2026 Federal Firearms Legislation Roundup: What Actually Changed and What's Still Pending

Congress passed the One Big, Beautiful Bill — a budget reconciliation measure — and President Trump signed it into law. Per NSSF, the law eliminated the $200 tax stamp on National Firearms Act (NFA) items including firearm suppressors, short-barrel rifles (SBRs), and short-barrel shotguns (SBSs), effective January 1, 2026.

Because it was a reconciliation bill, it could only touch tax and fiscal provisions — not broader legislative policy. That's a critical distinction. The $200 tax is gone, but the NFA registration process, the duplicate background check requirements, the waiting periods, and the ATF paperwork are all still in place. Per NSSF:

"The registration and duplicative background check requirements for the purchase of a firearm suppressor, SBS or SBR remain intact for now."

What this means for you: You can still buy a suppressor, SBR, or SBS — you just don't pay the $200 to do it. You still fill out the e-Form, wait for ATF approval, and go through the NFA transfer process. The bureaucracy remains; the tax is gone.

The numbers are striking. According to NSSF, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) reported approximately 150,000 e-Form submissions on January 1, 2026 alone — a single day. For context, NSSF reports that typical daily e-Form volume for suppressors, SBRs, and SBSs previously hovered around 2,500 submissions per day.

That's not a rounding error. That's a 60x spike on day one.

The American Suppressor Association (ASA) placed the number of registered suppressors owned by law-abiding Americans at over 4.4 million as of the data available, with expectations that the full-year 2025 figure would top 5 million. An NSSF-commissioned study found the suppressor market grew 265 percent from 2020 to 2024, with the total number of suppressors in circulation doubling in that period. Approximately 35 percent of suppressor purchasers between 2020 and 2024 were first-time buyers, per that same NSSF study.

Before January 1, many suppressor companies covered the $200 tax for buyers who purchased during the final months of 2025, which also drove a notable pre-holiday sales increase, according to NSSF.

The federal tax elimination only matters if your state allows suppressor ownership. According to NSSF, gun owners in the following states cannot take advantage of the change:

• California
• Delaware
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• New Jersey
• New York
• Rhode Island
• Washington, D.C.

Note that some of these states have active legislation pending to change that status — covered in the state-level section below.

The reconciliation bill was one tool. These are the standalone legislative vehicles still working through Congress as of the sources available.

H.R. 404 / S. 364 — The Hearing Protection Act

H.R. 404 was introduced January 15, 2025 by Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA) and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on the Judiciary. Per Congress.gov, the bill has not advanced beyond introduction as of the data available.

S. 364, the Senate companion, was introduced by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) on February 3, 2025. Per BillTrack50, it is in the Senate Finance Committee and had approximately 33 cosponsors at the time of that reporting.

What the Hearing Protection Act would actually do:

Per the bill text from Congress.gov, Section 4 of the HPA would amend Title 18 to preempt any state or local law that imposes a tax (other than a general sales or use tax), marking requirement, recordkeeping requirement, or registration requirement specific to suppressors. Section 5 requires the Attorney General to destroy NFA suppressor registration records within 365 days of enactment.

Key Point: The reconciliation bill already killed the $200 tax. The HPA goes further — it removes the NFA regulatory framework entirely for suppressors, replacing it with standard GCA background check procedures. If you buy a suppressor after HPA passage, you walk in, fill out a 4473, pass a NICS check, and walk out. Same as buying a rifle.

H.R. 850 — The SHUSH Act

The SHUSH (Silencers Help Us Save Hearing) Act goes further than the HPA. Per BillTrack50, H.R. 850 would:

• Remove suppressors from the NFA entirely
• Eliminate federal registration, tax, and transfer requirements
• Apply retroactively to transfers made after October 22, 2015
• Preempt state and local suppressor-specific laws nationwide
• Repeal federal criminal penalties tied to suppressor use

Per a snippet from the bill's House introduction (Source 9), the SHUSH Act would treat suppressors as standard firearm accessories under federal law — removing them from both the NFA and the Gun Control Act (GCA). That's a more complete deregulation than the HPA, which still keeps suppressors under GCA dealer and serial number requirements.

The SHUSH Act is still in committee per BillTrack50.

S. 1039 — The PARTS Act

S. 1039 is a companion bill to the HPA focused on definitions. Per BillTrack50, it would update the federal definition of "firearm silencer" and "firearm muffler" to include complete suppressors and their key components — including outer tubes and internal structures intended to reduce firearm sound. The purpose is to close legal loopholes around assembling suppressors from individually unregulated parts. Currently under Senate review per BillTrack50.

H.R. 2395 / S. 1162 — The SHORT Act

The Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today (SHORT) Act addresses SBRs and SBSs specifically. Per NSSF, the bill would remove the extra NFA requirements from purchasing these firearms, treating them as standard firearms rather than Title II NFA items. NSSF states it remains committed to working with allies on Capitol Hill to pass both the SHORT Act and the Hearing Protection Act.

This is the point where a lot of gun owners are getting confused. Here's a clean breakdown of what changed versus what didn't on January 1, 2026:

Per Michigan Military Supply (Source 10): "Suppressors remain regulated under the National Firearms Act." The USCCA source snippet confirms: "As of February 2026, suppressors remain regulated under the National Firearms Act. While the One Big Beautiful Bill modified [the tax], [the NFA framework remains]." The tax is gone. The process is not.

