Pro-gun rights

Ohio Law May Provide Another Exemption to NFA Registration

Under ORC § 2923.18, Ohioans can apply for a $50 Dangerous Ordnance License, providing a separate exemption that does not expressly require federal NFA registration.

A GOA employee recently received an approved license from the Jackson County Sheriff.

However, whether this exception permits possession of unregistered suppressors remains legally untested, and its application to SBRs, SBSs, and privately manufactured items is even less certain.

GOA has been working diligently to prepare comprehensive information about the licensing process, possible legal limitations, and examples of the approved applications that you can view by clicking the buttons below.

READ THE INFORMATION DOCUMENT

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This article and accompanying document(s) are general information, not legal advice. These legal questions remain unsettled, and a license does not guarantee protection from prosecution. Consult a qualified Ohio attorney before applying for or relying on a license or acquiring, manufacturing, or possessing any regulated item.

GOA secured a historic victory against the National Firearms Act, but Ohio law is still standing in the way.

On August 5, GOA and our fellow plaintiffs won a federal court victory against NFA registration requirements for suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), and short-barreled shotguns (SBSs).

Then, on October 9, ATF announced it would stop enforcing these requirements nationwide.

Unfortunately, Ohio still classifies these items as “dangerous ordnance” under ORC Section 2923.17, threatening gun owners with felony prosecution unless they qualify for an exemption, which is commonly completed through NFA registration.

A Bill is Moving, But We Need Your Help

Senator Kyle Koehler introduced the impressive pro-2A Senate Bill 214 in June 2025, more than a year before GOA’s federal court victory, to begin removing suppressors from Ohio’s dangerous ordnance restrictions.

The bill passed the Senate 31–1, but it only covers suppressors; its scope unfortunately did not anticipate the current landscape, and it currently leaves SBRs and SBSs behind.

GOA’s attorneys have already drafted amendments to address all three.

With Ohio lawmakers returning in November for scheduled sessions following the election, there is a limited window to address these changes before the current General Assembly ends.

Those amendments could be introduced by a member of the House Public Safety Committee, where SB 214 currently sits, or by a House member on the floor if the bill advances without them.

We need you to contact your representative in the Ohio House, and urge them to amend and pass Senate Bill 214!

CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE

Gun Owners of America’s State & Local and Legal teams has been working diligently to review the Ohio Revised Code regarding “Dangerous Ordnance” regulations standing in the way of recent judicial and executive developments against the National Firearms Act’s stringent requirements on suppressors, short-barreled rifles (SBRs), and short-barreled shotguns (SBSs).

Senate Bill 214, introduced by Senator Kyle Koehler and passed 31-1 by the Ohio Senate, is a great comprehensive start— however, there is room for opportunity and alignment with the federal and judicial landscape surrounding NFA items as it stands today.

The proposed bill must be amended to also de-regulate short-barreled rifles and shotguns under Ohio law.

As such, GOA’s legal team has drafted amendments to SB 214 that would expand the bill’s scope to de-regulate these items, and GOA’s State & Local team have compiled useful factual information in an addendum that addresses the need for such a bill and its amendments.

You can access GOA’s attorney-drafted amendments to SB 214 by clicking the button below: REVIEW THE AMENDMENTS You can also access an addendum addressing the historical significance and justifications for amending and passing the bill by clicking the button below: SEE THE ADDENDUM

Here’s what you may have missed this week in the fight for the Second Amendment…

 

This week, GOA & GOF filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania against “enhanced” background checks for 18-to-20-year-old adults… 

Also, the Department of Justice is attempting to revive Biden’s “Engaged in the Business” rule…

And, our recent op-ed on Fox News highlights Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan Democrat Senate candidate’s stance on destroying the Second Amendment.

Gun owners must vote to stop him from getting into office.

GOA has been busy this week.

You deserve an update.

Recently,

This week, Gun Owners of America filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Pennsylvania against the “enhanced” background checks started by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

These “enhanced” background checks specifically apply to adults under the age of 21, and are nothing more than discriminatory age-based mandatory waiting periods.

Obviously, these “enhanced” background checks violate the Second Amendment. That’s why GOA is fighting back, filing this lawsuit and fighting in the courts.

***

Next, The Department of Justice filed an appeal in our lawsuit against Biden’s “Engaged in the Business” rule.

This is an attempt by the Department of Justice to salvage parts of this Biden-era rule.

