Recently while responding to criticism on X, formally known as Twitter, the Los Angeles branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives tweeted that the $200 tax stamp on firearms and accessories regulated by the National Firearms Act was “quite prohibitive at the time, which was the goal of the NFA.”

The National Firearms Act (NFA) introduced in 1934 requires NFA firearms to be registered & taxed. The $200 tax was quite prohibitive at the time, which was the goal of the NFA. All taxes collected for NFA go to the general fund of the U.S. Treasury Dept.

— ATF Los Angeles (@LosAngelesATF) January 8, 2024

Did the ATF just admit that the goal of the National Firearms Act was to prohibit gun ownership by making it too expensive for regular people? For reference, $200 in 1934 is equivalent to $4,688 today.

OOPS! @LosAngelesATF said the quiet part out loud. 🤯

“The $200 tax was quite prohibitive at the time, which was the goal of the NFA.”

The NFA was never about safety—it was always about restricting Second Amendment rights and limiting access to firearms and accessories.🔥 https://t.co/y3zEoqKDXU

— Gun Owners of America (@GunOwners) January 10, 2024

And for that matter, why is the Second Amendment treated as a second-class right? Imagine if the United States put a $200 tax on the First Amendment for the use of “dangerous” words.

Is it the position of the ATF that the $200 tax in place since 1934 should be adjusted for inflation?

— Kostas Moros (@MorosKostas) January 9, 2024

We at Gun Owners of America have been saying for years that the 1934 National Firearms Act is an unconstitutional law that is incompatible with the Second Amendment. Over the years, ATF has proven that it will continue to use its power to widen the reach of the NFA to cover more and more firearms.

Recently, ATF expanded its definition of a Short-Barreled Rifle (SBR) to cover pistols equipped with a stabilizing brace. Estimates put the number of firearms affected by this rule change at up to 40 million. ATF will likely continue to expand its definitions of regulated items to cover as many firearms as possible as time goes on and gun control proposals continue to fail in Congress.

This is evidenced by the growing relationship between gun control groups and ATF. With the recently established office of gun violence prevention in the Biden administration, gun control groups now have a direct line from the White House, right to the Department of Justice.

Gun Owners of America is working to fight back against these and other examples of massive government overreach. Our lawsuit, GOA & Texas v. ATF, currently has the aforementioned ATF pistol brace rule stalled with an injunction for our members, and another case Britto v. ATF has been granted a nationwide injunction. In Congress, we’re working with our allies to pass the SHORT Act, which would remove short-barreled rifles entirely from the NFA.

This is where we’ll need your help. Please call your elected representatives and tell them to pass the SHORT Act and help stop the ATF from harassing law-abiding gun owners.

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