Late last week, the House Judiciary Committee rammed through an extreme package of gun control measures on a party-line vote. If this terrible legislation becomes law, tens of millions of law-abiding gun owners would be turned into felons and their lawfully-acquired property would be subject to confiscation by federal agents. Nancy Pelosi plans to bring this to the U.S. House floor for a vote this week.
The bill, H.R. 7910, which was introduced and heard in committee in a matter of only three days, is a conglomeration of numerous other gun control bills.
While the measures of this bill are too long to list, they include:
Ban on Firearm Acquisition for Law-Abiding Adults
- Bans law-abiding 18-20 year old adults from acquiring semi-automatic rifles and shotguns.
- Only five states restrict 18-20 year old adults from acquiring long guns, and they are currently facing multiple legal challenges.
- In May, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that California’s similar long gun acquisition ban for 18-20 year old adults was unconstitutional. Jones v. Bonta, 34 F.4th 704 (9th Cir. 2022).
Ban on Standard Capacity Magazines
- Prohibits the manufacture, importation, sale, or possession of magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds, subject to limited exceptions.
- Confusingly written to potentially apply to even sub-10 round magazines because these magazines may generally be “converted” to hold more than 10 rounds.
- These magazines are overwhelmingly popular with law-abiding Americans for self-defense with several hundred million currently possessed, and are without a doubt in “common use,” which provides them with constitutional protection under current Supreme Court doctrine. Indeed, two pending challenges to existing state bans are currently pending review before the Court.
- Uses federal tax dollars intended for law enforcement and other public safety programs to “buyback” existing lawfully possessed magazines.
Ban on “Untraceable Firearms”
- Prohibits the longstanding American tradition of building one’s own firearm, which has been protected by American law since our founding.
- Goes far beyond allegedly “untraceable” firearms by redefining the term “frame or receiver.” This new definition would effectively turn tens of millions of firearms into contraband. AR-15s, FN FALs, Ruger Mark series pistols, and many other firearms would all be incorrectly serialized under this bill and would therefore be contraband.
- Changes federal law on “undetectable firearms” in a way that would ban many existing firearm designs like the Glock 44 .22LR pistol and many other rimfire pistols that have a polymer frame and alloy slide.
New Firearms “Trafficking” Restrictions
- While aimed at limiting straw purchases, this overbroad provision would also stop Boy Scout troops and 4H clubs from having a firearms training program.
- This provision would make it illegal to give someone a firearm as a gift except in limited circumstances between certain family members.
“Safe Storage” Provisions
- The bill includes several “safe storage” provisions that would control how individual Americans keep firearms in their own homes.
- In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held that storage provisions that prevent a law-abiding American from having ready access to a firearm for self-defense are unconstitutional.
Ban on Certain Firearm Parts
- The bill also includes a provision to ban “bump stocks” and any other device that “eliminates the need for the operator of a semiautomatic weapon to make a separate movement for each individual function of the trigger . . . .”
- ATF has already attempted to ban so-called “bump stocks” by regulation, but there are still pending challenges to that regulation.
- The language in this provision is very vague and could apply to other types of triggers and other parts that attempt to assist an operator.
Again, Nancy Pelosi is bringing up H.R. 7910 for a vote this week in the U.S. House. She will also hold votes on H.R. 2377 and H.R. 3480, which create “red flag orders” to confiscate firearms without due process of law. If passed, they will then be sent over to the U.S. Senate for consideration.
Please take action TODAY and ask your U.S. Representative and Senators to oppose these measures and any other federal gun control law being pushed by Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi.
You can also call your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators at 202-224-3121 and ask them to oppose federal gun control and protect due process rights of law-abiding citizens.
