GOP Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Deregulate Certain NFA Firearms, Stop Pistol Brace Registration 

Two Republican lawmakers introduced legislation last month to deregulate certain firearms as part of an effort to undermine the Biden administration’s proposed rule that will require owners of pistol braces to register them under the National Firearms Act. 

Congressman Andrew Clyde (R-GA) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) are the men behind what’s known as the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act.  

The SHORT Act would remove the red tape and tax burden that comes with the purchase of Short Barreled Rifles (SBR), Short Barreled Shotguns (SBS), and Any Other Weapons (AOW).

“The ATF’s federal gun registry is just the latest proof that the Biden Administration has no understanding of firearms and only seeks to limit American citizens’ ability to rightfully own firearms of their choosing,” said Senator Marshall in a press release obtained by GunsAmerica. 

“Gun control activists disguised as bureaucrats are corrupting the ATF, and my legislation will put a stop to their extremely misguided and incorrect interpretations of the National Firearms Act,” he continued. 

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The two lawmakers contend that the only way to stop future attacks on lawfully owned firearms is to gut the NFA. 

“By deregulating these NFA firearms, this legislation prohibits the ATF from enacting an unconstitutional pistol ban through a simple rule change — safeguarding the Second Amendment and preventing Americans from being subjected to the Biden Administration’s tyrannical, gun-grabbing tactics,” said Congressman Clyde.

Additional benefits of the SHORT Act:

Short-Barreled Rifle Deregulation:

• An SBR is a rifle that has a barrel length less than 16 inches or an overall length less than 26 inches.
• SBRs, along with SBSs and AOWs, are not any more dangerous than any other firearm.
• The ATF reports that there are over 532,000 registered SBRs as of May 2021.
• SBRs include many rifles but the most popular SBRs are variants of the AR-15.
• Under ATF Proposed Rule 2021R-08, any rifle with a stabilizing brace would de facto be designated an SBR and thus be subject to all NFA Regulations. This means the Biden Administration may be registering, taxing, and regulating as many as 40 million lawfully purchased pistols without the passage of a new law.

Short-Barreled Shotgun Deregulation:

• An SBS is a shotgun that has a barrel length less than 18 inches or an overall length less than 26 inches.
• The ATF reports that there are over 162,000 registered SBSs as of May 2021.
• Additionally, Sen. Marshall’s legislation would remove the unconstitutional “sporting use” requirement for shotguns, which allows ATF bureaucrats to arbitrarily regulate certain shotguns like explosives.

Any Other Weapon Deregulation:

• An AOW is an ambiguous catch-all term for firearms that do not fit neatly into the provided definitions. Without removing this definition, the ATF could abuse this statue to justify another ban on pistols. This is a crucial provision to end the attack on American’s Second Amendment rights.
• The ATF reports that there are over 67,000 registered AOWs as of May 2021.

Record Destruction:

• Additionally, the legislation would require the ATF destroy all records relating to the registration, transfer, or manufacture of these NFA firearms, preventing the ATF from further harassing owners or confiscating these firearms. Gun registration always leads to gun confiscation.

Other senators to cosponsor the SHORT Act include John Boozman (AR), Mike Crapo (ID), Steve Daines (MT), Cynthia Lummis (WY), and James Risch (ID).

Gun Owners of America applauded the introduction of the SHORT Act.

“Senator Marshall’s legislation will repeal elements of the archaic National Firearms Act, which the Biden ATF is using to justify their pistol ban and “amnesty registration” plan — a policy change that will affect millions of law-abiding gun owners and do nothing to curb rising crime,” said Gun Owners of America’s Director of Federal Affairs Aidan Johnston.

“GOA is proud to support the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Act, which will protect gun owners and halt these anti-gun infringements,” he added.

We’ll keep an eye on the SHORT Act, especially after things shake up following the upcoming midterm elections. Assuming there’s a red wave in November, next year might be a good year for pro-gun legislation.

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