Gun owners and hunters woke up on New Year’s Day to a very different legal landscape as a mix of state and federal changes quietly reshaped how firearms can be bought, stored, and taxed.
None of these arrived with the fanfare of a national ban or mandate, but together they affect everything from suppressors and short-barreled rifles to safe storage rules and bison on the Colorado plains. For shooters, outfitters, and landowners, the practical impact will appear over the coming seasons, not in a single headline.
Five shifts stand out. A sweeping federal tax repeal on National Firearms Act items has already started to ripple through the suppressor market. Colorado has opened a tightly controlled path to hunt bison while another law moves to shield wild herds.
Illinois has strengthened storage rules in homes with children, and California has added new age checks and warnings for buyers. At the same time, new oversight of gun show vendors and organizers is testing how far states can regulate the commercial side of firearms.
Free NFA tax stamps and the end of the suppressor levy
The biggest change for gun owners took effect at the federal level, where the long-standing tax on many National Firearms Act items has been removed.
After President Trump signed the NFA Tax Repeal as part of H.R. 1, branded as the One Big Beautiful Bill, the government began phasing out the $200 levy that had applied to suppressors, short-barreled rifles, and other tightly regulated hardware since the 1930s.
Industry guidance now describes a world where the federal charge on silencers will “vanish entirely,” removing one of the biggest financial barriers for shooters who wanted to reduce noise and recoil but hesitated at the extra cost.
Specialty retailers have already adapted. One shop that had promoted a “Suppressor Tax Stamp Layaway Plan” told customers the Big News for Suppressor Buyers is simple: the $200 NFA Tax Stamp is gone, effective January 1, 2026.
Another explainer called the moment a watershed, describing a “Suppressor Tax Eliminated” landscape and offering a full guide to the 2026 changes so buyers and dealers can navigate background checks and paperwork without the old tax.
Legal filings confirm the same bottom line: individuals no longer have to pay taxes for making and transferring most NFA firearms, referred to in one complaint as the “Nati” tax structure, now upended.
What 2026 means for suppressors, SBRs and short-barreled shotguns
Removing the tax is just part of the story. Advocates and trainers are now focused on what 2026 means for suppressors, short-barreled shotguns, and rifles in practice, especially as more casual shooters explore gear once reserved for dedicated hobbyists.
One analysis by Joe D. “Buck” Ruth, under the banner What 2026 Means, walks through how the end of the tax interacts with remaining NFA restrictions. Even with free tax stamps, buyers still face federal registration, background checks, and wait times, so the change is more about affordability and volume than full deregulation.
Federal agencies and private ranges are also preparing for a cultural shift. With suppressors cheaper to acquire, more hunters may protect their hearing in the field, and indoor ranges may encourage quieter setups to reduce noise complaints.
An update on H.R. 1, labeled ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT UPDATES regarding NFA items, emphasizes that free tax stamps now cover suppressors and SBRs alike.
That means a shooter who once had to budget hundreds extra for a short, maneuverable rifle or noise-reducing can now face the same federal scrutiny but without the added financial penalty that kept many on the sidelines.
Colorado’s bison paradox, from new hunts to wild herd protections
On the hunting side, Colorado illustrates how states try to balance opportunity with conservation. Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced that hunters can now hunt bison under a new law that took effect at the start of the year, with the agency accepting roster registrations for tightly controlled tags.
The program comes with specific conditions limiting who can participate and how hunts are conducted, showing that the state treats bison as a rare privilege, not a routine big-game tag.
At the same time, Denver lawmakers moved to shield wild herds from pressure. A separate measure, Protections for Wild Bison, uses Senate Bill 53 to classify these animals as both wild and domestic under state law, a hybrid status meant to protect them from indiscriminate hunting and harassment.
Sponsors, including Reps Emily Sirota, D-Denver, Naquetta Ricks, D-Aurora, and Sens Lisa Cutter, D-Jefferson, and Elizabeth Velasco, D-Glenwood Springs, argued the change clarifies management authority and makes it harder for wild bison to be treated as stray livestock.
For hunters, the result is a paradox: limited new access to bison through Colorado Parks and Wildlife paired with stronger protections for truly wild herds.
Safe storage rules tighten in Illinois and echo global norms
In Illinois, the new year sharpened the focus on what happens to firearms inside the home. SB 0008 now strengthens requirements for guns to be placed in secured, locked containers when accessible to minors.
Local coverage of “Rising property taxes, safe gun storage and medical aid-in-dying: 10 new laws taking effect this year” notes more than 200 new statutes statewide, but the safe storage provision stands out because it directly affects how gun owners behave at home.
The Daily Northwestern emphasizes that “more than 200” changes are in play, yet the storage mandate is one of the few that can trigger criminal liability if a child accesses an unsecured weapon.
Illinois is not acting alone. Canadian law has long required secure storage, listing it as a core feature of The Act that governs firearms in Canada.
The Act requires gun owners to store firearms safely to prevent unauthorized access, mirroring the logic behind Illinois’s SB 0008. By tightening expectations around locked containers and access by minors, Illinois moves closer to that international standard, betting that mandatory locks and safes will reduce accidental shootings and thefts without limiting who can own a gun.
New California age checks, warnings and gun show crackdowns
On the West Coast, California added new compliance obligations for retailers and online platforms dealing with firearms.
An overview of the New California Gun Laws shows how AB-1263, part of a broader package effective Jan 1, 2026, requires firearm sellers to provide specific warnings and verify buyers’ ages. California SB-704, in the same package, mandates that certain transactions occur in person at the dealer, closing off some remote or online pathways that previously allowed buyers to start the process from home.
Together, these measures push the state toward a model where every sale is face-to-face, age-verified, and accompanied by standardized safety messaging.
Colorado, meanwhile, focused on venues where guns change hands. A new statute for gun show organizers and vendors took effect Jan 1, adding restrictions and penalties for failing to follow state rules.
The law increases fines and sanctions for violations, aiming to improve safety by ensuring background checks and record-keeping requirements are not optional at temporary events.
For small dealers who rely on weekend shows, the change raises the stakes of paperwork errors, while for regulators, it provides a new enforcement tool in a part of the market historically harder to police.
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