New Legislation Aims to Remove Short-Barreled Firearms from NFA Restrictions

A new legislative proposal introduced in Congress seeks to significantly reform federal firearms regulations by removing several categories of weapons from National Firearms Act (NFA) oversight. The Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act, commonly referred to as the SHORT Act, has been introduced as a bicameral effort by Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) in the Senate and Representative Andrew Clyde (R-Georgia) in the House.

This proposed legislation would eliminate the taxation, registration requirements, and federal regulations currently imposed on firearms classified as Short-Barreled Rifles (SBRs), Short-Barreled Shotguns (SBSs), and Any Other Weapons (AOWs) under the National Firearms Act.

The bill's sponsors maintain that such reform is long overdue and would effectively resolve the controversial issue of pistol stabilizing braces, which have been the subject of recent regulatory action. "Deregulating SBRs, SBSs, and AOWs is the most effective way to ensure American gun owners are not subjected to unlawful and unnecessary restrictions, taxation, and registration of firearms or pistol braces," Representative Clyde stated in an official release from his office.

If enacted, the SHORT Act would remove NFA constraints from approximately 532,000 registered SBRs, 162,000 registered SBSs, and 67,000 registered AOWs—all categories created by early 20th century gun legislation that critics argue has proven ineffective and illogical. For context, the Congressional Research Service estimated in 2021 that there may be as many as 40 million stabilizing braces currently in circulation.

The legislation includes provisions requiring the destruction of all forms and registry records related to these firearms within one year of enactment. Additionally, the bill would establish federal preemption, preventing states from maintaining or implementing restrictions on these items once they are removed from NFA purview.

When considered alongside the Hearing Protection Act, which aims to deregulate suppressors, these reforms would substantially narrow the scope of the NFA to only machine guns and destructive devices. This reduction could potentially make a complete repeal of the NFA more feasible in the future.

"The SHORT Act takes a step toward rolling back nonsensical regulations that the National Firearms Act has placed upon gun owners," Senator Marshall explained of the legislation.

The bill has garnered support from gun rights organizations including Gun Owners of America and the National Association of Gun Rights at the time of its introduction.