The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has told all law-abiding Americans they no longer need to register suppressors, short-barreled rifles, or short-barreled shotguns under the National Firearms Act, a decision that follows a federal court ruling out of Texas and has drawn immediate fire from a gun-control group backed by Michael Bloomberg.
ATF Director Robert Cekada announced the change Friday, telling Breitbart News beforehand that the agency and the Department of Justice chose to extend the reach of an August 5, 2026, district court decision in Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF beyond the original plaintiffs to cover all law-abiding citizens.
In that case, U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled that NFA registration requirements for suppressors and short-barreled rifles and shotguns were unconstitutional and could not be enforced against the plaintiffs in the suit. Cekada’s announcement took that reasoning a step further, applying it across the board and effectively ending federal NFA registration requirements for these items for the general public.
Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-control organization founded with backing from Bloomberg, responded with an Instagram post accusing Cekada of acting on behalf of the firearms industry.
“The federal agency tasked with enforcing our gun laws is now deciding not to. The National Firearms Act was enacted nearly a century ago to prevent criminals from getting their hands on weapons like short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and silencers.”
The group went further in a second statement, writing, “ATF Director Cekada’s decision to be a puppet for the gun industry will only put the safety of our communities at risk.”
The policy shift arrives as suppressor sales are reportedly surging nationwide.
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