U.S. District Judge James Hendrix strikes down firearm registration requirements for suppressors and short-barreled rifles
U.S. District Judge James Hendrix ruled that the registration requirements for firearm suppressors and certain dangerous firearms, such as short-barreled rifles, are now unconstitutional. The ruling follows the elimination of the $200 tax on these items by the administration under the One Big Beautiful Bill. Because the tax was removed, the court found that the government's reliance on its taxing power to justify the registration process no longer holds. Gun rights groups, including the Second Amendment Foundation, celebrated the decision as a major victory. They argued that the ruling allows Americans to be free from government registries while still maintaining federal background checks. Conversely, gun control advocates like the Giffords Law Center criticized the move as a dangerous step backward for public safety. The ruling establishes a precedent that gun rights groups hope will lead to further legal challenges across the country to simplify firearm ownership.