Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
This week two federal lawmakers introduced the the Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act.
Basically, it’s a comprehensive ban on semi-automatic rifles that accept detachable magazines. It also prohibits magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds.
Not surprisingly, the GOSAFE Act has a ringing endorsement from Everytown for Gun Safety, the anti-gun organization funded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg.
“As weapons of war have become commonplace in America, so has the unfathomable carnage they wreak on our communities,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety.
“We applaud Senator Heinrich for introducing innovative legislation that would regulate assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, which are capable of creating devastating destruction in an instant,” Feinblatt continued.
“We urge Senator Heinrich’s colleagues to pass this bill before yet another community is forever scarred by someone filled with hate and armed with an AR-15,” he concluded.
Below you’ll find the details of the GOSAFE Act as defined by the sponsors Sens. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Angus King (I-Maine):
Table of contents
Regulates Sale, Transfer, & Manufacture of Semi-Automatic Firearms
- The GOSAFE Act regulates firearms based on the inherently dangerous and unusual lethality of their internal mechanisms, as opposed to focusing on cosmetic features that manufacturers can easily modify.
- If enacted, the bill would regulate the sale, transfer, and manufacture of gas-operated semi-automatic weapons by:
- Establishing a list of prohibited firearms;
- Preventing unlawful modifications of permissible firearms;
- Mandating that future gas-operated designs are approved before manufacture; and
- Preventing unlawful firearm self-assembly and manufacturing.
Protects Americans’ Second Amendment Right
- The GOSAFE Act protects Americans’ constitutional right to own a gun based on a firearm’s established use for self-defense, hunting or sporting purposes.
- The GOSAFE Act accomplishes this by including exemptions based on maximum ammunition capacity according to a firearm’s individual class: a rifle, shotgun, or handgun.
- This capacity must be “permanently fixed” meaning the firearm cannot accept a detachable, high-capacity magazine that would increase the number of rounds that can be fired before reloading and make reloading easier.
Exemptions include:
- .22 caliber rimfire or less firearms
- Bolt action rifles
- Semi-automatic shotguns
- Recoil-operated handguns
- Any rifle with a permanently fixed magazine of 10 rounds or less
- Any shotgun with a permanently fixed magazine of 10 rounds or less
- Any handgun with a permanently fixed magazine of 15 rounds or less
Limits High-Capacity Ammunition Devices
- The GOSAFE Act limits a firearm’s ability to inflict maximum harm in a short amount of time by directly regulating large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
- The bill would limit the number of rounds that large capacity ammunition feeding devices are permitted to carry to 10 rounds of ammunition or fewer.
- Additionally, the GOSAFE Act makes conversion devices, including bump stocks and Glock switches, unlawful.
Improves Public Safety Response & Protects Law Enforcement
- The GOSAFE Act will force would-be mass shooters to reload their guns more frequently — giving people time to flee and law enforcement time to arrive on the scene – while also maintaining law enforcement access to regulated firearms, so law enforcement continues to have the tools they need to respond to a mass shooting event.
Creates Optional Buy-Back Program
- The GOSAFE Act will prevent stockpiling of these lethal firearms and large capacity magazines, and also ensure no one loses the value of any firearms they currently have, by establishing a voluntary buy-back program, which would allow firearm owners to voluntarily turn over and receive compensation for non-transferrable firearms and magazines as defined by this legislation.
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This story is developing, stay tuned for reactions from pro-gun organizations.
UPDATE: NSSF Responds
“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,” Keane continued. “Depriving law-abiding citizens of their Constitutional rights for the criminal acts of a depraved individual doesn’t make our communities safer.”
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My read of the constitution and 2A, along with the Declaration of Independence, the people have a right to keep and bear arms is based on a right to protect from abusive or totalitarian governments. The founders did not want to prevent the citizens of this country from preventing a new king George or maybe a Joe Biden. There is no such thing as gun violence. Guns are inanimate objects. They can not do anything unless a human interferes. We may have a problem with human violence and that should be addressed. Leftist politicians are pushing “gun control “ as a means of controlling the people and making them less able to resist an intolerable, totalitarian government. Notice now, Joe Biden has threatened the citizens with retaliation by F15 jet fighters if the people resist him. Note also, the Biden administration is the first to impose censorship on the American people.
Violent acts are committed by violent people. The cause of all violence, including so called gun violence, is due to a lack of teaching (Christian) morals.
