Part of a key firearms law lapsed following a federal court decision. What happens now?

A SureFire firearm sound suppressor, commonly referred to as a silencer, is displayed during the National Rifle Association (NRA) Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas on May 28, 2022. A recent court ruling eased restrictions around the purchase of suppressors. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP hide caption

Gun rights groups are celebrating a federal ruling that lifts restrictions on the purchase of silencers, used to lessen the sound of gunshots, and certain firearms.

Judge James Wesley Hendrix out of the Northern District of Texas invalidated key components of the nearly 100-year-old National Firearms Act (NFA) in more than a dozen states.

Hendrix gave the Justice Department one week to submit an emergency appeal before his decision went into effect. But the DOJ never did. The department has more than a month to submit a non-emergency appeal, but it's unlikely. The agency has made a wider push to restore gun rights to people with felony convictions, with exceptions, including violent offenses such as domestic violence and gang-related offenses, according to a final rule published Monday.

Under the Texas ruling, some Americans can now buy and sell those silencers and weapons without first registering them with the federal government or submitting photos of themselves or fingerprints.

Gun rights groups are hailing the ruling as a significant win.

"This is truly one of the greatest Second Amendment victories in the last 100 years," said Erich Pratt, the senior vice president of Gun Owners of America. "It's something that we have wanted since we were first incorporated in 1976."

But it leaves a confusing patchwork of rules and regulations, since it applies only to plaintiffs in the Texas case.