Senator Chris Murphy just introduced an amendment to jack up taxes on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and certain other firearms to $4,709 per item.
That’s not a typo. Nearly five thousand dollars. Per item.
Trump’s reconciliation bill reduced those NFA taxes to zero last July. Murphy wants them back — and then some.
The quiet part out loud: if you can’t ban guns, tax them until only the wealthy can afford them.
The 1934 Playbook
The National Firearms Act of 1934 imposed a $200 tax on certain firearms.
In 1934 dollars, $200 was designed to be prohibitive. It was more than most Americans earned in a month. The point wasn’t revenue — it was making ownership impossible for ordinary citizens.
Murphy’s $4,709 figure? That’s $200 adjusted for inflation.
He’s explicitly trying to restore the original intent of the NFA: pricing Americans out of their constitutional rights.
“This Is Tyrannical”
Gun Owners of America Federal Director Aidan Johnston didn’t mince words.
“This is actually not the first time that Sen. Chris Murphy has proposed this tyrannical tax hike. His goal with this amendment is to price Americans out of their ability to exercise their Second Amendment rights.”
Tyrannical is the right word.
Imagine a $4,709 tax on voting. Or on attending church. Or on publishing a newspaper. The outcry would be immediate and universal.
But the Second Amendment? Democrats treat it as a privilege to be taxed out of existence.
Suppressors Are Safety Devices
Here’s what Murphy either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care about: suppressors are hearing protection.
They don’t make guns silent like in movies. They reduce the sound from “instant hearing damage” to “still very loud but less likely to cause permanent injury.”
In most of Europe — which Democrats usually love to cite — suppressors are encouraged or even required for hunting. They’re seen as basic safety equipment, like ear protection at a construction site.
Murphy wants to tax a safety device at $4,709.
Mark Oliva of the National Shooting Sports Foundation responded: “Senator Murphy constantly calls for ‘commonsense’ gun control. This proposed tax proves what we really need in America are commonsense senators.”
The NFA Is the Target
The National Association for Gun Rights identified the broader strategy.
“While this amendment is unlikely to advance in the current Congress, it makes one thing clear: Democrats see the NFA as an attractive target. This is exactly what we’ve warned about: they’ll never stop at banning guns outright; they’ll just try to tax them out of reach.”
The NFA’s registration framework gives Democrats a mechanism for control. As long as it exists, they can propose amendments like Murphy’s — using bureaucracy and taxation to accomplish what outright bans cannot.
“The GOP should recognize this threat and end it at the source by dismantling the NFA entirely.”
“The Dismantling Has Begun”
The NRA-ILA’s John Commerford noted that Trump already struck a blow against the NFA.
“The NRA is proud to have worked with President Trump and pro-gun lawmakers in Congress to repeal this archaic and unconstitutional gun-control tax. The dismantling of the NFA has begun, and we are going to continue to work tirelessly until it is repealed in its entirety.”
Trump reduced the NFA tax to zero. Murphy wants to raise it to $4,709. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.
One party is expanding Second Amendment rights. The other is trying to tax them out of existence.
“Media-Obsessed”
Commerford also called out Murphy’s motivations.
“Media-obsessed Senator Chris Murphy is more interested in putting forward preposterous proposals than addressing the issues facing our country.”
Murphy knows this amendment won’t pass. Republicans control Congress. Trump would never sign it.
So why introduce it?
Fundraising. Media attention. Signaling to the gun control lobby. Building a record for future campaigns.
It’s performance, not legislation. But it reveals what Democrats would do if they had power.
The Poll Tax Comparison
Think about what Murphy is proposing in constitutional terms.
Poll taxes were once used to prevent Black Americans from voting. The 24th Amendment banned them because conditioning a constitutional right on payment is fundamentally incompatible with that right being a “right” at all.
Murphy’s proposal does exactly that for the Second Amendment. Can’t afford $4,709? No suppressor for you. Can’t afford multiple $4,709 taxes? No short-barreled rifle for home defense.
The wealthy can still exercise their rights. Everyone else is priced out.
That’s not gun safety. That’s class warfare disguised as policy.
“Disdain for Law-Abiding Gun Owners”
Oliva’s comment deserves repetition.
“I can only hope that someday Senator Murphy has as much disdain in his heart for criminals as he holds for law-abiding gun owners who exercise their Constitutional rights.”
Criminals don’t pay NFA taxes. They don’t register their weapons. They don’t follow the law.
Murphy’s proposal would affect only law-abiding citizens who go through the legal process to own regulated items. The people causing gun violence would be completely unaffected.
It’s security theater that punishes the innocent while doing nothing about the guilty.
What This Amendment Reveals
Murphy’s amendment won’t pass. Everyone knows it.
But it shows what Democrats want to do. Given power, they would:
Restore the NFA taxes Trump eliminated.
Increase those taxes to prohibitive levels.
Price ordinary Americans out of firearm ownership.
Create a system where only the wealthy can exercise Second Amendment rights.
That’s the agenda. Murphy just put it in writing.
The Ongoing Battle
The NRA has filed multiple lawsuits challenging the NFA. Gun rights organizations are pushing for complete repeal. Trump reduced the taxes to zero.
Progress is being made. But Murphy’s amendment shows the fight isn’t over.
As long as the NFA framework exists, Democrats will try to weaponize it. As long as they can propose $4,709 taxes, they will.
The only permanent solution is what gun rights groups are demanding: dismantle the NFA entirely.
Until then, amendments like Murphy’s will keep coming — reminders of what Democrats would do to the Second Amendment if given the chance.
$4,709
Remember that number.
That’s what Chris Murphy thinks you should pay for the privilege of owning a suppressor. A safety device. Hearing protection.
Nearly five thousand dollars. Per item.
Not because it would reduce crime. Not because it would make anyone safer. But because it would make gun ownership impossible for most Americans.
That’s the Democratic Party’s vision for the Second Amendment.
Vote accordingly.