During one of the longest government shutdowns in U.S. history, the Trump administration has moved to restore the sale of some of the nation’s most tightly controlled firearms, following sustained lobbying from gun industry groups and Republican lawmakers.
Federal firearms examiners, previously furloughed under the shutdown, have now been deemed “essential” workers, allowing them to return to their posts and resume processing applications for weapons regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934—including silencers, short-barreled rifles, and pre-1986 machine guns. These weapons, often linked to the Prohibition era and sometimes dubbed “gangster guns,” are among the most closely monitored in the country.
Sales were halted when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) furloughed staff in its National Firearms Act division at the start of the shutdown, prompting strong objections from gun-rights advocates and Republican members of Congress. While purchases of common firearms such as handguns and semiautomatic rifles were unaffected, groups like the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) argued that the pause violated Americans’ Second Amendment rights. “A right delayed is a right denied,” the organization wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
More than two dozen House Republicans echoed those concerns in a letter to the ATF, warning that “the constitutional rights of Americans are being infringed.”
The Trump administration’s decision means the sale and transfer of these highly regulated weapons can now resume, even as other government functions remain suspended—from FDA drug approvals to small-business loan processing. Some critics have questioned the administration’s priorities, noting that certain national security and safety roles remain unstaffed.
Gun-rights supporters, however, celebrated the move as a victory for constitutional freedoms and a check on what they view as excessive ATF regulation.