A judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled Wednesday that the National Firearms Act registration requirements for short-barreled rifles and suppressors are unconstitutional in the case Jensen v. ATF. The National Firearms Act, enacted in 1934, required individuals purchasing specific classes of firearms—including silencers and short-barreled rifles—to pay a $200 tax and register the items with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The plaintiffs argued that without an underlying tax, the federal government lacks the constitutional authority to maintain the registration scheme. “The basis for each lawsuit challenging the NFA registration scheme is the same – without the tax, the remaining requirements for the affected arms under the NFA have no constitutional basis,” said SAF Executive Director Adam Kraut. The ruling in Jensen v. ATF is the first decision rendered among three related lawsuits challenging the post-tax registration requirements.