In addition to the lack of morals of these individuals is entitlement behavior; gang activity; and drug dealing on the streets of our cities. The first step the government can take to reduce such violence is to remove those gang members and drug dealers. A good example of this is the most recent raids in Cleveland, Ohio committed by the City Police, Highway Patrol, and the State of Ohio enforcement officers. The Constitution of the United States is the law of the land. The Second Amendment protects not only the people from these groups of people, but the main purpose of the law is to protect the other rights in the Bill of Rights, and to protect us from the governments foreign and domestic. That is why the amendment states “shall not be infringed” as the Fathers of our country intended. Mental illness is the other great cause of mass shootings especially. Instances indicating mental illness can no longer be ignored, especially in young people who have been bullied in schools.
WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS MADE UP OF TERRORIST AND ALL OTHER KINDS OF PEOPLE ENTERING THE COUNTRY.. WITH THOSE WHO SHOUT DOWN WITH THE INFIDEL ,KILL THE AMERICANS ETC. ENTERING OUR COUNTRY . WE ALSO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ASSISTING THE DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA, WITH OPEN BORDERS.THEN WE ALSO HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE TERRORISTWHO ARE IN POLITICAL OFFICES HERE IN AMERICA. PAID AND PLANTED TO ASSIST THOSE WHO BY THEIR ACTIONS ARE CLEARLY FOR THE DOWNFALL OF AMERICA. AND COMING FOR YOUR GUNS. HAS ANYONE ASKED CHUCKY WHY HAS ISRAEL RELAXED ITS GUN LAWS. AND GIVEN GUNS TO ITS CITIZENS. HAVE THEY FOUND OUT THAT THEY CANNOT PROTECT THEIR CITIZENS WITH COPS AND ARMIES. HAVE THEY REALIZED THAT THE CITIZENS HAVE THE BEST CHANCE OF PROTECTING THEMSELVES AND OTHERS BY OWNING THE RESPOINISIBILITIES OF THEIR OWN SAFETY AND LIFE DEFENSE SUPPORT SYSTEM S GUNS W LARGE MAGAZINES ETC. CHUCKY DO YOU BELIEVE THE SAME TERROIST ACT THAT HAPPEN IN ISRAEL CAN HAPPEN HERE. WHY DO YOU WANT TO STOP THE PEOPLE HERE FROM HAVEING THE ABILITY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.. DO YOU OWN A GUN OR DO YOU HAVE BODY GUARDS. YOUR ACTIONS TO TAKE AWAY OUR GUNS SHOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE. THOSE WHO YOU AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY LET COME INTO THE COUNTRY, DID YOU TAKE THEIR GUNS DID VET THEM AT ALL, ARE THEY CONNECTED WITH TERRORIST ALREADY HERE, IS TRUE THOSE WHO ARE NOT WITH US ARE AGAINST US
WHERE DOES THAT PUT YOU.
This bill is a trash bag full of every anti second adment totalatrian would be dictator wish list. The American people won’t stand for it.
They need to regulate the psychopaths they have allowed to hold this country hostage. It is not the law abiding, hardworking Americans that are committing these atrocities. And it is NOT the firearms, nor the capacity of them that are dangerous. I believe these crazy, left-wing, anarchist politicians are allowing these situations to happen for their political benefit.
I am still trying to figure out which handguns are exempt because they have “fixed” magazines. They must be referring to semiauto handguns, not revolvers, as revolvers do not have magazines. IF there are NO handguns with fixed magazines, isn’t this law attempting to ban (through the author’s lack of knowledge) every handgun in the US?
Ah, the light bulbs start going on.
Start by arresting the mentally disturbed. Baring guns will not solve the problem and never will happen. Just ask the people in Chicago which have the highest crime rate in the country and the strictest gun laws also. You morons that want to do away with guns know guns have nothing to do with what the real reason of eliminating guns. You need that to happen so you can control the people like they do in communist countries. Without that your helpless against the American people. So go take a hike you communist lovers.
There’s a comment period to the ATF. Why didn’t the article mention that?
Go write your letters people!
Who do we write those letters to? I didn’t hear about a comment period until I read your post.
This is not an ATF proposal. This is a proposal for a federal law. Write your congress critters instead.
