Palmetto State Armory is putting a major gun-rights win into practice. But the federal registration law is still on the books, and ATF itself warns enforcement could come back.
Palmetto State Armory is now selling qualifying short-barreled rifles in 17 states without the traditional ATF Form 4 approval process. That turns a recent court victory against the National Firearms Act into real relief for gun owners.
PSA announced the expansion on October 23. Eligible customers in Texas and 16 other states can now buy short-barreled rifles through participating dealers using the standard transfer process instead of the NFA registration system.
It’s a major blow to a 1934 law that treats ordinary rifles as something sinister because of a few inches of barrel. But as Texas Gun Rights warned in our October 12 article, “The NFA Is Dead? Not So Fast,” this victory is not the end of the NFA.
What PSA Is Doing
Under the NFA, a rifle with a barrel shorter than 16 inches has required a separate federal approval process. Buyers filed ATF Form 4, submitted fingerprints and identifying information, and waited for Washington’s permission. Congress cut the $200 transfer tax to zero effective January 1, 2026, but the registration system stayed.
Following the August 5, 2026, ruling in Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF, consolidated with Jensen v. ATF, the federal government extended nonenforcement nationwide as a matter of agency discretion. The court’s order itself covered only specific parties. PSA now lets eligible buyers take delivery through a participating dealer using only ATF Form 4473 and a background check, the same paperwork used for any other gun purchase.
PSA also has an advantage other manufacturers may not. The company was an original plaintiff in the lawsuit, and the court’s permanent injunction protects covered customers as well as the plaintiffs themselves. That protection is stronger than ATF’s nationwide nonenforcement policy, which a future administration could rescind. For buyers elsewhere, the relief rests on an executive policy, and policies can change.
PSA says more states could be added as its compliance team reviews state restrictions.
ATF’s Own Warning
On October 9, ATF announced it would stop enforcing major NFA registration and approval requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and certain other firearms.
But the NFA was never repealed. The registration statutes and criminal penalties are still federal law.
ATF’s own guidance says enforcement could resume if legal circumstances change or a future administration rescinds the policy. It also says federal law provides no automatic grandfather protection for firearms acquired without registration, and generally doesn’t allow registering them after the fact. A future Attorney General could offer an amnesty, but nothing requires one.
So a gun owner could buy a short-barreled rifle legally today, pass a background check, and still face legal uncertainty years from now if a different administration revives enforcement. Prosecution wouldn’t be automatic, and that owner could have strong constitutional and due-process defenses, but those might have to be fought in federal court.
Other rules still apply too. State and local laws remain in force, dealers must still follow background-check and recordkeeping rules, and taking a short-barreled rifle across state lines generally still requires separate federal approval.
ATF itself warns that if enforcement resumes, people possessing unregistered NFA firearms could face felony penalties and forfeiture, with no guaranteed chance to register.
A government promise not to enforce a gun-control law is not the same as repealing it.
Congress and Texas Must Finish the Job
Congress had the chance to fix this in 2025. During negotiations on President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, lawmakers considered removing suppressors and short-barreled firearms from the NFA entirely. Instead, the final bill zeroed out the $200 tax and left the registration framework standing.
Texas Gun Rights opposed that compromise because a $0 tax doesn’t remove Washington’s power to regulate these firearms. This week shows why that mattered.
“Palmetto State Armory deserves credit for helping turn this legal victory into real relief for gun owners,” said Chris McNutt, President of Texas Gun Rights. “But Americans should not have to wonder whether a rifle they legally purchase today could put them in a federal prosecutor’s crosshairs tomorrow. Congress needs to repeal these restrictions, eliminate the criminal penalties, and stop leaving our Second Amendment rights at the mercy of whichever administration controls Washington.”
Texas has already done part of its job. In 2025, the Legislature passed SB 1596, removing short-barreled firearms from the state’s prohibited-weapons statute, effective September 1, 2025.
When the 90th Legislature convenes in January 2027, Texas Gun Rights will push a Second Amendment Preservation Act to keep state and local resources from enforcing federal gun restrictions stricter than Texas law, so Texans aren’t left exposed if Washington changes course.
A Win Worth Celebrating, a Fight Worth Finishing
PSA’s move is real progress against a federal system that has burdened gun owners for more than 90 years. Just don’t mistake it for repeal.
This is not legal advice. Before buying, check current federal, state, and local law and your dealer’s requirements.
The goal was never to make federal gun registration cheaper or temporarily optional. The goal is to end it.
Chip in to Texas Gun Rights to finish the fight against the National Firearms Act and secure permanent Second Amendment protections in Washington and Austin.
