Sponsors (63)
The bill aims to reduce availability and discourage unlawful possession of certain semi‑automatic firearms through bans, buy‑backs, clearer rules, and new enforcement resources—while imposing significant costs, compliance burdens, market losses, and criminalization risks for owners, dealers, and some ordinary users.
Communities and law enforcement: the bill reduces civilian availability of certain gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and large-capacity feeding devices and funds/encourages local buy‑backs, which can lower the risk of mass-shooting incidents and reduce certain weapons in circulation.
Courts, regulators, dealers and consumers: the bill clarifies statutory definitions and creates ATF procedures (an explicit prohibited-firearm list, purchaser acknowledgements, pre-approval process and a dedicated Firearm Safety Trust Fund) that improve enforceability, regulatory oversight, and consumer awareness at point-of-sale.
Prosecutors and public safety officials: the bill creates clearer criminal penalties and enhanced sentencing tools for possession/use of prohibited gas-operated semi-automatic firearms, which can deter unlawful possession and assist prosecution when such weapons are used in serious federal felonies.
Owners, small retailers and manufacturers: the bill will cause immediate market losses, reduced resale value for pre-enactment large-capacity devices, and higher costs or lost business for makers and sellers of covered firearms and components.
Individuals who possess borderline items, hobbyists and parts sellers: new criminal prohibitions and a knowledge/reasonable-cause standard may criminalize or create uncertainty for ordinary owners, gunsmiths and hobbyists, producing collateral consequences (employment, housing) even in lower‑level cases.
Dealers, FFLs and licensees: marking, recordkeeping, purchaser-acknowledgement requirements, and lengthy manufacturer review fees/delays impose ongoing administrative burdens and compliance costs that raise transaction friction and could be passed to consumers.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal prohibition and ATF listing process for certain gas‑operated semi‑automatic firearms and large‑capacity feeding devices, adds definitions, requires pre‑approval for new designs, imposes penalties, and funds buybacks.
Prohibits the import, manufacture, sale, transfer, receipt, and possession (in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce) of certain "gas‑operated" semi‑automatic firearms and large‑capacity ammunition feeding devices that are placed on a new ATF prohibited list; adds detailed statutory definitions for key terms. Creates a mandatory ATF listing and pre‑approval process for civilian models designed on or after enactment, requires dealer acknowledgement and manufacturer applications with fees, establishes criminal penalties for violations (including enhanced penalties when such a firearm is used in another felony), and authorizes Byrne grant funds to be used for buyback compensation. The bill also creates a Firearm Safety Trust Fund to receive relevant ATF taxes and application fees to cover administration and enforcement costs, and provides administrative appeals and judicial review processes for listing decisions.
Introduced April 9, 2025 by Lucy Mcbath · Last progress April 9, 2025