A group of Republican U.S. Senators led by Tom Cotton of Arkansas has introduced legislation to remove the $200 tax imposed on firearms and suppressors regulated under the 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA).
In an official announcement, Cotton’s office listed the following facts:
- The 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA) regulates short-barreled shotguns and rifles, fully automatic firearms, suppressors, and a catchall category of explosives. In addition to background checks and registration, NFA regulated items have a $200 tax.
- The ATF has acknowledged the tax was intended “to curtail, if not prohibit, transactions” of firearms. The $200 tax, unchanged since 1934, is equivalent to $4,648 in today’s dollars.
- Since 2018, ownership of NFA regulated items have grown by more than 250% as more sportsmen, shooters and firearm enthusiasts exercise their Second Amendment right.
- The RIFLE Act does not modify the current checks and registration; it solely removes the federally mandated financial burden on law-abiding gun owners.
- The legislation is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
In addition, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms has thrown its support behind the RIFLE Act.
Joining Cotton as co-sponsors are fellow Republican Senators John Barrasso (Wyoming), Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee), John Cornyn (Texas), Kevin Cramer (North Dakota), Steve Daines (Montana), Deb Fischer (Nebraska), Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming), Roger Marshall (Kansas), Markwayne Mullin (Oklahoma), Pete Ricketts (Nebraska), and both Marco Rubio and Rick Scott (Florida). Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Iowa has introduced companion legislation in the House, Cotton’s office noted.
In announcing his bill, Cotton stated, “Law-abiding Americans who exercise their Second Amendment rights should not be subject to unnecessary taxes and restrictions preventing them from doing so. Passed into law in 1934, the National Firearms Act needs to be amended. Our legislation will remove the red tape that places an undue financial burden on would-be gun owners.”
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb was critical of the tax, adopted in 1934 as a means of making ownership of NFA guns and suppressors prohibitively expensive. He noted the use of suppressors over the past few years has greatly expanded because they are important hearing protection devices, and reduce noise for hunters, especially in areas of encroaching development.
According to Fox News, “Ambler Law attorney Oliver Krawczyk said that the current taxes on firearms are ‘indistinguishable from poll taxes.’ The lawyer, who specializes in Second Amendment law, called the legislation ‘a step in the right direction.’”
In a statement, Rep. Hinson observed, “The federal government should not be placing financial barriers on the inalienable rights of Americans. This unconstitutional tax on certain firearm purchases is a direct violation of the Second Amendment and must be repealed. As the Biden Administration and Democrats push proposals that unfairly target law-abiding gun owners, I will continue to stand up for Iowans’ right to keep and bear arms.”
