DOJ won't enforce parts of 1934 gun law that were gutted by court ruling

The Justice Department announced it will no longer enforce certain parts of a 1934 gun law after a federal judge ruled those sections were unconstitutional. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued new guidelines for gun owners, stating they will no longer require individuals to apply for regulatory approval before making or transferring short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, suppressors, and other concealed firearms.

The Justice Department decided not to appeal the judge's ruling, which was released last month. The National Firearms Act (NFA) was aimed at regulating dangerous and concealable weapons used by mobsters during the Prohibition era. However, the U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Trump appointee, struck down most of the NFA's restrictions on firearms, finding them unconstitutional due to a lack of revenue generation.

The ruling impacted the ATF's enforcement of the NFA, so the agency will continue to process registration applications from state and local laws voluntarily. The decision came in two consolidated cases brought by 15 states and Second Amendment groups, challenging the law's limitations on certain firearms.