Prior to the post-prohibition, National Firearms Act of 1934 Americans could simply go to a hardware store and buy military surplus Browning automatic rifles, Thompson submachine gun, sound suppressors, and even hand grenades. This became the most serious infringement on the right to keep and bear arms. In 1939, the Supreme Court ruled on The National Firearms Act in United States v. Miller, a case that helped justify decades of federal gun control. But here’s what most people don’t know: it was a broken case from the start—no defense, bad facts, and judges with no military education or experience ruling on military weapons. The result? A misinterpretation of the Second Amendment that still echoes today. The Setup: A Shotgun, a Tax, and a New Law Jack Miller and Frank Layton were busted for taking a sawed-off shotgun across state lines without registering it or paying the punitive tax required by the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA). The NFA didn’t ban weapons outright. It use...