On August 11, 2026, Mike Collins of Georgia signed a letter urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to decline any appeal of a ruling that ended federal registration of silencers and short-barreled guns; the department did not appeal, and the ATF stopped requiring registration on October 9, 2026 (Cowboy State Daily). In January 2025 he cosponsored H.R. 645, which would void every state's permit requirement for carrying a gun in public.
The ruling rested on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's repeal of the silencer tax, which Collins voted for in May and July 2025 (roll call 145; roll call 190). Georgia recorded 1,985 firearm deaths in 2024.
Mike Collins's Letter, Bill and Votes on Silencers, Gun Registration and Permits
- Collins Urged the Justice Department Not to Appeal the Ruling That Ended Federal Gun Registration, in August 2026. On August 11, 2026, Mike Collins signed a letter, released by Representative Andrew Clyde's office, to Attorney General Todd Blanche urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to decline any appeal of a court ruling against federal registration of silencers, short-barreled rifles and short-barreled shotguns, and to apply it nationwide; the signers listed include Mike Collins (GA-10). The Justice Department opted not to appeal the judge's decision, and on October 9, 2026 the ATF wrote that it will also no longer require such items to be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer record. The registry helps federal ATF agents trace the chain of firearm ownership in gun-crime investigations.
- Collins Cosponsored a Bill to Void Every State Permit Requirement for Carrying a Gun in Public, in January 2025. On January 23, 2025, Collins was an original cosponsor of H.R. 645, the National Constitutional Carry Act (bill text: Mr. Cloud, Mr. Collins, Mr. Crane). It provides that No State or political subdivision of a State may impose a criminal or civil penalty on public carry by people allowed to own guns, including penalties imposed by imposing a financial or other barrier to entry such as a permit. The bill is in committee. It would override every state's carry-permit law, a position most Americans oppose: Carrying a concealed gun without a permit is opposed by 75% to 80% of national adults, according to the Stanford Public Pulse review of surveys.
- Collins Voted for the Law Whose Silencer Tax Cut Ended Federal Registration of Silencers and Short-Barreled Guns, in July 2025. On July 3, 2025, Collins voted yes on the final One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 218 to 214 and eliminated a $200 permit tax on the devices, meaning silencers and short-barreled rifles and shotguns, from January 1, 2026. When Congress eliminated the tax itself in the One Big Beautiful Bill, Idaho argued the registration requirements could not stand alone, and a federal judge held that the change eliminated the constitutional basis for the NFA's regulation of those firearms; Collins's August 2026 letter asked the department not to appeal that ruling.
- Collins Cast One of the Votes for a House Bill That Would Have Removed Silencers From Federal Firearms Law, in May 2025. On May 22, 2025, Collins voted yes on the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which passed 215 to 214, so a switch by him alone would have defeated it. Its section titled MODIFICATION OF TREATMENT OF SILENCERS would have taken silencers out of the National Firearms Act altogether, not only cut their tax; the Senate kept only the tax cut, which the court then used to strike down registration.
What the Gun Actions Mike Collins Took Mean in Georgia
- Gun deaths. Georgia recorded 1,985 firearm deaths in 2024, a rate of 17.6 per 100,000 people, according to KFF's compilation of CDC data, compared with a national rate of 12.8.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mike Collins on Guns
What is Mike Collins's record on guns under Trump?
Mike Collins of Georgia signed an August 2026 letter urging the Justice Department to decline any appeal of the ruling that ended federal registration of silencers and short-barreled guns, a ruling built on the silencer tax repeal he voted for in July 2025 (roll call 190). He also cosponsored a bill to void every state's permit requirement for carrying a gun in public (H.R. 645).
Did Mike Collins ask the Justice Department not to appeal the silencer ruling?
Yes. Mike Collins signed the August 11, 2026 letter urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to decline any appeal and to apply the ruling nationwide. The department opted not to appeal, and in October 2026 the ATF stopped requiring registration of silencers and short-barreled guns.
Does Mike Collins support carrying guns without a permit?
Mike Collins cosponsored H.R. 645 in January 2025, which would bar any state from imposing a criminal or civil penalty or a permit requirement on public carry. Surveys show most Americans disagree: 75% to 80% oppose carrying a concealed gun without a permit.
Last updated: 2026-10-25