GOP bills aim to remove certain rifles, shotguns from NFA regulation

Republican lawmakers have introduced companion bills that would remove certain rifles and shotguns from regulation under the National Firearms Act

Back in 2023, the Biden administration's Department of Justice changed the definition of rifle under the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives regulations to include a weapon accessoryized with a stabilizing brace, which allows the weapon to be fired while stabilized against the shoulder, but is meant to be fastened to the shooter's forearm

The rule required millions of pistol owners with firearms modified with a stabilizing brace to pay a $200 fee and register their gun under the NFA

The process can take anywhere from about a month to more than five months before the gun owner can legally possess the registered item

In 2024, a U.S. District Court judge in Texas overturned the rule determining it violated the Administrative Procedure Act because it was arbitrary and capricious and was not a logical outgrowth of

the proposed rule Now Republican Representative Andrew Clyde of Georgia and Republican Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas reintroduced versions of the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act also known as the Short Act into both chambers of Congress

The Short Act removes certain short-barreled rifles and shotguns and other weapons from the definition of firearm under the National Firearms Act, while also eliminating certain restrictions related to the sale or transportation of them

The bill, if passed and made law, would also require the ATF to destroy records related to the registration and transferring of the weapons

In a post on X, Representative Clyde said the Biden-Harris administration weaponized the draconian NFA to turn law-abiding Americans, including disabled veterans with pistol-braced firearms into criminals

The Short Act provides a permanent solution to end this tyranny. Gun Rights Advocacy Group, Gun Owners of America, has thrown

its support behind the bill. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Taylor. For more on this story

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