Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) is attempting to sneak a staggering tax hike into a defense spending bill—one that would gut gun rights through financial warfare. His latest amendment proposes jacking up the National Firearms Act (NFA) tax on suppressors from the current $200 to an astronomical $4,709.

Yes, you read that right—over four grand just to legally own a firearm accessory. Murphy also wants to raise the tax on “Any Other Weapons” (AOWs) from five bucks to $55, and he’s gunning for short-barrel rifles too. The aim? To slam the brakes on the pro-gun momentum built by President Trump’s recent One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes provisions to eliminate NFA suppressor taxes altogether.

Murphy’s amendment is being cheered on by anti-gun groups like the Brady Campaign, who openly thanked him for “adjusting” the tax to reflect inflation—though in reality, the $4,709 figure represents more than a 2,000% increase and has zero grounding in current inflation data. Instead, it’s a transparent attempt to price law-abiding citizens out of exercising their Second Amendment rights.

By hiking the suppressor tax to nearly five thousand dollars, Murphy is effectively banning them for anyone outside the elite. And that’s the point. Instead of calling for outright confiscation, gun control advocates are now pushing backdoor bans through massive fees and regulations.

“This critical amendment,” the Brady group wrote in support, “strikes the provision in the big UGLY bill that removed taxes on deadly silencers & other uniquely lethal weapons.” To them, firearms accessories designed to protect hearing and improve safety are nothing more than “lethal.”

For decades, suppressors have been subject to heavy restrictions under the 1934 National Firearms Act. Despite being legal in 42 states and used safely by hunters and sport shooters across the country, they’re still treated like machine guns under federal law. Trump’s legislation sought to modernize that outdated classification. Murphy’s amendment tries to reverse that progress by making it cost-prohibitive to comply.

Gun rights advocates were quick to condemn the move. Groups like Gun Owners of America and the NRA see this as another example of the left using the bureaucracy to undermine rights they couldn’t ban legislatively. And with a massive jump like this, Murphy is testing how far he can go without sparking immediate backlash.

Critics also note the absurdity of pushing this tax under the guise of a defense bill—especially when the bill itself was poised to support veterans and service members by removing needless costs around firearm ownership and training.

This isn’t about public safety. It’s about control—control through taxes, red tape, and economic barriers. While Trump’s administration continues to roll back unnecessary restrictions and restore firearm freedoms, Murphy and his allies are trying to undo it all by burying Americans under thousands in government fees.

With the amendment now in play, the battle lines are drawn. Whether Murphy succeeds will depend on whether the GOP stands firm and whether swing votes in the Senate are willing to let gun control sneak in through the fine print.