By Tanya Metaksa
What’s New—Constitutional Carry: Louisiana: HB131 has passed in the House on May 23 and is now before the second Senate Committee but an amendment to make the age that a citizen can legally carry a firearm become 21 years of age, rather than the original age of 18 was added; Alabama: The House Judiciary Committee passed HB234, a bill to make the possession of “trigger activators” a felony. On May 31 this bill was indefinitely postponed. Colorado: SB279 banning custom firearms, so called “ghost guns”, passed and was signed Gov. Jared Polis on June 3. Connecticut: HB6667, Gov. Ned Lamont’s gun ban bill is a comprehensive anti-gun bill that includes one gun a month, safe storage, prohibits open carry, ghost guns, carrying a loaded gun in a vehicle, and large capacity magazines, increases training requirements, and more, passed the legislature and was signed by Gov. Lamont; Maine: On June 1 the HOUSE passed a motion that LD1000, a bill creating a Firearm Range Safety Working Group within the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, OUGHT NOT TO PASS. This motion was sent to the Senate for concurrence; Nebraska; The Nebraska legislature has adjourned, but not before passing constitution carry, becoming the 26th state to enact this legislation; New York: The legislature will be adjourning soon and there are still bills such as S4818 and S4976A that have already passed the Senate that could be passed in the Assembly; Illinois: The Illinois legislature has adjourned from its second session; Oklahoma: The Oklahoma legislature has adjourned; Tennessee: The Special Session on Guns that begins on August 21, 2023 will consider two bills HB1233/SB1029 and a Temporary Mental Health Order of Protection Bill (TMHPB) (no number yet assigned); Texas: The Texas legislature has adjourned. During the biannual legislative session, the following bills were passed. HB1760, clarifying what actually encompasses a restricted area for school gun free zones, and has been signed by Gov. Abbott. The remaining bills are awaiting Gov. Abbott’s consideration: HB2837, a bill to prevent the use of a firearm specific banking code; HB2837, a bill to prevent the use of a firearm specific banking code, and HB3137, restricts local governmental districts from requiring liability insurance for firearms owners; Judicial: As of June 1, 2023 any gun owner who owns a pistol brace is required to register it with BATFE except those covered under Mock v. Garland, SAF v. BATFE and Texas v. ATF, three lawsuits to stop the new pistol brace rule.
Biden Administration
BATFE deadline
As of June 1, any gun owner who owns a pistol brace is required to register it with BATFE except those covered under Mock v. Garland, SAF v. BATFE and Texas v. ATF, three lawsuit to stop the new pistol brace rule. According to gunsamerica.com BATFE announced that as of the end of April only 125,000 ATF Form 1’s have been filed. Estimates have guessed the number of pistol braced firearms to be between 3-7 million. The Main lawsuit against the rule in Congress is Mock v. Garland that has been clarified to state that the injunction applies “only to the customers and members whose interest have represented since day one of the litigation.”
U.S. Congress
House of Representatives
H.R. H.J. Res. 44, to overturn the Biden Pistol Brace Rule before it goes into effect on June 1, 2024. This House of Representatives Joint Resolution would provide for congressional disapproval of the BATFE promulgated rule.
H.R. 2985/S.1383, the HEAR Act, a bill to ban the sale, possession of firearms suppressors. It also includes a mandatory “buy back” provision.
H.R. 3155: Democrat Representative Jared Moskowitz (FL) introduced H.R. 3155, that raises the age to 25 years of age to acquire, keep, bear and possess arms received a blistering attack from Firearms Policy Coalition on twitter. The tweet begins with“Representative Moskowitz has chosen to hold himself out as the harbinger of a pervasive federal age discrimination program to deprive millions of peaceable People access to their fundamental and enumerated rights,”and goes on for many tweets.
State Legislatures/Local communities
Alabama: The House Judiciary Committee passed HB234, a bill to make the possession of “trigger activators” a felony. On May 31 this bill was indefinitely postponed.
