GOP tax bill would ease regulations on gun silencers and some rifles and shotguns
The guns provision was first requested in the House by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican gun store owner who had initially opposed the larger tax package. The House bill would remove silencers — called 'suppressors' by the gun industry — from a 1930s law that regulates firearms that are considered the most dangerous, eliminating a $200 tax while removing a layer of background checks.
The Senate kept the provision on silencers in its version of the bill and expanded upon it, adding short-barreled, or sawed-off, rifles and shotguns.
Republicans who have long supported the changes, along with the gun industry, say the tax infringes on Second Amendment rights. They say silencers are mostly used by hunters and target shooters for sport.
'Burdensome regulations and unconstitutional taxes shouldn't stand in the way of protecting American gun owners' hearing,' said Clyde, who owns two gun stores in Georgia and often wears a pin shaped like an assault rifle on his suit lapel.
Democrats are fighting to stop the provision, which was unveiled days after two Minnesota state legislators were shot in their homes, as the bill speeds through the Senate. They argue that loosening regulations on silencers could make it easier for criminals and active shooters to conceal their weapons.
'Parents don't want silencers on their streets, police don't want silencers on their streets,' said Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.
The gun language has broad support among Republicans and has received little attention as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., work to settle differences within the party on cuts to Medicaid and energy tax credits, among other issues. But it is just one of hundreds of policy and spending items included to entice members to vote for the legislation that could have broad implications if the bill is enacted within weeks, as Trump wants.
Inclusion of the provision is also a sharp turn from the climate in Washington just three years ago when Democrats, like Republicans now, controlled Congress and the White House and pushed through bipartisan gun legislation. The bill increased background checks for some buyers under the age of 21, made it easier to take firearms from potentially dangerous people and sent millions of dollars to mental health services in schools.
Passed in the summer of 2022, just weeks after the shooting of 19 children and two adults at a school in Uvalde, Texas, it was the most significant legislative response to gun violence in decades.
Three years later, as they try to take advantage of their consolidated power in Washington, Republicans are packing as many of their longtime priorities as possible, including the gun legislation, into the massive, wide-ranging bill that Trump has called 'beautiful.'
'I'm glad the Senate is joining the House to stand up for the Second Amendment and our Constitution, and I will continue to fight for these priorities as the Senate works to pass President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill,' said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who was one of the lead negotiators on the bipartisan gun bill in 2022 but is now facing a primary challenge from the right in his bid for reelection next year.
If the gun provisions remain in the larger legislation and it is passed, silencers and the short-barrel rifles and shotguns would lose an extra layer of regulation that they are subject to under the National Firearms Act, passed in the 1930s in response to concerns about mafia violence. They would still be subject to the same regulations that apply to most other guns — and that includes possible loopholes that allow some gun buyers to avoid background checks when guns are sold privately or online.
Larry Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, who supports the legislation, says changes are aimed at helping target shooters and hunters protect their hearing. He argues that the use of silencers in violent crimes is rare. 'All it's ever intended to do is to reduce the report of the firearm to hearing safe levels,' Keane says.
Speaking on the floor before the bill passed the House, Rep. Clyde said the bill restores Second Amendment rights from 'over 90 years of draconian taxes.' Clyde said Johnson included his legislation in the larger bill 'with the purest of motive.'
'Who asked for it? I asked,' said Clyde, who ultimately voted for the bill after the gun silencer provision was added.
Clyde was responding to Rep. Maxwell Frost, a 28-year-old Florida Democrat, who went to the floor and demanded to know who was responsible for the gun provision. Frost, who was a gun-control activist before being elected to Congress, called himself a member of the 'mass shooting generation' and said the bill would help 'gun manufacturers make more money off the death of children and our people.'
Among other concerns, control advocates say less regulation for silencers could make it harder for law enforcement to stop an active shooter.
'There's a reason silencers have been regulated for nearly a century: They make it much harder for law enforcement and bystanders to react quickly to gunshots,' said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
Schumer and other Democrats are trying to convince the Senate parliamentarian to drop the language as she reviews the bill for policy provisions that aren't budget-related.
'Senate Democrats will fight this provision at the parliamentary level and every other level with everything we've got,' Schumer said earlier this month.
