GOA Lashes Out Over GOP Betrayal in Gutting Gun Bills

Republican majorities currently hold both chambers of Congress. There’s a Republican president in the White House, and conservatives hold a clear majority on the Supreme Court.

Considering the GOP claims to be the party of gun rights, this should be a golden era for us.

However, it’s not. Republicans gutted two extremely pro-gun bills, and the Gun Owners of America aren’t happy about it in the least.

Gun Owners of America (GOA) today slammed the House Ways and Means Committee for choosing to protect unconstitutional gun registrations rather than ending an archaic infringement on the Second Amendment by advancing a so-called “compromise” provision that falls short of fully repealing the unconstitutional tax on suppressors and other firearms regulated under the National Firearms Act (NFA). 

The newly released language, part of the broader tax package, reduces the transfer tax on suppressors to $0, but maintains a $200 tax on most other NFA firearms and codifies a reduced $5 tax on others. GOA has been working for months to ensure full deregulation of suppressors and the protection of pistol braces through reconciliation, providing detailed legal analysis to prove such reforms would pass Byrd Rule scrutiny. 

GOA will continue to push for the full repeal of all NFA taxes and regulations, including the unjust $200 transfer tax on lawfully owned firearms and accessories. 

Erich Pratt, Senior Vice President of Gun Owners of America, issued the following statement: 

“This isn’t a compromise, it’s a betrayal. The House Ways and Means Committee chose to leave unconstitutional registration and taxes in place even though they had a clear path to repeal them. GOA made it crystal clear that full deregulation of suppressors and protection for brace owners was achievable under reconciliation. Lawmakers knew it, and they chose political convenience over principle. Gun owners won’t forget this.” 

Aidan Johnston, Director of Federal Affairs for Gun Owners of America, issued the following statement: 

“Congress has a clear path to dismantle the National Firearms Act through budget reconciliation because it is a $200 tax—plain and simple. Republicans have no excuse to not gut this unconstitutional law to the fullest extent the Senate Parliamentarian allows; anything less is cowardice and a direct compromise on our Second Amendment rights.” 

Now, Cam talked a bit about what we got in a post on Tuesday, and he was less than pleased about what was left on the table as well. I’m right there with him.

Sure, the reduction on the $200 tax stamp for suppressors is a step in the right direction, but it’s nothing compared to what should have happened. As the GOA press release notes, it’s a betrayal because there was a clear path available to achieve more.

So what gives? 

The simple answer is that Republicans aren’t afraid of us anymore. They’re not worried we’ll sway the primary vote toward one of their opponents so they can keep giving us the shaft, because what are we going to do, vote for a Democrat instead?

I talked about this a couple of weeks ago, but this is a prime example of what happens when there’s no fear left in them when it comes to keeping their jobs.

Pratt may be right that gun owners won’t forget it, but House Republicans just don’t care. That’s the problem.

Rep. Tony Gonzales has been vehemently anti-gun since Uvalde. He ran against a legitimately pro-gun opponent in the primary in Brandon Herrera, a guntuber and firearm manufacturer. Herrera laws by around 400 votes, and only because Gonzales outspent him by orders of magnitude. Much of that money came from the establishment that would rather have had an anti-gun Republican incumbent than even the slimmest chance of an upset in the general election.

Which wasn’t likely to happen in that district.

They have no fear of us. They’re not afraid to hold onto their jobs if they screw us over, like they just did here.

It’s time to start rallying the troops and prove to them that they just screwed up royally.