Alaska: The Alaska legislature has adjourned. HB61, passed the House 26-12 on May 3 and passed the Senate on May 16. It now goes to Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
California—After the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee held a hearing on AB28, adding an excise tax of 11% on all firearms, firearms precursor parts and ammunition, it went to the Assembly Appropriations Committee which, on May 18 amended it to exempt not only employed peace officers but “retired” police officers from such tax. Other bills approved by the Appropriations Committee and headed to votes in the full Assembly are: AB574, requiring an affidavit from prospective gun buyers that they have confirmed possession of all other guns owned within the past 30 days; AB732, expands current federal law regarding the relinquishing of firearms upon conviction of a prohibiting offense; AB733, prevents state and local government selling surplus firearms, ammunition and body armor; AB1089, expands current ban on making firearms; AB1133, mandating more training for carry permit applicants; AB1483, adds private party transfers to one-gun-a-month restriction; and AB1598, Requires firearms dealers to provide a DoJ pamphlet with every sale. Bills headed to the Senate floor are: SB2, new restrictive criteria for carry permits and increasing “gun free zones”; SB368, a grab bag of onerous restrictions; and SB452, banning all semi-automatic handguns without microstamping technology. Other bills being considered AB36, increasing the time a person subjected to a protective order from possessing a gun to three years “after” the order has expired; AB1420, adds a requirement for firearms purchasers to list email address on state DROS forms and increases inspections of firearms dealers; and SB8, firearms liability insurance. City of San Francisco—this once beautiful city has turned into a third world country. As crime continues to rise and another Soros-backed District Attorney fails to take the criminals off the streets, San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston has proposed an ordinance to prohibit retail security guards from unholstering their firearms to protect property.
Colorado: The Colorado legislature has adjourned. SB279 banning custom firearms, so called “ghost guns”, passed and signed on June 3 by Gov. Jared Polis .
Connecticut: HB6667, Gov. Ned Lamont’s gun ban bill is a comprehensive anti-gun measure that includes one gun a month, safe storage, prohibits open carry, ghost guns, carrying a loaded gun in a vehicle, and large capacity magazines, increases training requirements, and more,passed the legislature and was signed by Gov. Lamont.
Delaware: On May 17 the House Judiciary Committee passed Senate Substitute 1 for SB2, the permit to purchase bill that includes a state-mandated training course, have a background check and be approved by the federal Homeland Security Department, and submit to fingerprinting.
Hawaii: The Hawaii legislature has adjourned.SB1230, a post-Bruen bill that expands gun-free zones and requires mandatory insurance coverage, was passed and was signed by Gov. Josh Green June 2.
Louisiana: The legislative session will be ending June 8. HB131, a constitutional carry bill, was passed by the House on May 23 71-29. Although the bill has been passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee, it was amended. The amendment changed raised the age limitation from 18 to 21 years of age. The bill is now before the Senate committee on Revenue and Fiscal Affairs. SB212, a red flag bill had a hearing on May 2. HB175, prohibiting the carrying of a firearm in a medical facility was deferred in the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee on May 16, killing the bill for this session
Maine: Maine is in special session.On June 1 the House passed a motion that LD1000, a bill creating a Firearm Range Safety Working Group within the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, OUGHT NOT TO PASS. This motion was sent to the Senate for concurrence.
Massachusetts: HB2334, sets up an illegal firearm tracking and tracing task force and a Mass firearms ID card would be required to go to a gun show, is before the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.
Maryland: Although the legislature has adjourned they passedSB1, Maryland Shall Issue in conjunction with the Second Amendment Foundation has initiated a constitutional challenge, Novotny v. Moore, to this law.
Michigan: The following bills were passed in the Senate and the House Committee on Judiciary sent them to the House floor without amendments; SB84-Prohibit purchase of firearms if individual has an extreme risk protection order; SB85-Guidelines for making a false statement in support of an extreme risk protection order; and SB86-Service of process for extreme risk protection order actions includes waiving court fees. The following bills were passed in the Senate and are currently awaiting action in the House Committee on Judiciary SB76-Update references to pistol in penal code; SB77-Weapons; firearms; update references in sentencing guidelines; SB78-Adding penalties for storing or leaving a firearm accessible to a minor. The Senate passed 3 extreme risk protection acts and they are currently referred to the House Committee on Judiciary.
