This week, in rather dramatic fashion, silencer deregulation ended up in the House budget bill.
After a bruising political fight, Republicans added a provision delisting silencers from the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 to their massive budget legislation just before passing it. As I lay out for readers, that puts one of the gun-rights movement’s top priorities closer to becoming law than ever before. But I also explain why there is a possibly insurmountable hurdle waiting in the Senate.
The Supreme Court also made news this week. While Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman recently explained how the Court is well set up to settle the dispute over felon gun rights, the justices declined to hear one such case alongside several other Second Amendment challenges.
We also saw a former NRA president claim a prominent gun-control group tried to pay her to retire early. And that came in her lawsuit that was actually aimed at the NRA!
Plus, crime data analyst Jeff Asher joins the podcast to explain why 2025 might hit an all-time low in murder. And we have a bunch of great stories down in the links, including details on the ATF’s settlement on force reset triggers.
House Republicans Add Silencer Deregulation to Budget Bill
By Stephen Gutowski
Silencers may soon be much easier to buy.
On early Thursday morning, House Republicans narrowly passed their massive budget bill. Included in that bill at the last moment was an amended provision that would remove silencers from the purview of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). That would eliminate the need to pay a $200 tax and register the sound-suppressing devices, leaving sales of them subject to the same FBI background check required for regular gun sales.
The devices have grown increasingly popular in recent years, and House Republicans project eliminating the tax on them would cut about $1.4 billion from the budget over 10 years. They are the most popular NFA item, with more than 4 million currently registered. More than half of those registrations were made over the past four years alone, according to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.
Analysis: Reconciliation is the Best Shot for Deregulating Silencers, But it’s No Sure Thing [Member Exclusive]
By Stephen Gutowski
Silencer deregulation is now the closest it’s ever been to becoming a reality.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed its budget bill with a provision that takes silencers out of the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934. It now heads to the Senate, where it is a very small part of a very big bill. And a must-pass bill that needs just 50 votes to pass at that.
It may not be smooth sailing once the Senate gets ahold of the bill, though.
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Supreme Court Turns Away Felon-in-Possession, Other Second Amendment Cases
By Jake Fogleman
The justices have once again cleared their plates of pending challenges to the federal ban on felons possessing firearms.
In its Monday orders list, the Supreme Court denied certiorari in at least seven different petitions requesting guidance on the constitutionality of permanently disarming people convicted of an offense punishable by more than a year in prison. None of the denials featured any commentary from the justice expressing dissent or explaining their decisions.
The spate of denials means the legal state of uncertainty surrounding the most commonly enforced federal gun law will continue for now. It also suggests that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent arguments against Supreme Court intervention on the issue may have persuaded a majority of justices.
Former NRA President Claims Gun-Control Group Offered $5 Million for Her to Quit
By Stephen Gutowski
The former head of the National Rifle Association and longtime powerhouse Florida lobbyist is accusing a leading gun-control group of trying to buy her off.
Marion Hammer, the first female president of the NRA, said in a lawsuit filed in federal court this month that Brady United offered her millions of dollars. She claimed taking the money would require her to cut ties with the NRA and stop lobbying on behalf of gun interests.
“In 2018, Plaintiff was contacted by an attorney representing the Brady gun control group,” Richard Coates, Hammer’s lawyer, wrote in the suit. “The group offered five million dollars ($5,000,000) to Plaintiff if she would retire and cease advancing the interests of the NRA and defending the Second Amendment.”
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Podcast: Will Murder Hit Record Lows in 2025? (Ft. Crime Analyst Jeff Asher)
By Stephen Gutowski
This week, we’re talking about some good news. Some very good news, actually.
The murder rate, which has been on the decline for a couple of years now, is on pace to hit a record low. That’s what the early data collected by Jeff Asher’s AH Datalytics indicates. Asher joins the show to break down the numbers he’s seeing so far.
You can listen to the show on your favorite podcast episode or by clicking here. Video of the episode is available on our YouTube channel.
Plus, Contributing Writer Jake Fogleman and I unpack the latest in the growing political fight between gun-rights groups and the House GOP over how much National Firearms Act reform can be included in the President’s “big beautiful bill” through budget reconciliation. We also cover recent rulings out of the federal courts, including an en banc Ninth Circuit decision upholding the government’s ability to permanently disarm all non-violent felons and a Fourth Circuit ruling the same for those with misdemeanor domestic violence convictions. Emily Stanley, aka Princess and the Pistol, also joins the show to discuss becoming a gun meme.
Analysis: The Coming DOJ-SCOTUS Showdown Over Felon Gun Rights [Member Exclusive]
By Jake Fogleman
Supreme Court’s doorstep. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked the Court not to weigh in, but hasn’t fleshed out its rights restoration process alternative.
Last week, the en banc Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals added another potential candidate to the coming deluge when it upheld Steven Duarte’s conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Duarte, whose rap sheet includes multiple previous convictions for crimes ranging from vandalism and drug possession to evading police, argued that because his criminal history included only non-violent offenses, he should retain Second Amendment protections.
The Ninth Circuit disagreed.
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Outside The Reload
That’s it for this week in guns.
I’ll see you all next week.
Thanks,
Stephen Gutowski
Founder
The Reload
