Gun Rights Organizations Promptly Act After Federal Judge Overturns Decades-Old Firearm Restrictions

Proponents of gun rights are moving quickly to implement a substantial federal court victory after a judge declared long-standing firearms restrictions unconstitutional.

Gun Owners of America (GOA), alongside Silencer Shop—a federal firearms licensee directly impacted by the ruling concerning the sale and transfer of silencers—informed the Trump administration on Thursday of their intent to commence transferring gun silencers without undergoing the National Firearms Act (NFA) registration and approval process, which has governed such transactions for many decades.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday, two individuals exited a Texas firearms dealership with silencers, bypassing the federal registration and approval procedure that has been mandatory for these transfers for generations, according to Gun Owners of America. GOA identified these gun owners as Brandon Herrera and Texas state Representative Wes Virdell, who acquired their suppressors from Silencer Shop in Leander, Texas. The gun rights organization hailed this event as the first lawful transfer without NFA registration since the law's enactment in 1934.

"Previously, this would have been punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine per violation. So, this was a big federal law. We took a really big bite out of it."

Representative Andrew Clyde, a Republican from Georgia, who attended the midnight transfers and contributed to the legislation that paved the way for this ruling, characterized it as "literally, the greatest Second Amendment win in the history of our country." He further stated that it marked "a monumental day for the country and a monumental day for the Second Amendment."

No Federal Appeal Expected

The ruling appears set to remain unchallenged by the federal government. Representative Clyde confirmed on Wednesday that he had received assurance from the Trump administration that the Justice Department would not contest the decision.

Erich Pratt, senior vice president for Gun Owners of America, emphasized the organization's commitment. "GOA fought to crush the NFA’s unconstitutional restrictions through the One Big Beautiful Bill, but we didn’t stop there. We promised to keep fighting until these restrictions were gone, and now our members are putting the historic victory into action," Pratt stated. He added, "The era of federal registration for constitutionally protected arms must end."

Legislative Roots of the Challenge

The legal dispute originated from Republicans’ 2025 reconciliation package, which initially aimed for broader deregulation by rolling back NFA restrictions on suppressors and short-barreled firearms. However, after the Senate parliamentarian disallowed certain parts of the deregulation effort under reconciliation rules, the final