Pennsylvania State Representative Rob Kauffman (R-89) introduced legislation this week to remove suppressors and short-barreled shotguns from the commonwealth's list of prohibited offensive weapons, a move that would permanently decouple state law from the unsettled status of federal NFA registration. Bearing Arms reported the introduction on August 26, and Gun Owners of America's Pennsylvania chapter posted an action alert the same day urging members to contact their state representatives in support.

The issue lies in Section 908 of Pennsylvania's Crimes Code, which classifies suppressors and short-barreled shotguns as prohibited offensive weapons. Gun owners have historically been shielded from state prosecution through a narrow carve-out that applies to anyone in strict compliance with the federal National Firearms Act — meaning a tax-paid, federally registered item with the attendant paperwork in hand. That protection worked smoothly for decades, but a federal district court ruling earlier this year struck down NFA registration requirements for suppressors and SBRs, creating genuine legal uncertainty for Pennsylvania residents.

Under the current framework, a resident who legally acquired a suppressor without NFA registration — as federal law now permits following the court's decision — may not automatically qualify for Section 908's compliance exemption. That places lawful gun owners in an uncomfortable position: they could face state criminal exposure for possessing a suppressor they purchased legally under federal law, simply because the federal regime their state law references has been partially dismantled by the courts.

Kauffman's bill addresses that problem directly by removing suppressors and short-barreled shotguns from Section 908 entirely. Rather than updating the compliance language to track future federal changes, the legislation takes the items off the prohibited list outright, ending the state's dependence on NFA status as the gating criterion. GOA Pennsylvania described the current situation as an unconstitutional catch-22 and is treating the bill as a legislative priority for the remainder of the current session.

Kauffman, whose district covers Franklin County, has a consistent record of Second Amendment legislation in Harrisburg. His bill would need to clear committee, pass both chambers of the General Assembly, and either win the governor's signature or survive a veto override before taking effect. Pennsylvania's legislature is scheduled to return from its summer recess in mid-September, which is the earliest the bill could receive committee consideration.

The legislation is part of a broader state-level wave of efforts to realign firearms laws with the post-ruling landscape. Several other states have moved or are moving similar measures as legislatures grapple with the gap between where NFA law stood for decades and where federal courts are now sending it.