by Henry Rodgers
Republican Missouri Rep. Eric Burlison and a group of House Republicans introduced legislation Wednesday to repeal the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA).
The Daily Caller first obtained a copy of the legislation, titled the “Repeal the NFA Act.” The bill focuses on repealing the NFA, which was the first federal law to impose limitations on gun ownership. The NFA requires Americans to pay a $200 tax, register their firearms, and undergo an application process in order to purchase certain firearms and accessories.
“The federal government has used the National Firearms Act for almost a century to violate law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights. The recent ATF [the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] pistol brace rule is just another example of these blatant attacks on the constitutional rights of Americans. The ATF-NFA sham needs to end,” Burlison told the Caller before introducing the bill.
“The Repeal the NFA Act will strip the ATF of its authority to criminalize lawful gun owners and will undo nearly 90 years of assault on fundamental freedoms. I’m proud to stand with and support Americans nationwide as we take this issue head-on,” he added.
Reps. Andy Biggs, Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar, Mary Miller and Andy Ogles co-sponsored the legislation.
“For too long, anti-gun zealots have enacted policies that infringe on Americans’ Second Amendment rights. The NFA has only led to increased government bureaucracy and has done nothing to reduce gun violence,” Biggs told the Caller.
“I applaud Congressman Burlison’s legislation that would prevent the federal government from continuing to impose these draconian registration mandates on law-abiding gun owners,” he added.
Gaetz introduced legislation earlier in January to abolish the ATF after it enacted a rule making pistol stabilizing braces illegal for anyone without a certain license.
The legislation, titled the “Abolish the ATF Act,” would totally eliminate the ATF immediately after the bill is enacted. Gaetz introduced the bill after the ATF announced it would make gun owners face the possibility of being charged with a felony if they do not register their firearms with the stabilizing braces.
Burlison was a cosponsor of that legislation.
In June 2021, Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also introduced legislation to abolish the ATF if signed into law, which Gaetz co-sponsored. The Daily Caller first obtained Greene’s legislation, titled the “Brian A. Terry Memorial Eliminate the ATF Act.” The bill was named after Marine and Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who was killed in a gunfight after a group of armed men attempted to rob smugglers who were transporting drugs from Mexico to the U.S.
The Caller also broke the news of legislation introduced by Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall in the Senate that would protect Americans’ second amendment rights from the ATF-proposed registry for firearms with stabilizing braces.