Opinion
NSSF, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, flatly rejects the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act, which would ban the sale of Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs) and most other semi-automatic rifles. This proposed legislation is clearly unconstitutional, as the U.S. Supreme Court held in Heller that entire classes of firearms cannot be banned from legal sale and possession by law-abiding citizens. The bill was introduced today by U.S. Sens. Angus King (I-Maine) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
“The legislation introduced by Senators King and Heinrich is openly defiant of the rights protected by the U.S. Constitution. There is no path forward for legislation of this nature that would deprive law-abiding citizens the ability to lawfully possess the firearm of their choosing and the full spectrum of their Second Amendment rights,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “This legislation is a knee-jerk reaction to a travesty for which the American public is still demanding answers as to why the Lewiston murderer, who clearly showed signs of mental instability and professed to violent threats, was allowed by state and federal agencies to continue to possess firearms. Depriving law-abiding citizens of their Constitutional rights for the criminal acts of a depraved individual doesn’t make our communities safer.”
The legislation introduced by Sens. King (D) and Heinrich (D) would ban the sale of commonly owned gas-operated, semiautomatic rifles that can accept detachable magazines.
The bill would also place a federal limit on magazine capacity, a measure that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found had no appreciable effect on crime reduction during the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.
The murderer in Lewiston, Maine, was identified by military authorities while training in New York as having shown signs of violent criminal intent and was involuntarily committed to a mental health facility by authorities for two weeks before being released. Federal law should have prohibited the possession of firearms, but there was clearly a failure to properly report and act on this information. The murderer reportedly made threats of violent attacks against a National Guard facility in Maine. New York State Police were notified and reacted to the verbal threats made by the murderer, as well as Maine State Police. While the investigation is ongoing, it appears that neither the military nor state law enforcement agency reported these instances to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
NSSF championed the FIX NICS Act, which compelled federal agencies and incentivized state authorities to submit all disqualifying records to FBI NICS. The law was named after NSSF’s FixNICS® initiative to change the law in 16 states and in Congress to get all disqualifying records submitted to FBI NICS to ensure firearms remain out of the hands of those who cannot be trusted to possess them. The FIX NICS Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump after the U.S. Air Force failed to submit disqualifying records of the murderer in Sutherland Springs, Texas, who should have been disqualified from purchasing firearms before his crimes. The failure of the U.S. Air Force to follow the law and submit several instances of disqualification resulted in the background check system being incomplete.
There are over 24.4 million MSRs in circulation since 1990, which are used daily for lawful purposes, including self-defense, hunting and recreational target shooting.
About The National Shooting Sports Foundation
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations, and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org
Once again, the state and local gov proved themselves inept failures, and rather than accept responsibility, they use the resulting murder as an excuse to punish citizens and turn them into defenseless victims. This bill claims to solve mass murder by banning the most common operating system, with the false claim it is more inherently lethal and dangerous and unusual than other firearms. Ha! The type of operating system the round is fired from has no discernible impact on lethality. The bullet doesn’t travel any faster, cause more damage, fly further or more accurately because it is fired by a… Read more »
People should read the bill. It does more than ban AR’s and mags. It forces gun makers to submit new designs to the AG, with a fee, and beg permission to make that gun! It is 1984 on steroids! It reassigns tax stamp funds. It bans all kinds of parts, binary triggers, removable mags, replacement parts, etc.
Holy sh!t !!! Thanks. I went to the other Ammoland article (https://www.ammoland.com/2023/12/maine-senator-angus-king-dangerous-legislation-gosafe-act) and gave it a read. I’ve never been in favor of capitol punishment for our lawmakers but in this case firing squad might be more appropriate than permanent exile to Venezuela. Or next spring, when bears come out of hibernation, chain a big old rank porkchop to King’s neck and drop him 50 miles from civilization. As for Heinrich, there must be something that would make him attractive to Gila monsters.
King (D ->I but still really a D) will be up for reelection in 2024. Maine’s primary will be on 11 June. The only other candidate I see is left-wing POS anti-gun Democrat David Costello. Will the Republicans even try to run a candidate in Maine next year? What the eff is up with these people who supposedly love hunting and fishing? It’s a sad state of affairs when Collins and King are the best that Maine can offer.
if you are stupid enough to think the government gives a ratsass about you, you deserve everything you are going to get when you let the government take your only real means of protecting you and your family. think on it if you can think.
Ban IiberaIs!!
Treason!
Hey, NSSF, why don’t you tell everyone about the infringement and anti-2A politicians you HAVE supported? You’re as bad as the NRA when it comes to selectively opposing infringement.
WHEN will lying traitors such as these face meaningful consequences for floating clearly unconstitutioan laws?