggered up to 10 years in federal prison and $250,000 fines.

Historic Midnight Transfer Breaks 92-Year Precedent

Brandon Herrera and Texas State Representative Wes Virdell completed the groundbreaking purchases at Silencer Shop in Leander, Texas, according to Gun Owners of America. The transaction marked the first lawful suppressor transfer without National Firearms Act registration since Congress enacted the law nine decades ago. Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia, who attended the midnight event, called it the greatest Second Amendment victory in American history.

Aidan Johnston, Gun Owners of America’s federal affairs director, emphasized the magnitude of the shift. Previous violations of the registration requirement carried severe criminal penalties. The Trump administration confirmed through Representative Clyde that the Justice Department will not appeal the ruling, allowing the decision to stand without federal challenge.

How Congress Set the Stage

The legal battle originated from the 2025 Republican reconciliation package. After the Senate parliamentarian blocked broader National Firearms Act rollbacks, the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduced NFA taxes to zero dollars for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and certain other weapons starting January 1, 2026. President Donald Trump signed the legislation into law.

Gun Owners of America filed suit the same day Trump signed the bill, arguing registration requirements cannot constitutionally survive when Congress eliminated the underlying tax. Fifteen states joined the legal challenge. The Justice Department defended the remaining regulations, citing other NFA taxes and congressional authority over interstate commerce. Johnston explained that a zero-dollar tax raises no revenue and cannot function as legitimate taxation.

What Comes Next

Gun rights organizations are moving swiftly to capitalize on the court victory. Gun Owners of America and Silencer Shop formally notified the Trump administration Thursday of their intent to begin transfers without NFA registration and approval processes. Erich Pratt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, declared the era of federal registration for constitutionally protected arms must end. The organization promises continued legal pressure to eliminate remaining National Firearms Act restrictions on firearms Americans can legally own.