President Trump promised to “rip up and throw out” these Biden-era rules on “day one.”

Why is the Department of Justice working against President Trump and trying to preserve gun control?

***

And finally, our recent op-ed on Fox News we expose Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s stance on the Second Amendment.

In videos that El-Sayed made private, he openly floated the idea of rewriting the Second Amendment to be about healthcare of all.

Gun owners in Michigan must get out to vote, to prevent an anti-gunner like El-Sayed from winning this Senate seat.

WE’RE SUING OVER “ENHANCED” BACKGROUND CHECKS!

On June 25, 2022, the largest package of gun control in nearly 30 years was signed into law by President Joe Biden. 

This law, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, was a compromise between Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate.

The BSCA created what is known as “enhanced” background checks for adults under the age of 21.

These so-called “enhanced” background checks are automatic, indefinite, age-based waiting periods.

That’s why we’re suing to overturn them.

Our lawsuit, Haward v. Blanche, was just recently filed in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

We argue that 18-to-20-year-old adults are part of “the people” that are protected by the Second Amendment.

Therefore, the idea of automatic waiting periods disguised as so-called “enhanced” background checks for this group is totally unconstitutional.

The DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel recently released a similar opinion, that the ban on handgun sales for adults under 21 is unconstitutional.

We’re using that same logic to argue here that adults under the age of 21 have full access to their Second Amendment rights.

That’s why we’re suing. And we hope to have more news to report on this case soon!

DOJ ATTEMPTING TO REVIVE BIDEN-ERA RULE!

The Department of Justice recently filed an appeal in GOA’s “Engaged in the Business” lawsuit, GOA & Texas v. ATF.

Previously, GOA had won the lawsuit, enjoining the ATF’s Biden-era rule, with the Judge in the case later vacating the rule in its entirety, because of Administrative Procedures Act violations.

This isn’t the first time the DOJ & ATF have attempted to revive this Biden-era infringement, as earlier this year, the ATF attempted to change a few words and re-release the rule.

But the ATF was smacked down by a federal judge, who wrote:

“The Court’s 2024 and 2026 Orders were clear: ATF violated the APA when it promulgated the Engaged in the Business Rule, so the Rule cannot stand. Defendants cannot avoid the force of those orders by rearranging a few words between the old Rule and the new one.”

Thanks to that, the rule remains vacated.

But now, the DOJ is appealing our win, attempting to salvage parts of the rule.

This goes against President Trump’s agenda.

President Trump campaigned on ripping up and throwing out these Biden-era rules “on day one.”

Why is the Department of Justice working against President Trump’s agenda?

Regardless, GOA is ready to fight the DOJ in court on this appeal, and we won’t allow them to salvage any part of this massive infringement on the Second Amendment.

ABDUL EL-SAYED WANTS TO REWRITE THE 2A!

“What if we tweaked the Constitution, amended the Second Amendment, and instead of the right to bear arms, we change it to the right to have healthcare?”

That quote isn’t from a college activist.

It’s from Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for United States Senate in Michigan.

This isn’t your typical anti-gun rhetoric.

Anti-gun politicians and their billionaire benefactors realize that the courts are increasingly unwilling to permit them to regulate away the Second Amendment.

Now, their stated goal is to rewrite, or repeal the Second Amendment in its entirety.

While that’s unlikely to happen, because repealing a constitutional amendment would require two-thirds of Congress and 38 states, El-Sayed is still working to implement gun control on a national level.

Gun owners in Michigan must get out and vote this November, the Second Amendment is on the ballot.

If you aren’t already, please consider becoming a GOA member so that we can fight on your behalf! And consider also making it a repeating yearly contribution so that you will always stay covered by our lawsuit injunctions. 

Building on another major victory, FPC asks full Fifth Circuit to reject flawed precedent and hold that lifetime disarmament must be justified by demonstrated physical danger—not felony labels or centuries-old death penalties.

NEW ORLEANS (October 22, 2026) — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today that it filed an amicus (friend of the court) brief with the en banc (full-court) U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in United States v. Cordova, urging the court to reject an erroneous legal theory used to justify federal lifetime gun bans and recognize that Americans cannot be permanently disarmed merely because they have been convicted of a crime punishable by more than one year in prison.

In a first-of-its-kind Second Amendment victory, federal judge holds defensive body armor is constitutionally protected, grants FPC summary judgment, and orders permanent injunction against New York's unconstitutional ban.

