Will the SHORT Act survive and why is it important to you? What would it mean, for the SHORT Act provisions to be passed as part of the Senate Budget Reconciliation bill?
Status of the SHORT Act
The ‘SHORT Act’, titled the “Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today”, which passed in the House of Representatives, has been re-written as Senate bill (S. 1162). This bill was reintroduced by Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) on March 27, 2025. Then, on June 16, 2025, the Senate Finance Committee released its version of the budget reconciliation bill. The Senate budget reconciliation bill incorporates the provisions of both the SHORT Act and the Hearing Protection Act (which removes suppressors from the NFA). Importantly, the budget reconciliation bill aims to eliminate the $200 NFA tax not only on suppressors – but also on short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns. By including SBRs and SBSs, this Senate version goes even further than the House bill did.
All budget reconciliation bills are subject to review, in what is called the “Byrd Bath“. This review process means that budget reconciliation bills are examined to ensure they only include budget and taxation issues (i.e., not matters of law). This scrutiny is why there is a lower vote threshold to pass a budget recon bill (requires 51 votes – instead of 60 – in the Senate).
This process takes time, and the entire bill is reviewed. So why are matters dealing with suppressors and SBRs in a budget bill? Because the National Firearms Act applies an “NFA Tax” of $200 on suppressors, SBRs, and SBSs – obviously, the repeal of those taxes is directly linked to the budget reconciliation process. That the NFA was a tax, the same as other taxes, was confirmed in a Supreme Court ruling in 1937, Sozinsky v. U.S.
Provisions of the Budget Reconciliation Bill Relative to SHORT Act
The provisions of the budget recon bill also include other important safeguards:
- Owners of the listed NFA items would no longer be required to register these firearms with the ATF or comply with regulations currently associated with the tax.
- ATF would be required to destroy all records of registration, transfer, or manufacture of these (current) NFA items.
- Significantly, the SHORT Act preempts states from imposing taxes specific to firearms for the making, transferring, using, possessing, or transporting NFA weapons.
- Finally, it prohibits states from mandating specific markings, recordkeeping, or registration requirements for these firearms.
For the legal nuances of this budget reconciliation Byrd Bath process, listen to Mark Smith’s Four Boxes Diner video here. In it, he explains why he believes that inclusion of the NFA repeal in the budget reconciliation process is appropriate, and why the Byrd Bath review will be successful when it comes to the NFA weapons. The video is very informative, and his conclusion is hopeful.
Iowa Firearms Coalition and other national and state gun rights organizations have shown strong support for the repeal of the NFA tax on these items. If you have not already contacted your Senator, please do so.
IFC Action Center has a pre-written email you can send in a minute or less, to show your support! Click here!
Ultimately, the fate of the NFA provisions in the bill depends first on the outcome of the Byrd Rule review. For the latest updates, check congress.gov or contact your senators, as advocacy groups suggest, at (202) 224-3121.
THIS WEEK’S TRUSTED PARTNER: Brownell’s, Inc.
In honor of one of the most staunch supporters of gun manufacturing and excellence, Second Amendment matters, and a friend to the Iowa Firearms Coalition since its inception, Brownell’s (right here in Iowa) is again recognized as a highly valued Trusted Partner.
Sadly, Frank Brownell passed away recently. Please extend your thoughts to the family of this industry icon.
If you missed Michael Ware’s blog about Frank’s passing, you can read it here.
Brownell’s Inc: In the 1920s and 1930s, Bob Brownell was a middle-America businessman who owned and managed a gas station and sandwich shop in his small hometown, Montezuma, Iowa. In his free time, Bob was a devoted shooter and outdoorsman who enjoyed repairing and customizing firearms. He started by working on his own guns, but news of his talent spread quickly and he soon began accepting jobs from friends. By 1938, his gunsmithing hobby was making profits, so Bob added part-time gunsmith to his list of businesses. Brownells has expanded and become THE go-to source for all things firearm-related in the last 75 years.
IFC Members use code IFC10 at checkout for $10 off orders of $150 or more!
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