Minnesota: The legislature has adjourned. City of St. Paul—The proposed Ordinance 23-33 mandating safe storage with a locking device or in a safe, was amended on May 17 and laid over for final vote.
Nebraska; The Nebraska legislature has adjourned, but not before passing constitutional carry, becoming the 26th state to enact this legislation.
New Jersey: Bills introduced: A4557 will be upgrading the crime of manufacturing firearms from second to first degree. A4717, requiring psychological evaluation and in-home inspection as prerequisite to purchase firearms. S3003/A4502, expands sensitive places and S2847/A4369 prohibits possession of body armor.
New York: The legislature will be adjourning soon and there are still bills such as S4818, a 10-day waiting period prior to purchase, and S4976A, banning lead ammunition on state lands, that have already passed the Senate that could be passed in the Assembly; 109
Oregon: Republicans in the Oregon Senate have been absent in an effort to deny quorum and block the Democrat majority a quorum. However, two Republicans in the House helped pass HB2572, a bill to create a new definition for civil disorder which is defined as unlawful paramilitary activity and allows for civil action against persons engaging in the paramilitary activity, HB 2005 A has now become HB 2005-B, the bill promoted by Gov. Tina Kotek and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, now includes the old HB2006, prohibiting citizens 18-21 years of age from possessing semi-automatic firearms, and the old HB2007, and was passed 35-24 on the House floor on May 2 and now goes directly to the Senate floor for a vote. SB348, a bill that makes it almost impossible to purchase a firearm and could make any citizen a felon, if they own a magazine for a firearm, has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is currently before Joint Committee on Ways and Means. SB393, that most of the members of the committee do not know what it does, appears to be a shell bill that Senator Prozanski can put any anti-gun proposal into and is in Senate Judiciary Committee. Bills awaiting action: SB551, requiring schools to provide information on “secure storage of firearms”.
Pennsylvania: House Democrats brought a package of bill to the floor on May 22 and were able to pass HB1018, a “red flag” bill by a slim 2-vote majority—HB1018 considers the purchase of a firearm a “red flag.” They also passed HB714, universal background checks and gun registration. Two more bills were on the calendar: HB338, requiring the reporting of lost or stolen firearms within 72 hours; was defeated 100-101 and HB731, a mandatory storage bill, was not brought up for a vote. Other introduced bills: HB465, banning the carrying of of any weapon including baseball bats to a public; HB335, making an “accelerated trigger activator” a prohibited weapon; HB336, banning the sale or “assault weapon” and exempting current owners; HB337, requiring a 72-hour waiting period for firearms purchases; HB355, requiring the destruction of any recovered firearms that cannot be returned to their lawful owners within 120 days; HB226, concerning sale or transfer of firearms, introduced by 10 Democrats. HB001 was recommitted to the Judiciary Committee.
South Carolina: Although the legislature adjourned, they are currently in a special session on budget, abortion and guns. Constitutional carry, HB3594, has passed the House and the companion bill, S109,advances to a floor vote in the Senate.
Tennessee: The Special Session on Guns that begins on August 21, 2023 will consider two bills HB1233/SB1029 and a Temporary Mental Health Order of Protection Bill (TMHPB) (no number yet assigned). Under HB1233 a new state run reporting of risk referrals will now be initiated (section 39-17-1376 of the bill) and those reports will be forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agency Also, this bill requires firearms’ owners to keep firearms in a locked container when the owner is not in a motor vehicle or boat and requires notification by the owner of any loss within 24 hours. Memphis—despite a preemption law Memphis City Councilman JB Smiley has introduced an ordinance the ban the carrying of “assault” rifles and mandating car storage of firearms to be in a lockbox only.
Texas: The Texas legislature has adjourned. During the biannual legislative session, the following bills were passed. HB1760, clarifying what actually encompasses a restricted area for school gun free zones, and has been signed by Gov. Abbott. The remaining bills are awaiting Gov. Abbott’s consideration: HB2837, a bill to prevent the use of a firearm specific banking code; HB2837, a bill to prevent the use of a firearm specific banking code, and HB3137, restricts local governmental districts from requiring liability insurance for firearms owners.