BUFFALO, NY (October 21, 2026) — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today a historic victory in Heeter v. James, securing the first known federal Second Amendment judgment striking down a general ban on the purchase of defensive body armor. In a sweeping 47-page decision, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York held that body armor is an “Arm” protected by the Second Amendment, granted FPC summary judgment, and permanently enjoined New York's unconstitutional restrictions on purchasing and selling protective armor.

On Tuesday, Attorney Dillon Harris secured the first grant of federal firearms relief for a client, since the program quasi-opened to the public, through invitations. Based on our experience over the past year in applying for Federal Firearms Relief, Attorney Harris was successful in obtaining relief for an individual who had received a General Court … Continue reading First Grant of Federal Firearms Relief Since the Program Opened to the Public →

GOA’s Federal NFA Win Leaves PA Gun Owners in Legal Limbo: AG Sunday Must Act NOW!

Following a massive legal victory by Gun Owners of America, law-abiding Pennsylvanians are finally seeing unconstitutional federal overreach dismantled.

In Silencer Shop Foundation v. ATF, the federal court struck down the National Firearms Act’s unconstitutional registration and transfer scheme for short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, silencers, and “any other weapons.” ATF followed up with an Open Letter conceding they will no longer require registration or approval for these items.

This should be a monumental win for your God-given rights.

Instead, Pennsylvania gun owners and dealers have been left in dangerous legal limbo.

Because of ambiguous language in Pennsylvania’s Crimes Code—specifically Title 18, Section 908 (Prohibited Offensive Weapons)—law-abiding citizens who exercise their constitutionally-protected rights could face criminal investigation, bogus arrests, and first-degree misdemeanor charges carrying lifetime federal firearm bans.

Make no mistake: Section 908 was NEVER meant to target everyday citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights.

Under a plain reading of the text:

• Silencers are not firearms under Pennsylvania law, do not expel a projectile, and are NOT offensive weapons.
• Short-barreled rifles and “any other weapons” are not even mentioned anywhere in Section 908.
• Factory-made short-barreled shotguns have never been “sawed off” and fall entirely outside the statute.
• Furthermore, Pennsylvania law provides clear statutory protections for anyone who possesses a firearm for lawful purposes, such as self-defense, hunting, or sport.

Yet, without clear direction from the Commonwealth’s top law enforcement officer, rogue interpretations could lead to Pennsylvania State Police and district attorneys targeting innocent gun owners who legally purchase or possess these items.

Gun owners and firearm dealers should NOT have to guess whether exercising their rights will result in handcuffs and a criminal record.

That is why GOA has urged Attorney General Dave Sunday issue a formal legal opinion protecting Pennsylvania gun owners.

We delivered a comprehensive legal analysis to AG Sunday’s desk showing that Section 908 does not apply to these items, and strongly urged that his office advise the Pennsylvania State Police to conform their enforcement policies immediately.

Now, Attorney General Sunday needs to hear directly from YOU.

We need AG Sunday to stand up for the rule of law, issue a favorable opinion affirming GOA’s statutory interpretation, and ensure the Pennsylvania State Police do not trample on our rights.

That’s why I need you to send a message to Attorney General Dave Sunday right away by using the form above.

Urge him to issue written guidance confirming that Title 18, Section 908 does not criminalize silencers, short-barreled rifles, and related items, and ask that he instruct the PSP to respect the rights of law-abiding Pennsylvanians.

Please take action immediately!

FPC files appeal brief and seeks full-court review to overturn second-class legal standard blocking challenges to D.C.’s ban on common firearm magazines.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 15, 2026) — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today that it filed an opening brief and a petition for initial hearing en banc in its Wehr-Darroca v. District of Columbia appeal, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to overturn decades-old precedent that treats Second Amendment challenges differently from other constitutional cases and keeps peaceable gun owners out of court.

Some claim to support the Second Amendment, others live it…

Every two years, the gun control lobby gets a chance to take back the ground it has lost, and every two years, gun owners decide whether it will succeed.

The 2026 midterm elections will determine who writes, votes on, and signs the laws that govern your right to keep and bear arms for years to come. Control of Congress, and every seat in it, is on the line.

Make no mistake, those who want to restrict your rights are already organizing, fundraising, and they’re playing to win.

