We are proud to highlight articles from the Wyoming Law Review’s Special Issue on the National Firearms Act (NFA). This collection of scholarship expands upon the discussions initiated during our October 2024 seminar, “The National Firearms Act: A Discussion on Its Historical and Legal Relationship with the Second Amendment.”
In The Tradition of Short-Barreled Rifle Use and Regulation in America, Joseph G.S. Greenlee presents a detailed historical and legal analysis of short-barreled rifles and their treatment under the NFA. Greenlee argues that modern regulations—such as the NFA’s tax and registration requirements and outright state bans—fail the historical tradition test established by the Supreme Court in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen. Through extensive research, Greenlee shows that rifles with short barrels and pistols with shoulder stocks were long considered common arms in America. These arms were not the subject of targeted regulation until the 20th century, when Congress sought to indirectly ban handguns by including short-barreled rifles under the NFA. Greenlee’s article contends that these restrictions lack historical justification and are therefore unconstitutional under Bruen’s framework.
You can read the entire article HERE.