Sponsors (10)
Repeals the federal statutory ban on possession and transfer of machineguns by striking the relevant subsection of 18 U.S.C. § 922.
The bill restores federal legality for possession and transfer of machineguns—expanding rights for owners and reducing federal prosecutions—while substantially increasing public-safety risks, threats to vulnerable people and officers, and likely public costs.
Gun owners and firearms dealers would be able to legally possess, buy, and sell fully automatic (machine) guns nationwide because the federal prohibition on possession and transfer is removed.
Individuals seeking to purchase machineguns would no longer face federal criminal penalties for possession or transfer, and DOJ enforcement actions tied to that prohibition would decline.
People in communities (including ordinary families and bystanders) would face a higher risk of gun violence because fully automatic weapons would become more widely available.
Victims and people with disabilities would face greater lethality in shootings because wider availability of fully automatic firearms increases potential for more deadly attacks.
Police officers and prosecutors would face more dangerous and complex investigations and responses as fully automatic weapons enter circulation without federal prohibition.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To repeal the Hughes Amendment to the Firearm Owners' Protection Act.
Introduced May 22, 2026 by Jimmy Patronis · Last progress May 22, 2026
Repeals the federal criminal prohibition on possession and transfer of machineguns by removing the statutory subsection of 18 U.S.C. § 922 that formerly banned machineguns. The change takes effect upon enactment and alters federal criminal law governing certain fully automatic firearms, leaving state and local firearms laws unchanged. The repeal would expand who may lawfully possess, manufacture, or transfer machineguns under federal law, shift enforcement emphasis away from a federal statutory ban, and likely affect markets, law enforcement practices, and regulatory oversight tied to automatic weapons.