A group of nearly 75 Republican members of the House of Representatives are demanding that Speaker Mike Johnson oppose the reauthorization of a decades-old gun control law, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Undetectable Firearms Act (UFA) was enacted by the 100th Congress in 1988 and bans the manufacture, sale or import of any firearm that isn’t detectable by a door-frame metal detector or other security technology, which are commonly termed “ghost guns.” The law’s provisions need to be reauthorized before their statutory expiry date of March 8, with House Republicans demanding that Johnson not bring the Senate’s reauthorization bill, which was passed in July of 2023, to the floor. (RELATED: California State Legislature Calls For Constitutional Convention On Gun Control)
“The Biden Administration has already demonstrated its ability to weaponize the Undetectable Firearms Act into a widespread plastic gun ban. Congress must not permanently reauthorize this law, especially while ATF’s final definition of a ‘frame or receiver’ is still being considered in the courts,” wrote the signatories, who are led by Republican Reps. Andy Ogles of Tennessee and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
Letter to House Speaker Mik… by Daily Caller News Foundation
The letter refers to recent efforts by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to implement a federal regulation that would redefine the terms “frame” and “receiver” of weapons, which affects how they are regulated by law. Conservative groups have strongly opposed the regulation, arguing that it will result in effective bans on guns, and have litigated against it.
“The Undetectable Firearms Act is an affront to American principles. I urge Speaker Johnson to oppose any reauthorization or expansion of the UFA,” Ogles told the DCNF.
“I think we have the momentum to stop it,” Massie said in a press release shared with the DCNF.
Apart from Ogles and Massie, Republican Reps. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming, Burgess Owens of Utah, Kat Cammack of Florida, Bob Good of Virginia and Randy Weber of Texas back the effort to oppose the bill.
In addition, 27 gun rights groups have opposed the law’s reauthorization, among them the Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the National Association for Gun Rights, according to information provided to the DCNF by the effort’s backers.
“Republicans in Congress cannot allow the Undetectable Firearms Act to be expanded or made permanent, lest Joe Biden weaponize its flaws against any firearm with major components made with plastic,” Aidan Johnston, federal affairs director for GOA, told the DCNF. “If not allowed to expire by Congress, it could lead to the confiscation of millions of guns and gun parts.”
“Anyone whose gun had even one small plastic “major component” could be charged with owning an undetectable firearm – all because that gun part failed to meet archaic security standards from 1988 that were never intended to apply to so many gun parts,” the letter notes. It remains unclear whether Johnson has committed to opposing the bill.
Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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