The National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 was one of the first major federal gun control laws in the United States. Passed during the depths of the Great Depression, the NFA was designed to discourage civilian ownership of certain types of firearms and accessories, including suppressors. Knowing they didn’t have the Constitutional authority to outright ban these items, President FDR and Attorney General Homer Cummings worked with Congress to impose the burdensome regulations and a steep $200 transfer tax that we know to this day. In so doing, they intentionally made the acquisition of NFA items financially and logistically out of reach for most Americans.
Suppressors were included in the NFA despite little to no evidence of their criminal misuse. In fact, they are the only provision of the NFA that wasn’t discussed during the Congressional debates on the National Firearms Act. Thus, no one knows exactly why they were included, but anecdotally their inclusion appears to have stemmed from basic misconceptions and a desire by lawmakers to broadly regulate unfamiliar or “scary” firearms accessories.
Nearly a century later, that same $200 tax remains in place, along with some additional red tape that was added on over the years. At the American Suppressor Association, we’re working hard to change that. No law-abiding American should ever have to pay a tax to protect their hearing while exercising a Constitutionally protected right.
Bottom line: TAX STAMPS SUCK!
This tax day, check out the sale on our Tax Stamps Suck merch. Use code taxday20 at checkout to save 20% on any in-stock merchandise (sale and clearance items excluded). Every dollar raised helps support ASA’s fight to fix this broken system.
