WASHINGTON––U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced the Repealing Illegal Freedom and Liberty Excises (RIFLE) Act, legislation that would remove a burdensome tax imposed on firearms regulated under the National Firearms Act.

“Arkansas’s hunters and shooting sportsmen and women who exercise their Second Amendment rights responsibly deserve access to firearms and accessories without jumping through bureaucratic hoops. I am proud to join Sen. Cotton and our colleagues to take this outdated and burdensome hurdle off the books for the benefit of law-abiding citizens across our country,” Boozman said. 

“Law-abiding Americans who exercise their Second Amendment rights should not be subject to unnecessary taxes and restrictions preventing them from doing so. Passed into law in 1934, the National Firearms Act needs to be amended. Our legislation will remove the red tape that places an undue financial burden on would-be gun owners,” said Cotton.

Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), John Hoeven (R-ND), Jim Justice (R-WV), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Tim Sheehy (R-MT) also cosponsored the legislation.

Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA-02).

Background:

• The 1934 National Firearms Act (NFA) regulates short-barreled shotguns and rifles, automatic firearms and suppressors. In addition to background checks and registration, NFA-regulated items have a $200 tax.
• The $200 tax, unchanged since 1934, is equivalent to $4,741 in today’s dollars. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has acknowledged the tax was intended “to curtail, if not prohibit, transactions” of firearms.
• From 2018 to 2023, ownership of NFA regulated items has grown by more than 230 percent as more sportsmen, shooters and firearm enthusiasts exercise their Second Amendment right.
• The RIFLE Act does not modify the current checks and registration; it solely removes the federally mandated financial burden on law-abiding gun owners.

The legislation is endorsed by the National Rifle Association and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.