Jalonick writes for the Associated Press.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Health insurer Centene reports surprise quarterly loss
(Reuters) -Centene on Friday reported a surprise quarterly loss after the health insurer warned of a revenue slump from government-backed plans, sending its shares down nearly 3% in premarket trading. "We are disappointed by our second-quarter results, but we have a clear understanding of the trends that have impacted our performance, and are working with urgency and focus to restore our earnings trajectory," CEO Sarah London said. The health insurance industry has seen elevated medical costs and changing enrollment patterns, at a time when it braces for big spending cuts and rule changes under the Trump administration. Earlier this month, Centene withdrew its 2025 earnings forecast due to an expected revenue slump from commercial plans under Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. These plans offer a sliding scale of government subsidies based on income. For the second quarter, the health insurer reported adjusted loss per share of 16 cents, compared to analysts estimates of a profit of 86 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures hit pause after record-setting rally
US stock futures steadied near all-time highs on Friday as investors assessed a packed week of major earnings, trade deals, and President Trump's unusual visit to the Federal Reserve. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) ticked up 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures (ES=F) traded flat on the heels of notching its fourth record close in a row thanks to hopes for AI growth. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) were also little changed. Markets are hitting pause on the recent risk-on rally that has seen the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) stack up records, setting the major gauges on track for weekly gains of around 1%. Spirits got a boost from a US-Japan trade pact that boosted optimism for more deals, while blue-chip and Big Tech results underpinned a solid start to earnings season. But some on Wall Street are questioning whether FOMO — "fear of missing out" — is driving gains, rather than fundamentals. Investors may now be locking in profits ahead of a big week bringing the Fed's two-day policy meeting, the monthly US jobs report, and a flood of quarterly results highlighted by Apple (AAPL), Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), and Meta (META). Most of all, it features the Aug. 1 deadline for countries to strike trade deals with the US or face "reciprocal" tariff hikes — with major trading partner the European Union yet to agree terms. Read more: The latest on Trump's tariffs Meanwhile, Trump has downplayed the risk of Jerome Powell being ousted as Fed chair, easing market concerns about upheaval at the central bank. The president visited the Fed's headquarters on Thursday to tour its $2.5 billion renovation project. He has criticized the project as too expensive, sparking speculation he might use it as a pretext to try to fire Powell. However, Trump indicated he wasn't considering firing the Fed chair. "To do that is a big move, and I just don't think it's necessary," he said. Intel reported its earnings after the bell Thursday, beating Wall Street expectations on revenue. The company's stock turned negative, however, as CEO Lip-Bu Tan discussed layoffs and the cancelation of some factory plans. Read more: Full earnings coverage in our live blog Intel stock slides amid plans to cut 15% of workforce, cancel factories Intel (INTC) shares slid almost 6% in premarket after the struggling chipmaker said it will cut its workforce and drop plans for factories in Europe as it pursues a comeback. While the company posted a second quarter revenue beat late Thursday, its earnings fell short. Its profit forecast for the current quarter was also more downbeat than hoped: It expects to break even, rather than deliver the $0.04 earnings per share estimated. Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley reports: Read more here. Oil prices climbed overnight Thursday, driven by renewed optimism over global trade negotiations, which bolstered confidence in economic growth and energy demand. The wave of positivity managing to overshadow concerns about a possible increase in Venezuelan oil supply. Reuters reports: Read more here. Intel stock slides amid plans to cut 15% of workforce, cancel factories Intel (INTC) shares slid almost 6% in premarket after the struggling chipmaker said it will cut its workforce and drop plans for factories in Europe as it pursues a comeback. While the company posted a second quarter revenue beat late Thursday, its earnings fell short. Its profit forecast for the current quarter was also more downbeat than hoped: It expects to break even, rather than deliver the $0.04 earnings per share estimated. Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley reports: Read more here. Intel (INTC) shares slid almost 6% in premarket after the struggling chipmaker said it will cut its workforce and drop plans for factories in Europe as it pursues a comeback. While the company posted a second quarter revenue beat late Thursday, its earnings fell short. Its profit forecast for the current quarter was also more downbeat than hoped: It expects to break even, rather than deliver the $0.04 earnings per share estimated. Yahoo Finance's Daniel Howley reports: Read more here. Oil prices climbed overnight Thursday, driven by renewed optimism over global trade negotiations, which bolstered confidence in economic growth and energy demand. The wave of positivity managing to overshadow concerns about a possible increase in Venezuelan oil supply. Reuters reports: Read more here. Oil prices climbed overnight Thursday, driven by renewed optimism over global trade negotiations, which bolstered confidence in economic growth and energy demand. The wave of positivity managing to overshadow concerns about a possible increase in Venezuelan oil supply. Reuters reports: Read more here. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Health insurer Centene reports surprise loss on rising medical costs
(Reuters) -Centene on Friday posted a surprise quarterly loss, partly hurt by higher medical costs related to its insurance plans, sending its shares tumbling nearly 13% in premarket trading. The health insurance industry has seen elevated medical costs and changing enrollment patterns, at a time when it braces for big spending cuts and rule changes under the Trump administration. "We are disappointed by our second-quarter results, but we have a clear understanding of the trends that have impacted our performance, and are working with urgency and focus to restore our earnings trajectory," CEO Sarah London said. Rivals Elevance and Molina Healthcare have also warned of elevated costs in government-backed insurance plans. Centene reported a medical cost ratio, the percentage of premiums spent on medical care, of 93% in the second quarter, compared with analysts' expectation of 89.34%. The increase was driven by a reduction in net 2025 marketplace risk adjustment revenue as well as higher medical costs in Medicaid, driven mainly by behavioral health, home health and high-cost drugs. Earlier this month, Centene withdrew its 2025 earnings forecast due to an expected revenue slump from commercial plans under Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. These plans offer a sliding scale of government subsidies based on income. For the second quarter, the health insurer reported adjusted loss per share of 16 cents, compared to analysts estimates of a profit of 86 cents, according to data compiled by LSEG.