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Gun Owners of America Calls Bondi’s Defense of the NFA an ‘Ultimate Betrayal,’ Warns It Could Enable Handgun Bans

04:47 AM, 11/22/2025
Gun Owners of America Calls Bondi’s Defense of the NFA an ‘Ultimate Betrayal,’ Warns It Could Enable Handgun Bans

Summary: Gun Owners of America sharply criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi after a Department of Justice memo defended the National Firearms Act (NFA). Plaintiffs including the Silencer Shop Foundation and GOA argue the NFA’s tax justification vanished after recent changes removed certain tax stamps, leaving only registration and paperwork. The DOJ contends the NFA remains a valid tax-based statute; GOA warns the memo’s language could be used to justify broader firearm restrictions, including potential limits on handguns.

Gun Owners of America (GOA) publicly condemned Attorney General Pam Bondi after the Department of Justice filed a 48-page memorandum defending the National Firearms Act (NFA) in a motion for summary judgment. The controversy centers on a July lawsuit brought by the Silencer Shop Foundation, GOA and other plaintiffs challenging the NFA as amended by the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," which removed certain tax stamps while keeping the statute’s paperwork and registration requirements.

The plaintiffs argue that with the tax effectively reduced to zero for items such as suppressors and short‑barreled rifles and shotguns, the NFA no longer produces revenue for the federal government and therefore has lost its original tax-based justification. The Silencer Shop Foundation said the law now functions primarily as a burdensome registration scheme that slows approvals and creates a federal registry of lawful firearm owners.

DOJ argues the NFA remains a valid tax

In its 48-page filing, the DOJ asserted that the NFA remains a valid exercise of federal taxing power and moved to defend the statute. A key passage of the memo characterizes the NFA as targeting "particularly dangerous and easily concealable weapons that 'could be used readily and efficiently by criminals,'" citing precedent that supports regulating concealable weapons valued for short‑range concealability and potential to cause devastating harm.

"Seeking to curtail armed crime, the NFA targeted particularly dangerous and easily concealable weapons that 'could be used readily and efficiently by criminals,'" the memo states, citing multiple cases addressing regulation of concealable weapons.

GOA reaction and political fallout

GOA responded angrily on social media, calling Bondi’s role in the DOJ filing an "ultimate betrayal" of the Second Amendment and accusing the Trump administration of siding with federal gun‑control arguments. The organization criticized Bondi for what it described as an expansive view of federal power and asserted that the DOJ language could be used to justify sweeping restrictions — including, GOA warned, arguments that might be applied to handguns.

Supporters of the NFA argue the statute addresses particularly dangerous categories of weapons, while critics say the law’s current structure unduly burdens law‑abiding gun owners and relies on an outdated tax rationale. The legal challenge is likely to prompt extended litigation over whether the statute remains constitutional and how the government may justify firearm regulations under current law.

Key parties: Gun Owners of America; Silencer Shop Foundation; Department of Justice; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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