By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—Federal Legislation: The Reconciliation Process and where we stand regarding suppressors; Politics—DNC, Colorado; Adjourned: Alabama & Missouri; Arizona: Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed SB1014, SB1020, and SB1143; Iowa: Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 106 into law; Louisiana: Anti-gun bill deferred and the House voted 81-14 to pass HB 2; Maine: LD 1126 was passed out of Committee for votes on the floor; Rhode Island: Both anti-gun bills have been “held for further study,” which means they can be brought up for a vote at any time; Texas: The Texas House passed three pro-gun bills, HB1403, HB1794, and HB3053 on May 13, while the Texas House State Affairs Committee passed SB1065 three days later.
BATFE under President Trump removes “The Faces of Gun Violence” memorial
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) under the Trump administration removed the “Faces of Gun Violence” memorial from the ATF headquarters in Washington, D.C., a display that had been installed during the Biden administration in 2024. This memorial featured photographs and stories of individuals who were victims of gun violence, intended as both a remembrance and a statement about the impact of firearms-related crime.
As Second Amendment activists know, the term “gun violence” is a propaganda construct, equating it with terms like “knife violence” or “car violence,” and it refers to the actions of criminals and “psychopaths” who use firearms illegally. We also remember that the BATFE under the previous administration focused primarily on finding and prosecuting technical infractions of gun laws rather than prosecuting violent criminal acts with guns.
Federal Legislation: The Reconciliation Process
Some Republicans Push for Second Amendment Measures: Some conservative House Republicans, led by Second Amendment leaders like Rep. Andrew Clyde and Rep. Ben Cline, are advocating for the inclusion of pro-gun provisions in the reconciliation bill, specifically targeting regulations under the National Firearms Act (NFA). These efforts focus on:
- Hearing Protection Act (H.R. 404): This bill seeks to remove firearm suppressors (silencers) from NFA regulations, eliminating the $200 making tax and registration requirements. Suppressors would be treated like standard firearms, subject to background checks but not additional NFA restrictions.
- SHORT Act (H.R. 2395): This aims to deregulate short-barreled rifles (SBRs), short-barreled shotguns (SBSs), and other NFA items (e.g., “any other weapons” or AOWs) by removing their $200 tax and registration requirements.
- Full NFA Repeal: Some advocates, including X users and Rep. Clyde, have called for a complete repeal of the NFA, which regulates machine guns, suppressors, short-barrel rifles (SBRs), short-barrel shotguns (SBSs), and other specialized firearms.
Ways and Means Committee Proposal: The House Ways and Means Committee’s markup of the reconciliation bill reportedly includes a provision reducing the NFA transfer tax for suppressors to $0, but it retains the $200 making tax and does not address SBRs, SBSs, or AOWs. This partial measure has been criticized by gun rights advocates, including Rep. Clyde, as insufficient.
Impact on Bill Progress: The push for stronger gun provisions has contributed to delays in the reconciliation process. On May 16, the House Budget Committee rejected the bill (16-21 vote), partly due to opposition from conservatives like Rep. Clyde, who are withholding support to secure Second Amendment wins. The committee was scheduled to reconsider the bill on May 18. However, as of that date, the 2025 reconciliation bill includes a minor provision reducing the NFA transfer tax for suppressors to $0; it retains the $200 transfer tax and does not address SBRs, SBSs, or other NFA items. Conservative advocacy for the Hearing Protection Act, SHORT Act, or full NFA repeal has delayed the bill’s progress, with Rep. Andrew Clyde and others voting against it in the House Budget Committee. However, no comprehensive gun provisions (pro- or anti-gun) are confirmed in the bill’s main text, and their inclusion remains uncertain due to procedural, fiscal, and political constraints.
