Brady Responds to Decision in Jensen v. ATF to Strike Down Regulations on Silencers, Short-Barreled Rifles, and Short-Barreled Shotguns

Because of the extreme dangers they pose, these weapons and tools have been highly regulated for nearly 100 years, since the National Firearms Act (NFA) was enacted in 1934.

Washington, D.C., August 5, 2026 — The nation's oldest gun violence prevention organization, Brady: United Against Gun Violence, expresses grave alarm at the decision in Jensen v. ATF, in which the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the National Firearms Act's (NFA) longstanding registration requirements for silencers, short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns. Brady filed an amicus brief in the case.

Brady President Kris Brown said:

The National Firearms Act has long stood as a noncontroversial, bare-minimum response to the atrocities and realities of American gun violence. Nearly 100 years ago, following the horror of the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre and a wave of gangland Tommy gun shootouts, our country — with the support of even the NRA — banded together to draw a clear line and regulate these tools of war.

What we are witnessing now is a transparent, concerted effort to deregulate these outrageously dangerous items. The vast majority of Americans are not asking for this. Instead, an extreme, outspoken few across various levels of government are working on behalf of corporate profits when they should be upholding their fundamental duty to public safety.

As Brady demonstrated in its amicus brief, Congress’s authority under both the Commerce Clause and the Taxing Power allow it to maintain the comprehensive regulatory scheme that it put in place for these exceptionally dangerous tools nearly 100 years ago under the NFA.