A Texas gun club is asking a federal judge to tear up the 1986 law that keeps newly made machine guns out of civilian hands, setting up a constitutional test that could shake up federal firearms rules. The Temple Gun Club and three individual members have filed a complaint that targets the post‑1986 prohibition on new automatic weapons and urges the court to declare that ban unconstitutional. The plaintiffs argue that Congress went beyond its commerce power and that judges, not lawmakers, must decide whether simple possession falls within federal authority.
Club files challenge in federal court
According to Legal Newsline, the suit is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas as Case No. 4:26‑cv‑00265‑O. The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys tied to the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Center for the American Future and include a U.S. Army veteran, a federally licensed gunsmith and a longtime firearms enthusiast. The complaint asks for a declaration that 18 U.S.C. § 922(o) is unconstitutional and for a permanent injunction that would block enforcement against the club and its members.
What the law does
The 1986 amendment commonly known as the Hughes Amendment added 18 U.S.C. § 922(o), which generally outlaws the transfer or possession of a "machinegun" that was not lawfully possessed before May 19, 1986, with narrow exceptions for government agencies, according to Justia. In practice, that change froze the civilian supply of transferable fully automatic firearms at the level that existed in 1986.
What plaintiffs are arguing
The plaintiffs say the ban turns mere possession into a federal crime even when there is no jurisdictional connection to interstate commerce, and they contend that exceeds Congress’s enumerated powers. In an interview with KTRH, conservative attorney Michele Maples said, "This law right now bans possession, which has nothing to do with interstate commerce," and she described members’ interest in converting firearms they already own into fully automatic weapons.
Precedent and the path ahead
The Fifth Circuit upheld § 922(o) in United States v. Knutson (1997), finding that the ban fit within Congress’s commerce authority, as summarized by FindLaw. More recent Fifth Circuit briefing and a concurrence in United States v. Wilson have prompted some judges and scholars to call for fresh scrutiny of federal gun rules that rest on possession alone, a tension that shows up in recent filings and opinions in the court record.
What to watch
The complaint seeks a permanent injunction that would prevent enforcement of § 922(o) against the Temple Gun Club and its members, and Legal Newsline reports the docket entry and case number. If the district court buys the commerce‑clause challenge, any ruling in favor of the plaintiffs would almost certainly be appealed, potentially sending this decades‑old federal restriction back to the Fifth Circuit and possibly up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