Gun owners staying home is exactly what they want.

This is why gun owners must vote in November.

That’s why we at GOA have released our 2026 scorecard, which grades elected officials on their Second Amendment votes.

The 2026 GOA Scorecard is the most reliable way to see where your elected officials truly stand.

This resource was created with voting in mind. Gun owners must hold their elected officials accountable to the promises they make, and their duty to uphold the Second Amendment.

USE THE SCORECARD, GET OUT AND VOTE!

The stakes in Washington DC are high. 

Whoever controls the House and Senate decides which bills reach the floor, which ones die in committee, and which judges and agency heads get confirmed.

The gun control lobby has its wish list ready: a ban on the most popular semi-automatic rifles and magazines, universal background checks that amount to a national registry, and a push to regulate common firearm parts and accessories.

Pro-gun lawmakers have blocked these efforts, and they can only keep blocking them if enough of them are returned to office.

Gun owners are among the most motivated voters in America when they know what is at stake!

This is our chance to prove it!

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS…

GOA’s scorecard grades candidates for the U.S. House and Senate on their record.

Incumbents are evaluated primarily on their votes, along with the legislation they sponsored or opposed.

Challengers without a record are graded on their answers to the GOA Federal Candidate Survey and their public statements.

Think of the scorecard as the answer key to the test that all of congress is taking.

GOA is the teacher and members of Congress are the students. Everyone is rated on the same scale, and every anti-gun vote or position lowers the grade.

There’s no curve and no spin. 

A politician’s speeches and campaign mailers can say anything.

A voting record shows exactly what they did. 

Find your state and district, and see the grade for every candidate on your ballot.

Print it or save it to your phone. Send it to your family, your friends, your hunting buddies, and everyone at your range.

Many gun owners do not vote, and many who do cast their ballot without knowing a candidate’s record.

Use the scorecard to keep your friends and family informed.

 Let’s get out, vote, and protect the Second Amendment!

DO THIS BEFORE ELECTION DAY:

First, check your Scorecard grades for every federal race on your ballot.

Next, confirm your voter registration and your polling place, or request your early or absentee ballot if your state allows it.

Vote, and bring at least two other gun owners with you.

Share the Scorecard with your friends, family, and fellow GOA members.

The Second Amendment will not defend itself.

It survives because ordinary Americans show up, do their homework, and vote.

FPC’s strategy to end lifetime disarmament delivers another major victory as en banc Third Circuit issues strong, binding precedent affirming judgment for a peaceable man disarmed over a nonviolent conviction.

PHILADELPHIA (October 14, 2026) — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today a major victory in the FPC-supported case of Williams v. Blanche, where the en banc (full-court) U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the district court’s summary judgment holding that the federal government cannot constitutionally impose its lifetime gun ban on Edward Williams because of his decades-old, nonviolent DUI conviction.

Yesterday, Chief Counsel Joshua Prince, assisted by Attorney Dillon Harris, secured a monumental, en banc decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeal, wherein the Court, in addition to outright rejecting the U.S Government's contention that the revitalized Federal Firearms Relief process of 18 U.S.C. 925(c) results in the prohibitions of 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) being … Continue reading MONUMENTAL DECISION: Third Circuit Holds That It Is Unconstitutional To Strip An Individual Of His Second Amendment Rights As A Result Of A Second DUI →

Today, Chief Counsel Joshua Prince, joined by Jim Stoker, President of Firearm Owners Against Crime - Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Educational Action (FOAC-ILLEA), filed a letter request with Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday requesting that his Office investigate whether the Pennsylvania State Police’s enforcement of 18 Pa.C.S. § 908 is in compliance with the … Continue reading FOAC-ILLEA Files Request With Attorney General Sunday Regarding ATF’s Open Letter And Intersection With Pennsylvania’s Prohibited Offensive Weapon Statute →

Continuing its years-long campaign to eliminate New York’s massive patchwork of public carry bans, FPC argues Attorney General Letitia James should remain in the case challenging the State’s post-Bruen Times Square gun ban.

NEW YORK (October 13, 2026) — Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) announced today that it filed an opposition to New York Attorney General Letitia James’s motion to dismiss in Goldberger v. James, FPC’s lawsuit challenging the State’s unconstitutional ban on firearm carry in the Times Square area. Briefing on James’s motion began over the summer, but due to an instruction from the court, the documents were not filed on the docket until Friday.