--- title: "Trump DOJ drops appeal, ending 92-year tax and registration on silencers and short-barrel firearms" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-doj-drops-appeal-ending-92-year-tax-and-registration-on-silencers-and-shor" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-doj-drops-appeal-ending-92-year-tax-and-registration-on-silencers-and-shor" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-doj-drops-appeal-ending-92-year-tax-and-registration-on-silencers-and-shor.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/trump-doj-drops-appeal-ending-92-year-tax-and-registration-on-silencers-and-shor" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-15T22:25:26.385Z" source_reported: "2026-08-15T15:44:21.000Z" updated: "2026-08-15T22:25:26.385Z" trust_score: 54 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 30 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-16T00:15:22.429633+00:00" --- # Trump DOJ drops appeal, ending 92-year tax and registration on silencers and short-barrel firearms *Rep. Andrew Clyde, who owns a Georgia gun store, called the move the largest Second Amendment win in a century* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 54 of 100, higher is better. Trust 54: named source and figures present, but only one original report and digests use hedged language. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: clear context, multiple quotes, specific data, and future implications are well presented. - Hype 30 of 100, lower is better. Hype 30: headline uses strong language but article largely reports statements without excessive sensationalism. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - A district court ruled that removing the $200 tax on silencers and short-barrel firearms made the registration requirement unconstitutional. - The Trump administration did not appeal the ruling, allowing it to take effect without further legal challenge. - Rep. Andrew Clyde, who founded Clyde Armory, led the push to eliminate the tax in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year. - Gun violence prevention groups criticised the decision, saying it would make Americans less safe. A federal court ruling removed the $200 tax and registration requirements for silencers, short-barreled rifles and shotguns under the 1934 National Firearms Act. The Trump administration did not appeal the decision, allowing the change to take effect immediately. The ruling applies to the parties in the lawsuit and is not a nationwide injunction, as reported by the Associated Press. The tax and registration rules were introduced in 1934. Last year, Congress reduced the tax to zero in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Gun-rights groups then argued that the registration requirement was unconstitutional without the tax. A district court agreed, and the Justice Department did not challenge the ruling. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Georgia Republican who founded Clyde Armory before entering Congress, called the change the "greatest restoration" of Second Amendment rights in nearly a century. He led 47 Republican lawmakers in urging Attorney General Todd Blanche not to appeal the ruling. Clyde argued that taxing a constitutional right was a way to destroy it, and that removing the tax removed the justification for registration. Gun violence prevention groups opposed the move. Kris Brown, president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence, said the government had failed to protect public safety. She said the decision would deregulate "uniquely lethal weapons and devices" for the first time in nearly a century. ## What the coverage left out No left-rated outlet ran this story at all. None of the right-rated digests mentioned the cost of the $200 tax or that the ruling applies only to the parties in the lawsuit, not nationwide. The New York Ledger was the only outlet to report the warning from gun violence prevention groups. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 17% (1) - Right: 83% (5) 0 of 6 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-16T00:15:22.429633+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 10 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-16T00:45:10.692Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The New York Ledger led on the scale of the change, calling it the "greatest restoration" of Second Amendment rights in a century. Its report included Clyde’s argument that taxing a constitutional right was a way to destroy it, and that removing the tax removed the justification for registration. It also carried the warning from gun violence prevention groups that the decision would make Americans less safe. - The Ledger quoted Clyde directly: "If you can tax something legitimately, then you can actually destroy it through increased taxation. You might, quote, ‘have a right on paper,’ but you don’t really have a right because you can’t afford the right." The report also included a statement from Kris Brown, who said the government had failed to act to protect safety. ### Right - All five right-rated digests led on the scale of the change, calling it the "greatest restoration" of Second Amendment rights in nearly a century. Four of the five digests named Clyde as the lawmaker who called it that. Three of the five mentioned that the Trump administration did not appeal the ruling, allowing it to take effect immediately. - None of the right-rated digests mentioned the warning from gun violence prevention groups. None carried the statement from Kris Brown or the argument that the decision would make Americans less safe. None included the detail that the ruling applies only to the parties in the lawsuit and is not a nationwide injunction. **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: 4 ## 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 - [The New York Ledger](https://thenyledger.com/politics/gun-rights-gets-greatest-restoration-in-100-years-with-latest-trump-doj-move-lawmaker-hails) — Gun rights gets 'greatest restoration' in 100 years with latest Trump DOJ move, lawmaker hails - [Bizpac Review](https://bizpacreview.com/2026/08/15/trump-doj-delivers-greatest-restoration-of-2a-rights-in-nearly-100-years-1654965) — Trump DOJ delivers ‘greatest restoration’ of 2A rights in nearly 100 years - [American Wire News](https://americanwirenews.com/trump-doj-delivers-greatest-restoration-of-2a-rights-in-nearly-100-years) — Trump DOJ delivers ‘greatest restoration’ of 2A rights in nearly 100 years - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/gun-rights-gets-greatest-restoration-in-100-years-with-latest-trump-doj-move-lawmaker-hails) — Gun rights gets 'greatest restoration' in 100 years with latest Trump DOJ move, lawmaker hails – Democratic Accent - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/gun-rights-greatest-restoration-100-years-latest-trump-doj-move-lawmaker-hails) — Gun rights gets 'greatest restoration' in 100 years with latest Trump DOJ move, lawmaker hails - [ussanews.com](https://ussanews.com/2026/08/14/trumps-doj-will-reportedly-support-end-of-national-firearms-act-after-92-years) — Trump’s DOJ Will Reportedly Support End Of National Firearms Act After 92 Years ## Questions **What did the court ruling change?** The ruling removed the $200 tax and registration requirements for silencers, short-barreled rifles and shotguns under the 1934 National Firearms Act. The change took effect after the Trump administration did not appeal. It applies only to the parties in the lawsuit, not nationwide. **Who led the push to remove the tax?** Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Georgia Republican who founded Clyde Armory, led the push to eliminate the $200 tax in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year. He called the ruling the greatest restoration of Second Amendment rights in nearly a century. **What did gun violence prevention groups say?** Gun violence prevention groups criticised the decision. Kris Brown, president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence, said the government had failed to protect public safety and that the ruling would deregulate "uniquely lethal weapons and devices" for the first time in nearly a century. **Which outlets covered the story?** The New York Ledger, rated centre, ran a full report. Five right-rated outlets ran digests: Bizpac Review, American Wire News, Democratic Accent, Fox News and USSANews. No left-rated outlet ran the story at all. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-doj-drops-appeal-ending-92-year-tax-and-registration-on-silencers-and-shor. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Trump DOJ drops appeal, ending 92-year tax and registration on silencers and short-barrel firearms", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-doj-drops-appeal-ending-92-year-tax-and-registration-on-silencers-and-shor