Politics
DNC Feud: Most gun owners have not followed the serpentine pathway of David Hogg, the alleged survivor of the Parkland, FL high school shooting. He went on an anti-gun binge after the Parkland shooting by parading himself as the voice of the victims. He co-founded March for Our Lives, a youth group espousing every gun control scheme he could find. As the public leader, he became active on social media and touted his acceptance to Harvard. During the pandemic years, his activity waned; however, in 2023, he co-founded Leaders We Deserve PAC to support young candidates for state legislatures, with a focus on gun control and progressive issues. He raised millions of dollars in favor of gun control objectives.
A report from April 2025 indicates that the PAC raised $11.9 million in total, with $10.7 million spent on operating expenses; however, the exact timeframe isn’t specified beyond the 2023-2024 election cycle. Those operating expenses include lucrative salaries for David and Vice-President Kevin Lata. By February 2025, records show Hogg had pocketed more than $175,000 in total salary since the PAC’s founding in August 2023, with $20,000 paid in December 2024 alone. After the 2024 election, he made himself available as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair and was subsequently elected to that post.
As DNC Vice Chairman, he has made comments stating that his Leaders We Deserve PAC will raise $20 million to support younger candidates by mounting campaigns against “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats. This announcement caught the attention of 80-year-old James Carville, one of the Democrats’ premier strategists. This feud, which peaked in April and May, highlights generational and ideological tensions within the party—Hogg’s tenure as DNC Vice-Chair appears to be over, while the Carville feud has gone underground. An excellent behind-the-scenes article by Dave Workman can be accessed here.
Colorado: The Rocky Mountain Gun Owners have bestowed State Senator Ryan Amargost (R) with their RINO of the Legislative Session. “This RINO sabotaged the fight against this year’s gun ban for attention, implied that he would shoot Coloradans with fliers at his door, and tried to gain favor with extreme anti-gun Democrats by apologizing for proven and effective tactics used by 2A supporters.”
State Legislatures
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico,
South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming have adjourned.
Kansas and Maine are in recess.
Alabama: The Alabama legislature adjourned.
Arizona: Although the legislature passed SB1014, SB1020, and SB1143, anti-Second Amendment Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed them all.
Iowa: Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 106 into law.
Louisiana:Last week the Senate Judiciary C Committee deferred anti-gun SB 211, a “red flag” measure.
The House voted 81-14 to pass HB 289, which enhances and strengthens protections for the state’s firearm and ammunition industry members.
Maine: Last week, the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary held several work sessions and voted on Second Amendment bills. All pro-Second Amendment bills have been carried over to next year’s session. LD 1126, a so-called “ghost gun bill,” that redefines firearms under Maine law to include both finished and unfinished receivers was passed out of Committee for votes on the floor. LD411, An Act to Amend the Law Governing the Disposition of Forfeited Firearms, and LD 1821 requiring all federal firearm licensees install costly and extreme “security measures” in their businesses and/or home, have been carried over to the next special or regular session of the legislature.
Missouri: The Missouri legislature adjourned.
Oklahoma: SB500, was signed by Governor Kevin Stitt. .
Rhode Island: The Senate Judiciary Committee held a lengthy hearing on S.359, a sweeping semi-auto ban falsely dubbed an “assault weapons ban.” In the House HB5436, which was considered earlier, this session is still alive. Both bills have been “held for further study,” which means they can be brought up for a vote at any time.
Tennessee: Governor Bill Lee signed SB1318/HB1332 and SB1360/HB873.
Texas: The Texas House passed three pro-gun bills, HB1403, HB1794, and HB3053 on May 13. All will now be considered by the Texas Senate. The Texas House State Affairs Committee passed SB1065 on May 16. This bill was introduced as a result of the 2024 Texas State Fair prohibiting firearms. The bill stops the creation of “gun free zones” on public property,
West Virginia: A press release from NSSF: The Firearm Industry Trade Association, praises West Virginia’s Gov. Patrick Morrisey for signing three bills into law that bring added protections to the firearm industry and Second Amendment rights in the Mountain State. The bills were passed with overwhelming bipartisan support by the West Virginia legislature.
