--- title: "Texas judge blocks ATF from enforcing NFA rules on untaxed firearms" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/texas-judge-blocks-atf-from-enforcing-nfa-rules-on-untaxed-firearms" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/texas-judge-blocks-atf-from-enforcing-nfa-rules-on-untaxed-firearms" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/texas-judge-blocks-atf-from-enforcing-nfa-rules-on-untaxed-firearms.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/texas-judge-blocks-atf-from-enforcing-nfa-rules-on-untaxed-firearms" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-05T23:05:48.975Z" source_reported: "2026-08-05T22:40:19.000Z" updated: "2026-08-06T00:00:24.961Z" trust_score: 96 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-06T00:00:20.695226+00:00" --- # Texas judge blocks ATF from enforcing NFA rules on untaxed firearms *U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled the National Firearms Act’s registration requirements exceed Congress’s taxing authority after taxes were reduced to $0* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 96 of 100, higher is better. Includes named judge, cited 66‑page opinion, and specific $0 tax figure. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Quotes from NRA‑ILA, SAF and others separate facts from commentary and outline next steps. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Headline uses strong language but article remains factual and measured. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled the National Firearms Act’s registration requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles and shotguns are unconstitutional after Congress reduced their taxes to $0 in July 2025. - The injunction blocks the ATF from enforcing NFA rules on those firearms but will not take effect for seven days, allowing the government to seek appellate relief. - The decision applies to plaintiffs in the case Jensen v. ATF and their members, including organisations such as the NRA, Gun Owners of America and the Second Amendment Foundation. - NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford called the ruling a major step toward dismantling the NFA, while other advocacy groups said it sets a precedent for future challenges. U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled on 5 August 2026 that the National Firearms Act no longer applies to suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and miscellaneous firearms after Congress eliminated their transfer and making taxes in July 2025. The decision, issued in the case Jensen v. ATF, blocks the ATF from enforcing registration requirements for those firearms. Hendrix, appointed by former President Donald Trump, wrote in a 66-page opinion that because the NFA no longer generates revenue from those firearms, its regulatory provisions exceed Congress’s taxing authority. The injunction applies to plaintiffs in the case and their members but will not take effect for seven days to allow the government to seek relief at the appellate level. The ruling follows legislation signed by Trump in 2025 that reduced the taxes on those firearms to $0. The Senate parliamentarian had previously struck language that would have removed them from the NFA’s purview entirely. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. ## What the coverage left out No left- or centre-rated outlet ran this story. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the cost of the NFA’s enforcement or the number of firearms affected by the ruling. ## Who covered it Shares of the 12 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 17% (2) - Centre: 8% (1) - Right: 75% (9) 1 of 13 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-06T00:00:20.695226+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 1 check found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-06T00:45:20.041Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports agree that a Texas judge blocked the ATF from enforcing National Firearms Act rules on untaxed firearms, including suppressors and short-barreled rifles. Both note the 2025 removal of the $200 tax under a Republican-backed bill. - The Independent led on the ruling’s public-safety implications, quoting the Giffords Law Center calling it a “dangerous step backward.” It included the 6.4 million registered suppressors figure and the role of local law-enforcement notification in the now-blocked process. The Toronto Star digest did not carry these details. - Both reports named the judge as James Hendrix and cited his reasoning that the regulations could no longer be justified without the tax. The Independent quoted his written statement directly; the digest did not. ### Centre No separate framing summary. ### Right - All seven right-rated digests led on the ruling’s immediate effect: the National Firearms Act no longer applies to suppressors and short-barreled firearms after Congress eliminated their taxes. The two full reports, published by WND and RedState, quoted the judge’s reasoning that the NFA’s regulatory provisions exceed Congress’s taxing authority without revenue. - WND’s report, written by Harold Hutchison of the Daily Caller News Foundation, described the ruling as a “sledgehammer” to the NFA and quoted NRA-ILA Executive Director John Commerford calling it a “major step toward dismantling, and ultimately end[ing], the National Firearms