DOJ follows Trump’s orders not to appeal NFA ruling, allowing silencers and dangerous weapons to become easily accessible

WASHINGTON – GIFFORDS Law Center, the legal arm of the national gun violence prevention group GIFFORDS, released the following statement after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that they won’t appeal a ruling in Texas, which struck down the nearly century-old commonsense protections on silencers, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and other dangerous firearms or devices in the National Firearms Act (NFA).

CBS reported last month that President Trump himself ordered the DOJ to not appeal this case. By refusing to appeal, the DOJ has ceded its duty to defend the 1934 federal law, which has already led to dismissed criminal indictments and left federal prosecutors pursuing firearms cases under the NFA in limbo.

The ruling applies to current and future members of the extreme gun groups who mounted the legal challenge to the NFA, meaning people can now pay a membership fee to skirt NFA requirements.

“This decision is a failure to defend public safety. Congress put these safeguards in place nearly 100 years ago for a reason. The Trump Administration could bring us back to the days of Al Capone, when silencers and short-barreled shotguns were used in organized crime to terrorize the public. This decision creates a loophole in federal law via membership in the nation’s most extreme gun groups, fueling gun industry bottom lines, while upending public safety,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown.