SHOT Show 2026 – Silencers for All and the Continued Attempted Transmogrification of the JR-15 Children’s Assault Rifle

Media Contact: Georgia Seltzer, (202) 822-8200 x104, gseltzer@vpc.org

Campaign Research Notes – February 6, 2026

When the gun industry gathered in Las Vegas in January for the 2026 SHOT Show, silencers were everywhere on the show floor — to an unprecedented degree. The Truth About Guns proclaimed it “The Year of the Suppressor.” The pro-gun website noted, “2026 might prove to be the most transformative year for the suppressor in the industry’s history. From observing the 2026 SHOT Show, it became abundantly clear that manufacturers are doubling down on suppressor innovation as we approach mainstream adoption in the US.”

The National Rifle Association’s Shooting Sports USA agreed, “SHOT Show 2026 may be remembered as the year of the suppressor, with legacy manufacturers updating their lines and newcomers pushing design boundaries.”

One reason for the proliferation of silencers is the repeal of the $200 federal tax on silencer purchases for both buyers and manufacturers that had been in place since passage of the National Firearms Act in 1934. Commonly known as the NFA, the nearly century-old law, in addition to silencers, tightly regulates other high-risk guns and accessories, including fully automatic machine guns, short-barreled rifles, and sawed-off shotguns. The tax repeal took effect on January 1, 2026 as part of the so-called “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” which was passed in July 2025. The industry’s giddiness can also be attributed to the fact that silencers are one of the few perceived bright spots in an otherwise moribund gun market. For example, among the “Annual Highlights” cited by Smith & Wesson (one of the few publicly owned gun companies in the U.S.) in its SEC Form 10-K Annual Report for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025, were the following less-than-stellar financial facts:

The push for easier availability of silencers comes despite the dangers posed by these military-bred devices and the clear risk they present to law enforcement, public institutions, and the general public. The threats posed by silencers are not theoretical. They’ve been used in serious crimes — including the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan.

The gun industry hopes the elimination of the $200 tax is just the beginning. Silencer manufacturer SilencerCo and gunmaker Palmetto State Armory were among those who joined Gun Owners of America in filing a lawsuit they’ve dubbed the “One, Big, Beautiful Lawsuit” aiming to dismantle the remaining provisions of the National Firearms Act.

The Continued Evolution of the JR-15

Following the January 2022 SHOT Show, the Violence Policy Center exposed the launch of a marketing campaign by gunmaker WEE1 Tactical for the JR-15, an AR-15 assault rifle specifically designed for children. WEE1’s website and related materials (including hats, patches, and stickers) were dominated by cartoons of a skull and crossbones of a little boy and girl.

By January 2023, following a national wave of negative publicity, WEE1 changed its marketing strategy as seen in a promotional flyer from the time. Gone were the skull-driven “wow factor” graphics for “the kids” the company once hyped. In their place was a comparatively sedate flyer featuring a little girl armed with the rifle with her “Parent or Coach” by her side — albeit pointing the rifle at the viewer. Characterizing the mini assault rifle as “a small piece of American freedom” representing “American Family Values,” the company promised that the “JR-15 is the first in a line of shooting platforms designed to safely help adults introduce young enthusiasts to the shooting sports.” 

That approach didn’t seem to work out either.

By the 2025 SHOT Show, the founders of WEE1 were back with an apparently new company, Mountain Billy Gun Lab, and what appeared to be the same junior-sized AR-15 assault rifle. But this time the weapon had a new name: The GOAT-15. The company’s website promotes it as “the world’s lightest AR-style firearm line” and promises that it provides “Power without bulk — because freedom should never weigh you down.” While the overt grotesque child marketing of past years was gone, the company embraced the more veiled coded language for youth marketing such as “beginners,” “small-frame users,” and “new shooters” that’s common in the gun industry.

Mountain Billy Gun Lab’s newest iteration is the GOAT-15 H2 SBR, a short-barreled rifle (SBR) version of the GOAT-15. Mountain Billy Gun Lab markets the gun as “Ultra-Lightweight and New Shooter Friendly” claiming, “Whether you’re a new shooter training for the first time or a seasoned enthusiast looking for the ultimate .22 platform, the GOAT-15 H2 blends precision, comfort, and control like nothing else in its class.”

Short-barreled rifles, like silencers, are regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934.

Which kind of brings it all around full circle.

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The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky.