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Ban on undetectable guns renewed for 10 years (Updated)
| 2013-Dec-03 (Updated: 2013-Dec-11) | By: Barry Shatzman |
The 1988 law banning plastic guns is set to expire on Dec. 9.
The Undetectable Firearms Act made it illegal to make or own guns that cannot be detected by airport security.
Though enacted 25 years ago, the law is especially relevant today with 3-D printers becoming more readily available. The printers create objects by spraying plastic in a precise pattern of layers - building up the object out of thin air. Guns made from a 3-D printer have been successfully demonstrated.
On Dec. 3 the House of Representatives voted to extend the law through 2023. Some representatives had asked for the extension to include provisions for these new plastic guns - including a restriction that guns include a non-removable metal piece. The extension passed by the house did not contain any new restrictions.
Rep. Thomas Massie was the only "no" vote.
The extension still needs to be approved by the Senate before being sent to President Obama to be signed into law.
For more, read the Think Progress story.
Update 2013-12-11
The Senate passed the extension to this bill, which President Obama will sign using a remote pen. He currently is in South Africa attending a memorial for former South African President Nelson Mandela.
The bill is a simple extension, and does not include provisions for newer technologies such as plastic guns that can be produced using a 3-D printer.
For more, read the Politico.com story.
Gun control bill amendments would have hindered enforcement
| 2013-Apr-18 |
While some senators have proposed measures to beef up federal gun-control legislation, others are trying to roll back the laws that do exist - by proposing amendments to the overall gun-control bill the Senate has yet to debate.
o Sens. Chuck Grassley and Ted Cruz proposed a wide-ranging bill that would not have expanded background checks, but would have increased penalties for gun criminals. It also would have made it easier to buy and transport firearms across state lines, and would have allowed military members to buy guns in the states where they're stationed. It failed 52-48.
o Sen. Richard Burr proposed a requirement that a court decide if a veteran who is deemed mentally incompetent can own a gun. It failed 56-44.
One amendment passed, meaning it would be incorporated into the original bill...
Sen. John Barrasso proposed an amendment that would punish states for releasing the names and addresses of gun owners - even when legally required to do so. The law would withhold 5 percent of federal Community Oriented Policing Services program funding from state and local governments that release "sensitive and confidential information" about law-abiding gun owners and victims of domestic violence.
Barrasso's amendment was prompted by the New York Journal News' publication in December of an online interactive map of gun owners in two New York suburban counties. The names and addresses of gun permit holders are public record in New York, and were obtained under the state's Freedom of Information Law.
The only exemptions in Barrasso's amendment are for criminal investigations and court or administrative hearings. Therefore, the measure would force state officials to choose between losing federal funding and violating their own public records laws. It passed 67-30.
To read the rest of Lobby99's coverage on this gun legislation, click here.