Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on Aug. 4 announced victory in a case where he argued firearms suppressors should not be required to be registered with the federal government.
Kobach, who characterized suppressors as protective hearing accessories, represented Kansas alongside 14 other states and a group of private plaintiffs to challenge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Specifically, the group commanded the ATF to stop enforcing registration, reporting and record keeping requirements that applied to suppressors and short-barreled rifles and shotguns.
A federal judge in Texas ruled on Aug. 5 that the permitting process for short-barreled guns and suppressors under the National Firearms Act was unconstitutional. He said there is no legal basis to enforce permit conditions after Congress removed a $200 permit tax. The judge was an appointee of Donald Trump.