Homelike is the congressman in the 1st District of New Mexico. The most Democratic voters in the State. He’s following suit behind Michelle Lujan-Grisham of the Lujan Cartel in Albuquerque /Santa Fe that babnned Cary in Bernalillo county back in October. I’m not sure why these clowns aren’t locked up yet for the crimes they’re committing. Tar and feathering would be a great first step. If that doesn’t curb their appetite, there’s plenty of lovely lampposts on the Santa Fe Plaza to throw a noose over.
The good part is where they state “As weapons of war have become commonplace in America”. This makes whatever they are referring to protected under Bruen as they are admitting that they are in common use..
Except no soldier in an actual war would ever choose an AR15 and 30 rounds of ammo. They choose select fire and at minimum 280 rounds.
Agreed. That is why I qualified my statement with “whatever they are referring to”. Happy Holidays.
Maine citizens take note. All three of the elected officials guilty of these violations of our constitutional rights are up for reelection in 2024-2025. Now is the time to clean the slate and send all three packing. King, Golden, Pingree all marked for removal from office. Now is your chance.
I am from Maine and must confess that I am ashamed at the anti gun actions of three out of four of our state’s federally elected officials. King, Golden, and Pingree are now black balled and marked for being voted out of office. There are far better ways to fight the misuse of firearms and the mental illness of the majority of those misusers of firearms rather than the banning of such firearms. These three elected officials have now demonstrated their weakness and have become puppets of the Biden cartel and the evil Michael Bloomberg.
So, apparently, Maine as Arizona has a Democrat Senator masquerading as an Independent. Listening to this moron essentially trying to make a new Hughes amendment makes my stomach churn and raises my blood pressure. None of the things he mentions would prevent a “mass shooting”. Complete waste of time!
what happened to the Bruin decision saying they can’t do this? this goes to show you that the Democrat party is not at all Democrat, and that it should be called the Communist party since that seems to really describe them . disarm us , have some of us on drugs, this way we are all dumb and stupid and nicely controlled., living on the streets and having the Gov’t “taking care of us” and making decisions for us like they try to do now. wake up people , it is not gun control they want , it is people control.
The USSC had no armed enforcement to implement their decisions. The ATF is better armed than most of the worlds national militaries to enforce their un-constitutional “RULINGS.” The ATF, under Barry Sotero, has run firearms into sovereign nations and a federal court has sealed those records of criminality. The power and integrity of the courts has been compromised and the left wing faction of the legislature understands that the USSC can only play ‘whack a mole’ for so long. The long term plan is to keep pushing unlawful policies despite rulings such as Bruin and eventually the USSC will be transformed into the left wing mouth piece that the anti 2A backers are working towards.
Meanwhile, someone like Senator Angus King of Maine pushs a sweeping gun ban in the US while he supports sending real “weapons of war” for a US/Soros’ proxy war with Russia.
Hey, liberal gun-grabbers, why don’t you try this: go f*ck yourselves!
When they say they are protecting your hunting rights , they mean the king will allow you to take his game , for now and for a price . No , I think I will keep my 2nd Amendment Rights .
There is a glaring loophole in this legislation that a weaponized ATF wouldn’t hesitate to exploit. Technically all semiautos are gas operated because all require the pressure of expanding gas to operate. Blowback, recoil, etc use expanding gas to exert rearward pressure on the cartridge case to function.
There should be a law imposing strict financial penalties for calling a firearm a weapon of war when it’s a strictly civilian weapon that’s never been formally fielded by the military in a way. Proceeds to be used to fund the legal defenses of citizens who have to fight against these gun grabber assaults on freedom.
Agreed and good idea.
Just a reminder that the Founding Fathers had a clear reasons for the 2nd Amendment and “self-defense, hunting or sporting purposes” were not among those. Quite clearly the intent of the 2A was to allow the citizenry to resist a repressive Government. Every government formed by man to SERVE the citizens eventually OPPRESSED it’s creators. Still true today.
This is the Australia law the Bolshie-progs have been lusting over for decades. For US gun owners, if this passes, welcome to the 19th Century….
It’s time to start hanging democrats and their supporters on the streets for treason against the United States and its citizens.
Why are people still voting in Democrats that hate our Country???? Just do a little research for yourself and it is easy to find out what they are doing. We need to pull together and turn this around but people need to be more concerned about who they vote for.
Remember how elections are conducted now in most states. machines, drop boxes, vote by mail, absentee voting. There are reason these methods were adapted and it had zero to with giving people more opportunities to vote.
