SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Two Arizona sheriffs marked a dramatic shift in federal gun regulation by purchasing suppressors over the counter for $17.76 each, with no registration required, according to Breitbart News.
On August 15, 2026, Scottsdale Gun Club sold suppressors to Sheriff Jerry Sheridan and Sheriff Mark Lamb. Both are members of Gun Owners of America, which the gun club said puts them under the protections of a recent federal court decision that loosened decades-old National Firearms Act (NFA) requirements.
The sale came just ten days after U.S. District Court Judge James Wesley Hendrix handed down a ruling in Jensen v. ATF on August 5, 2026. That decision allowed plaintiffs — including Gun Owners of America members and others in a consolidated case — to transfer suppressors and short-barrel rifles and shotguns without complying with NFA registration rules.
Sheriff Sheridan, who spoke with Breitbart News at the gun club, said he was exercising a basic constitutional right.
“I’m here exercising my Second Amendment right as a United States citizen, purchasing a suppressor for a gun that I do use on duty,” he said. “It’s my personal weapon, a Colt AR-15.”
Sheridan noted that this was not his first suppressor purchase, but it was certainly his fastest.
“I’ve bought other suppressors. I’ve had to pay my $200 and wait months but now, because of the change, it’s something we can buy over the counter without all the paperwork and waiting,” he said.
Sheriff Lamb echoed those remarks, pointing out that both he and Sheridan are members of Gun Owners of America. He framed the transaction as a broader statement about government overreach.
“Frankly, we’re sick and tired of too much government and these changes [in NFA registration enforcement] represent a step in the right direction, of getting back to the Second Amendment and the constitutional rights that our Founding Fathers gave us,” Lamb said.
The Jensen v. ATF ruling and its fallout
The Jensen v. ATF decision has quickly become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over gun control and federal regulatory authority. The lawsuit, which consolidated multiple challenges to NFA restrictions, was brought by Gun Owners of America and individual plaintiffs who argued that suppressors and short-barreled firearms should not be subject to the same registration and tax requirements as fully automatic weapons.
Judge Hendrix, a federal judge in Texas, sided with the plaintiffs, ruling that the NFA’s registration regime for these items violates the Second Amendment as applied to the plaintiffs in the case. The ruling also extended protections to Gun Owners of America members, which is how Sheridan and Lamb were able to make their purchases legally without the standard $200 tax stamp and months-long waiting period.
While the ruling applies to the plaintiffs and GOA members, it has already created a ripple effect across the firearms industry. Gun clubs and dealers in states with permissive gun laws are beginning to adjust their practices, offering over-the-counter sales of suppressors and other previously regulated items to qualifying customers.
Scottsdale Gun Club’s decision to price the suppressors at $17.76 was clearly symbolic, a nod to the country’s founding year and, in the eyes of the purchasers, the reclaiming of a constitutional right that had been overly restricted for too long.
A symbolic act with real implications
For Sheridan and Lamb, the purchase was not merely a practical acquisition but a public statement. Both have been vocal advocates for gun rights in Arizona, and their decision to make the purchase at Scottsdale Gun Club — alongside Breitbart’s Second Amendment columnist AWR Hawkins — was clearly intended to highlight what they see as a victory for individual liberty.
Sheridan’s remarks about using the suppressor on his duty weapon add an official dimension to the purchase. A law enforcement officer buying a suppressor for a personally owned Colt AR-15 that he uses on the job is not unusual in itself, but the method of purchase — no registration, no tax, no wait — is a direct result of the court ruling.
The $17.76 price tag, while a fraction of the typical cost of a suppressor (which can range from several hundred to over a thousand dollars), was no doubt a deliberate choice by the gun club to underscore the constitutional significance of the moment. The figure evokes 1776, the year of American independence, and ties the transaction to the founding generation’s belief in an armed citizenry.
Lamb’s reference to being “sick and tired of too much government” speaks to a broader frustration among gun rights advocates who have long argued that the NFA’s registration and taxation requirements are outdated and burdensome. For them, the Jensen ruling represents a long-awaited correction.
Legal and political reactions
The ruling has not been without its critics. Gun control advocates and some legal scholars have raised concerns that the decision could undermine public safety by making suppressors and short-barreled rifles more readily available. Others have speculated that the case could eventually make its way to the Supreme Court, given its potential to reshape federal firearm regulation.
But for now, the immediate effect is being felt on the ground in places like Scottsdale. The gun club’s decision to openly sell suppressors without registration to eligible buyers is a practical test of the court’s authority, and it is likely to prompt further action from both sides of the issue.
The Department of Justice, which represents the ATF, has not yet publicly announced whether it will appeal the Jensen ruling. Should it do so, the case could be fast-tracked given its prominence and the speed with which gun rights advocates have begun to act on it.
In the meantime, the two sheriffs’ purchase has become a powerful symbol for Second Amendment supporters — and a pointed challenge to federal regulators who may soon have to decide how far the ruling extends.
As Sheridan put it, the days of “paying $200 and waiting months” may be coming to an end for many gun owners, at least for now.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2026/08/15/freedom-scottsdale-gun-club-sells-suppressor-for-17-76-no-registration/