Rob Pincus

Repealing the NFA

Rob Pincus
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Duration:   4  mins

If you’re interested in firearms mainly for personal defense, why should you care if the National Firearms Act (NFA) is repealed or not? Rob Pincus offers some compelling reasons.

What Is the NFA?

The National Firearms Act was enacted in 1934 and was the first federal attempt at gun-control legislation. It regulates ownership and use of short-barreled rifles and shotguns, machine guns, and suppressors, among other items. As these are not the most popular firearms for self-defense, some think the NFA doesn’t apply to them. On the contrary!

Second Amendment

Your access to all firearms is dependent upon enforcement of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gives citizens the right to keep and bear arms. There should not be incremental restrictions on certain types of firearms.

NFA-Restricted Items for Personal Defense

You may not be using short-barreled rifles and shotguns or firearms with suppressors to defend yourself and your family, but they are all excellent choices for home defense. Short-barreled rifles are light and maneuverable and work well within the confines of the typical home or apartment. Suppressors reduce sound and muzzle blast and make shots fired safer for all good guys behind the barrel of the gun.

As for other items on the NFA’s banned list, such as full-auto machine guns and destructive devices, you may not be able to think of an immediate application for them to your personal and home defense. But the point remains that simple and direct legal access to firearms lets us prepare to defend ourselves in the widest possible variety of circumstances.

That’s why, even if you want firearms only for personal defense and/or home protection, you should be interested in the discussion around repealing the NFA and removing any and all restrictions to legal and responsible firearms use and ownership.

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2 Responses to “Repealing the NFA”

  1. Jim

    A very good and articulate way of making a point.

  2. David

    Thank you for the fine articulation of a confusing issue. One item of note, I don't think auditory exclusion will offer any protection of the hearing. It's more an element of not being aware of sounds around us due to extreme focus. We still hear them, just do not recognize them. Damage from a fired weapon will still have an impact.

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