Several states are acting ahead of — or alongside — federal changes. Per BillTrack50's August 2025 analysis:

States Considering Legalization or Expansion

New York (S02099) would repeal the state's longstanding prohibition on firearm suppressors, removing them from the list of prohibited devices for hunters and firearm owners, and striking threaded barrels from the list of features triggering stricter classifications. Currently in committee.

Rhode Island (S0144) would legalize possession and use of suppressors for rifles and shotguns longer than 17 inches, allow licensed hunters to use them, and bar local or state agencies from enacting additional suppressor rules. Violations involving improper use would remain a felony with a minimum sentence of one year and one day. Per BillTrack50, law enforcement retains existing carveouts.

Illinois (SB 297) would remove the state-level ban on firearm silencers by striking the relevant language from the Illinois Criminal Code. Currently in committee per BillTrack50.

States Asserting State Authority Over Federal Regulation

Missouri has two bills in play. HB 548 aims to legalize suppressors and exempt Missouri-made devices from federal regulation. HB 898 goes further — it allows suppressors manufactured entirely in-state from basic materials and stamped "Made in Missouri" to be sold and possessed under state law, bars state and local governments from enforcing stricter federal suppressor laws, empowers citizens to file complaints with the Attorney General if local agencies enforce federal laws that exceed state law, cuts state grant funding to non-compliant government entities, and would have dismissed all pending suppressor-related prosecutions as of August 28, 2025 (though final convictions would remain). Per BillTrack50.

Oklahoma (SB 463) mirrors Missouri's approach — suppressors manufactured entirely within Oklahoma from basic materials, stamped "Made in Oklahoma," would be exempt from federal regulation under the bill. State and local agencies would be barred from enforcing stricter federal suppressor laws, and citizens could file AG complaints for violations. Per BillTrack50, the Oklahoma bill includes an emergency clause for immediate effect.

Key Point: These state sovereignty bills are legally contested territory. The theory that states can exempt locally manufactured goods from federal regulation has not been definitively upheld by federal courts. If you're buying or manufacturing under one of these frameworks, talk to an attorney before proceeding.

States Offering Financial Incentives

Montana (HB 854) proposed a state income tax credit of up to $50 to offset the federal NFA tax stamp cost. Per BillTrack50, the bill was set to take effect in 2026 but did not pass. The $200 federal tax is now gone anyway via the reconciliation bill, making the bill's original purpose moot.

BillTrack50's analysis from August 2025 identifies a consistent theme across this legislation: suppressors are being framed as hearing protection devices rather than tactical accessories or Second Amendment flashpoints. NSSF explicitly characterizes suppressors as "safety devices" that "significantly lower the noise report from a firearm to a safer decibel level."

The practical effect of that reframe is visible in the legislative map. Even states with historically strict gun regulations — New York and Rhode Island — have active bills to legalize suppressor ownership. Whether that momentum results in enacted law in those states remains to be seen.

Beyond suppressors, the sources reference additional active legislative and legal activity as of early 2026:

• Connecticut: The Connecticut Judiciary Committee voted to advance HB5043, a bill championed by Governor Ned Lamont aimed at banning "convertible pistols," per NRA-ILA (March 29, 2026).
• Maryland: Gun control legislation was reported as advancing in Annapolis with two weeks remaining in the 2026 session, per NRA-ILA (March 30, 2026).
• Virginia: The Virginia General Assembly adjourned from its 2026 session on March 14, 2026 with anti-gun bills on the Governor's desk, per NRA-ILA (March 15, 2026).
• Illinois: NRA-ILA reported on March 30, 2026 that Illinois Democrat officials were advancing ammunition serialization legislation, described as requiring serialization that would add approximately five cents per round in cost.
• California: NRA-ILA reported on March 30, 2026 that a technical issue in California's background check system was nullifying background checks, and separately that the NRA filed legal action challenging California's Handgun Roster. A U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California granted a stipulation for final judgment and permanent injunction in Safari Club International v. Bonta on March 23, 2026, with the state conceding its firearm advertising restriction is unconstitutional and required to pay nearly $500,000 in attorney fees to NRA.

These items are reported here as noted in NRA-ILA sources — individual state articles should be consulted for full context on each state's situation.

The passage of the reconciliation bill removed the financial barrier but left the bureaucratic one standing. The HPA, SHORT Act, SHUSH Act, and PARTS Act each address different pieces of what remains. None had cleared both chambers as of the sources available here.

For hunters and recreational shooters in suppressor-legal states, the practical situation as of early 2026 is: you can buy a suppressor with no tax, but you still wait through the NFA approval process. How long that process takes depends on ATF processing times — and with 150,000 e-Forms submitted on January 1 alone, that queue got significantly longer overnight.

For anyone in a state with pending legalization bills — New York, Rhode Island, Illinois — the suppressor isn't legal yet. Watch your state legislature.

Anyone operating under Missouri or Oklahoma's state sovereignty suppressor frameworks should understand those are legally untested theories, and federal law has not changed to accommodate them. Consult an attorney.

• https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/404/text
• https://www.nssf.org/articles/new-year-buying-surge-shows-2026-could-be-the-year-of-suppressors/
• https://www.nraila.org/articles/20250522/us-house-passes-reconciliation-bill-removing-suppressors-from-the-national-firearms-act
• https://www.billtrack50.com/info/blog/silence-is-golden-the-quiet-rise-of-suppressor-legislation
• https://cloud.house.gov/posts/release-cloud-and-lee-introduce-bill-to-simplify-suppressor-rules
• https://www.michiganmilitarysupply.com/post/federal-changes-to-u-s-suppressor-laws-what-s-new-in-2026
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51NMEKA9elA

Last Updated: April 03, 2026