You are so correct Rich. We have allowed the Communist-Democrats to rig every aspect of our electoral process. We need to advertise loudly the sellouts of our Country. People like Facebook CEO and all of the huge Corporations that have sold us out. Then we must take collaborative action to correct this insane course we are on.
It is truly a shame that these Corporations have been able to use our Free American way of life to restrict the rest of us. Tyranny at its best.
I like what Vivek Ramaswamy has to say about getting rid of the administrative State. It has to happen and I am afraid of our trouble ahead, but it must be done.
Look what is happening to Trump and they are just getting started. They hate him because he truly represents us. So over half of the Country is hated and despised by the ruling class.
Such a shame!
Yet another moron liberal grab of freedom and rights by fools NOT doing their jobs. Enforcement of the hundreds of existing laws and what is truly needed is a mechanism to make all these lazy bureaucrats get off their incompetent asses and do their jobs of reporting attempted purchases to NICS, reporting already banned persons to NICS, following up on all these mental health cases that the media discovers “law enforcement was aware of this person” AFTER they shoot up some place. Incompetence and apathy are responsible for more mass shootings than any crazy person!
What about the people themselves who refuse to uphold the Duty to enforce the rules that “We the People” originally wrote?
We cannot keep electing the same people, and allowing bureaucrats to rule, and expect anything other than the eventual
descent into tyranny.
Yeah, these so called politicians are nothing more than communists. It’s all semantics. The truth is that they (communist) want us disarmed so they can do anything they want. If passed, we will not comply, and we will respond. More lies by the main stream corrupt media.
is the gun buyer a democrat>
>
>Regulated >
>is the gun buyer a Republican>
>
> not Regulated>
>is the gun buyer illegal migrant (banned)
I could have made this much better but didnt have room.
Can you begin a letter writing campaign to our politicians in Washington to inform them the voting citizens are AGAINST any further type of gun control and that WE WILL vote against any politician who votes for this bill or any other gun control act? Also, you mention gun ‘BUYBACK “programs. Presently, we only learn about them after they have occurred. Could you publish information about them prior to their buyback? , I’m positive your readers would love to participate in these purchases. Thank you for your help.
So, we have lost more US citizens this year due to the fentanyl pouring across our southern border than we lost in the entire Vietnam War and the liberals say NOTHING about it. Where is the concern about that? Such hypocrites these people are.
We’re getting closer and closer to a war with our now one of the most corrupt governments in the world. They not going to stop till we become another China.
Regulation of weapons used or owned by individuals is wrong in all ways. No person has the right or the power to curtail our natural born right to weapon ownership. The Constitution does not give us those natural born rights. It acknowledges that we have those natural born rights regardless of how anyone feels or thinks. Laws currently on the books need to be removed. No new laws referring to gun owners should be made.
When the ID 10 T’s in D.C. pass this. I am 3-d Printing 30 Round Magazines and airdropping them into major cities
There is a way to legal way to ban firearms. A constitutional amendment. Anything else is treason to the constitution and should be delt with that way.
Dr. Edwin Vieira, Jr., A.B. (Harvard College), A.M. and Ph.D. (Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences), and J.D. (Harvard Law School), has written numerous articles and books on the law concerning the right to keep and bear arms, but more importantly, the constitutional REQUIREMENT to keep and bear arms.
There is where the 2nd amendment community fails. They want nothing at all to do with the Duty that would put an end to all gun control. If we maintained the Militia as defined in Law, not as it has been usurped by the “powers that be”, the only gun control would be that all able-bodied men are REQUIRED to be organized, armed, and disciplined with weapons they themselves provide.
Many pro-2nd organizations don’t want that because they believe it would take from their ability to have members and contributions. Many individuals want nothing to do with that because they would have to actually go out and train in a unit a few times a year, and we can’t interfere with all the other unimportant things we tend to do.
Underlying to that is a complete ignorance of the laws of this nation. Militia, while it is a state Institution, is controlled by the People. So, the questions to ask all these pretend pro-2nd, and patriot groups are; do you want to stop gun control; do you want to educate yourself; do you want to protect your family and community from government overreach?
Yeap, once you get that militia together then we can over throw the CIA. Until then, why not gives us an update of how your fight with the Central Bank (Bank of America et cetera) is going over the unjust handling of you investments?
so how many innocent lives will be lost and how many criminals will be saved since a criminal won’t adhere to those rules!