George Peterson’s NFA Suppressor Case Exposes the Danger of Federal Gun Registries

Summary

Louisiana FFL George Peterson was subjected to a large-scale ATF raid in 2022, days after the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) was signed. Initially accused of various violations, he was ultimately charged with possessing an unregistered solvent trap milled into a suppressor, violating the National Firearms Act (NFA). Peterson pleaded guilty with the right to appeal, was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, and subsequently lost his appeal before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.