Trump ordered DOJ not to appeal ruling that loosened limits on "gangster weapons," sources say, tell me about this news in (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-doj-gangster-weapons-gun-restrictions-appeal/)

According to the CBS News report, President Donald Trump directed the Department of Justice not to appeal a federal court ruling that loosened long-standing restrictions on specialized firearms often referred to as “gangster weapons.”

Here are the key details from the report:

• The Weapons and Regulations: For over 90 years under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934, firearms such as short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and silencers were subject to strict oversight, requiring registration, fingerprinting, background checks, and ATF approval. Machine guns and explosive devices remain strictly regulated and are not part of this ruling.

• The Court Ruling: In August, U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix (Northern District of Texas) ruled that most regulatory provisions under the NFA regarding these specific weapons were unconstitutional. His reasoning was tied to earlier legislation that eliminated the $200 making and transfer tax on NFA firearms; because the law no longer generated tax revenue, the judge concluded the regulations could no longer be justified under Congress’s constitutional taxing power.

• Scope of the Ruling: The permanent injunction bars the ATF from enforcing those specific restrictions against the plaintiffs in the lawsuit (which included 15 states and gun-rights organizations such as Gun Owners of America), as well as their current and future members and customers.

• Trump’s Directive: Sources told CBS News that Trump personally decided against appealing the decision and informed several Republican lawmakers that the DOJ would let the ruling stand.

• Internal Pushback and Impact: Career and appointed attorneys within the Justice Department warned that failing to appeal breaks with the traditional “duty to defend” federal statutes passed by Congress. Prosecutors also reported that defense attorneys in ongoing criminal cases have already begun citing the Texas ruling to challenge or dismiss federal charges involving unregistered silencers.