Act.” The report also noted that the DOJ had admitted in legal filings that suppressors’ “beneficial use” outweighs their misuse by criminals. - RedState’s report called the decision a “crushing blow” to NFA rules and quoted Second Amendment Foundation Executive Director Adam Kraut saying the ruling leaves “major portions of the NFA in the dustbin of history.” The report also included a tweet from Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League stating that suppressors, short-barreled rifles and shotguns “will no longer be NFA items and can be bought using a Form 4473 like a regular firearm” if the government does not appeal. - The digests from OpsLens, Washington Times, ussanews.com, gunowners.org and Tampa Free Press all carried the judge’s name, the seven-day stay and the firearms affected. None of the digests mentioned the DOJ’s admission about suppressors’ beneficial use or the Senate parliamentarian’s role in striking the original language from the 2025 legislation. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - low: 2 - mixed: 6 - high: 4 - unknown: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/08/05/texas-judge-rules-that-law-regulating-firearm-suppressors-and-some-guns-cant-be-enforced) — Texas judge rules that law regulating firearm suppressors and some guns can't be enforced - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/texas-judge-rules-that-law-regulating-firearm-suppressors-and-some-guns-cant-be-enforced/article_9f3beed9-3a0e-53cf-aaee-64e305647685.html) — Texas judge rules that law regulating firearm suppressors and some guns can’t be enforced - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/donald-trump-texas-austin-americans-republicans-b3028322.html) — Texas judge rules that law regulating firearm suppressors and some guns can't be enforced - [OpsLens](https://opslens.com/federal-judge-takes-sledgehammer-to-national-firearms-act-worldnetdaily-by-harold-hutchison-daily-caller-news-foundation) — Federal judge takes sledgehammer to National Firearms Act * WorldNetDaily * by Harold Hutchison, Daily Caller News Foundation - [athlonoutdoors.com](https://athlonoutdoors.com/article/is-the-nfa-dead-texas-district-court-rules-nfa-registration-provisions-unconstitutional) — Is the NFA Dead? Texas District Court Rules NFA Registration Provisions Unconstitutional - [WND](https://wnd.com/2026/08/federal-judge-takes-sledgehammer-national-firearms-act) — Federal judge takes sledgehammer to National Firearms Act * WorldNetDaily * by Harold Hutchison, Daily Caller News Foundation - [Washington Times](https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/5/national-firearms-act-no-longer-applies-silencers-judge-rules) — National Firearms Act no longer applies to silencers, judge rules - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/05/federal-court-rules-key-national-firearms-act-restrictions-are-unconstitutional-in-goa-lawsuit) — Federal Court Rules Key National Firearms Act Restrictions Are Unconstitutional in GOA Lawsuit - [Breitbart](https://breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2026/08/05/plaintiffs-secure-ruling-nfa-registration-is-unconstitutional) — Plaintiffs Secure Ruling that NFA Registration Is Unconstitutional - [gunowners.org](https://gunowners.org/federal-court-rules-key-national-firearms-act-restrictions-are-unconstitutional-in-goa-lawsuit) — Federal Court Rules Key National Firearms Act Restrictions Are Unconstitutional in GOA Lawsuit - [The Daily Caller](https://dailycaller.com/2026/08/05/federal-court-guts-red-tape-requirements-for-silencers-in-major-win-for-gun-owners) — Piece Of Red Tape That’s Tied Up Gun Owners For Decades Finally Gets Cut In Court - [RedState](https://redstate.com/terichristoph/2026/08/05/huge-2a-win-n2205221) — New: Federal Judge Deals Crushing Blow to NFA Rules on Short-Barreled Shotguns and Suppressors - [The Free Press (Tampa)](https://tampafp.com/texas-federal-judge-rules-nfa-firearms-registration-unconstitutional) — Texas Federal Judge Rules NFA Firearms Registration Unconstitutional - Tampa Free Press ## Questions **Which firearms does the ruling affect?** The ruling affects suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and miscellaneous firearms whose transfer and making taxes were reduced to $0 in July 2025. The ATF can no longer enforce National Firearms Act registration requirements for those firearms, pending any appeal. **Why did the judge rule the NFA unconstitutional for those firearms?** Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled that because Congress eliminated the taxes on those firearms in 2025, the National Firearms Act no longer generates revenue from them. Without revenue, the NFA’s regulatory provisions exceed Congress’s taxing authority and are unconstitutional. **What happens next?** The injunction blocking the ATF from enforcing NFA rules on those firearms will not take effect for seven days. This allows the government to seek relief at the appellate level. If no appeal is filed, the ruling will apply to plaintiffs in the case and their members. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/texas-judge-blocks-atf-from-enforcing-nfa-rules-on-untaxed-firearms. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Texas judge blocks ATF from enforcing NFA rules on untaxed firearms", https://mediabias.news/politics/texas-judge-blocks-atf-from-enforcing-nfa-rules-on-untaxed-firearms