U.S. Senator John Cornyn has expressed approval for the inclusion of certain Second Amendment provisions in the Senate Finance Committee’s legislative text for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. These provisions aim to deregulate firearms suppressors and reflect the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act, which seeks to deregulate Short Barreled Rifles (SBR) and Short Barreled Shotguns (SBS).
Senator Cornyn stated, “No burdensome tax or regulation should infringe on law-abiding Americans’ God-given right to keep and bear arms.” He added that he is pleased with the Senate’s alignment with the House in supporting the Second Amendment and plans to continue advocating for these priorities as efforts proceed to pass President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
Currently, suppressors are subject to additional regulations under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Senator Cornyn has cosponsored the Hearing Protection Act, which proposes removing suppressors from NFA regulation. This act would replace existing federal transfer processes with an instantaneous National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background check, making it similar to purchasing rifles and shotguns.
The legislative text from the Senate Finance Committee includes aspects of the Hearing Protection Act that eliminate registration requirements and both transfer and manufacturing taxes on suppressors. It specifically removes silencers from being classified as firearms in tax codes.
Additionally, this legislative text mirrors provisions from the SHORT Act by excluding SBRs and SBSs from being defined as “firearms” under Sec. 5845. This change would remove associated transfer and manufacturing taxes. The provision also aims to override state or local licensing or registration requirements tied to NFA references by ensuring compliance with federal statutes equates compliance at state or local levels.
