WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV.) recently introduced The Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act, a bill to remove statutory burdens on law-abiding gun owners and improve the legal firearm purchase process for active-duty military and law-abiding U.S. citizens.
“As a staunch supporter and defender of the Second Amendment, I’m committed to eliminating the archaic red tape burdening gun owners who legally purchase firearms across the nation,” Scalise said. “For decades now, our gun laws have made it harder and more costly to legally purchase guns in other states and then safely bring them home. I’m proud to introduce this legislation with my friend and colleague Rep. Alex Mooney in order to remove these burdensome and unnecessary restrictions so we can bring firearm laws into the 21st Century.”
“I promised the people of West Virginia’s Second Congressional District that I would defend their right to keep and bear arms. This bill delivers on that promise,” said Congressman Alex Mooney. “This legislation will eliminate outdated, burdensome restrictions that make it unacceptably difficult for law-abiding citizens to buy and sell firearms. The bill also protects the Second Amendment rights of our military service members, who sacrifice so much to protect our freedoms.”
“The Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act eases an unreasonable burden mistakenly placed upon the men and women of our armed forces, while streamlining a patchwork of incredibly confusing and antiquated regulations for law-abiding gun owners across the nation,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. “This is an important issue to our members and we thank Congressmen Scalise and Mooney for their leadership on Second Amendment issues.”
The Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act would allow:
- Licensed dealers to transfer firearms (rifles, shotguns and handguns) to out-of-state buyers so long as the transaction complies with the laws of the state of both the transferor and the transferee.
- Licensed dealers to sell firearms at out-of-state gun shows provided that the laws of the state of both the transferor and the transferee are complied with.
- For face-to-face transfer of firearms between licensed dealers. Currently dealers must ship a firearm, significantly increasing the risk of theft in the process.
- Members of the Armed forces and their spouses to purchase firearms as residents of their state of legal residence, the state in which their permanent duty station is located, and the state in which they maintain a residence while serving at their permanent duty station. Currently, members of the Armed Forces may only purchase firearms as residents of the state in which their permanent duty station is located.
The Firearms Interstate Commerce Reform Act is supported by the NRA. Scalise introduced a similar bill last congress which gained the support of more than 70 cosponsors.
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