THERE IS A FEDERAL BAN ON AFFORDABLE FIREARMS

This sub sometimes feels like it’s never going to be widely acknowledged, but the truth is this: <br><br>* The 1968 Gun Control Act requires a “legitimate reason” or “good cause” to own a centerfire auto (i.e., anything smaller than .350 or faster than 2500 ft-lbs downrange) handgun, which, unless you’re in a state that accepts “personal defense” as a “legitimate reason,” means that you need to demonstrate you have a legitimate need to own such a firearm. <br>* The Hughes Amendment to Title 18 US Code § 921 expanded that to include all semi-automatic centerfire rifles and all semi-automatic centerfire pistols (with some minor exceptions, like .22LR and single shot firearms). <br>* The 1993 McClure-Volkmer Immunity Act and the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban did nothing to change this. <br>* The 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce Against Public Enrichment Act does not change this. <br>* The 2013 NFA modernization and 2018 Fix NICS laws do not change this. <br>* The 2016 McDonald v. Chicago decision and 2017 Caetano v. Massachusetts decision does not change this. <br>* The 2018 Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act and 2019 BRADLEY v. BELLINGER decision does not change this. <br>* The 2019 TAPS Act, 2019 NICS Data Protection Act, 2019 Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act, 2019 Sportsmen’s Victory Act, 2019 Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, 2019 Fix NICS, 2019 Protect and Save Lives Act, 2019 Bump Stock Ban, 2019 Fix NICS, 2019 Protect and Save Lives Act, 2019 Ghost Guns Regulation, 2019 Red Flag Laws, 2019 Background Check Completion Incentive Grants, 2019 NICS Mental Health Awareness Act, 2019 NICS Reporting Requirements, and 2019 Protect and Save Lives Act do not change this. <br>* The 2020 BRADLEY v. PELOSI decision does not change this. <br>* The 2020 Firearms Industry Protection Act of 2019 does not change this. <br>* The 2021 TAPS Act, 2021 NICS Data Protection Act, 2021 Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act, 2021 Sportsmen’s Victory Act, 2021 Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, 2021 Fix NICS, 2021 Protect and Save Lives Act, 2021 Bump Stock Ban, 2021 Fix NICS, 2021 Protect and Save Lives Act, 2021 Ghost Guns Regulation, 2021 Red Flag Laws, 2021 Background Check Completion Incentive Grants, 2021 NICS Mental Health Awareness Act, 2021 NICS Reporting Requirements, and 2021 Protect and Save Lives Act do not change this. <br>* The 2022 BRADLEY v. PELOSI decision does not change this. <br>* The 2022 Firearms Industry Protection Act of 2021 does not change this. <br>* The 2023 TAPS Act, 2023 NICS Data Protection Act, 2023 Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Training Support Act, 2023 Sportsmen’s Victory Act, 2023 Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, 2023 Fix NICS, 2023 Protect and Save Lives Act, 2023 Bump Stock Ban, 2023 Fix NICS, 2023 Protect and Save Lives Act, 2023 Ghost Guns Regulation, 2023 Red Flag Laws, 2023 Background Check Completion Incentive Grants, 2023 NICS Mental Health Awareness Act, 2023 NICS Reporting Requirements, and 2023 Protect and Save Lives Act does not change this. <br>* Title 18 US Code 921(a)(30) and Title 26 US Code 5812 define what is or isn’t a “firearm” under federal law, and have since 1968 required that you pay a tax of no less than $200 (with additional fees for fingerprinting, photography, medical checks, etc.) for any firearm that is not “ commonly or generally recognized as being intended for sporting, collect, recreation, exercise or lecture, or educational purposes.” <br>* Title 26 US Code § 5801 requires that you pay the tax (and the additional fees) when you “bring any firearm or device within the provisions of section 5812 of this title into, or within any state, or through any custom territory of the United States” and you do not have documentation from the ATF showing that you have paid the tax. <br>* Title 26 US Code § 5812 defines a firearm that you MUST PAY THE TAX ON, which includes but is not limited to, any semi-automatic pistol or rifle that can chamber or feed a round greater than .350 inches in diameter or generate greater than 2500 ft-lbs of energy downrange, any pistol or rifle that has a “shroud, forward of the trigger” and any pistol or rifle that has any “barrel port, window, or any other opening through which any gas produced by combustion of the propellant might escape,” as well as any pistol or rifle that has “one or more stocks” or any “stock” that, when attached to the firearm, allows the firearm to be held by, spanned by, or operated by the hand, or that allows the weight, balance, shape, design, or size of the firearm to be altered, with certain exceptions (like the TAPS Act and the Sportsmen’s Victory Act, which only applied retroactively). <br>* The 1968 Gun Control Act requires the ATF to create and maintain a list of “sporting purposes” firearms that do not require the tax, and to update that list periodically. <br>* The ATF has never created and maintained such a list. <br>* The 1968 Gun Control Act requires the Secretary of the Treasury to promulgate regulations defining what firearms are subject to the tax and what documentation is required to demonstrate you have paid the tax. <br>* 27 CFR 178.95 outlines what documentation you need to show you’ve paid the tax. <br>* You do not need to register or license your firearm. <br>* 27 CFR 178.95(d) requires that you document the make, model, caliber, and any other distinguishing features of your firearm, as well as the date you acquired and the date you disposed of the firearm. <br>* You must provide this documentation to any FFL who sells you the firearm. <br>* The seller is required to document the documentation you provide. <br>* The seller must provide the documentation you provided, as well as a copy of the documentation required in paragraph (d), to the ATF. <br>* You do not have a right to purchase or own any firearm that you cannot document you have paid the tax on, or any firearm that the ATF has not placed on the “sporting purposes” list. <br>* 18 USC 921(a)(30) defines what is or isn’t a “firearm” under federal law, and requires that you have documented proof that you have paid the tax on any firearm that is not “commonly recognized as being intended for sporting, collect, recreation, exercise or lecture, or educational purposes.” <br>* You do not have a right to own or possess any firearm that requires the tax, unless you have documented proof from the ATF that you have paid the tax and obtained documentation showing you are allowed to possess the firearm. <br>* 18 USC 921(a)(30) defines what is or isn’t a “firearm” under federal law, and requires that you have documented proof that you have paid the tax on any firearm that is not “commonly recognized as being intended for sporting, collect, recreation, exercise or lecture, or educational purposes.” <br>* The 1968 Gun Control Act requires the ATF to create and maintain a list of “sporting purposes” firearms that do not require the tax, and to update that list periodically. <br>* The ATF has never created and maintained such a list. <br>* Title 18 US Code 921(a)(30) and Title 26 US Code 5812 define what is or isn’t a “firearm” under federal law, and have since 1968 required that you pay a tax of no less than $200 (with additional fees for fingerprinting, photography, medical checks, etc.) for any firearm that is not “ commonly or generally recognized as being intended for sporting, collect, recreation, exercise or lecture, or educational purposes.” <br>* Title 26 US Code § 5801 requires that you pay the tax (and the additional fees) when you “bring any firearm or device within the provisions of section 5812 of this title into, or within any state, or through any custom territory of the United States” and you do not have documentation from the ATF showing that you have paid the tax. <br>* Title 26 US Code § 5812 defines a firearm that you MUST PAY THE TAX ON, which includes but is not limited to, any semi-automatic pistol or rifle that can chamber or feed a round greater than .350 inches in diameter or generate greater than 2500 ft-lbs of energy downrange, any pistol or rifle that has a “shroud, forward of the trigger” and any pistol or rifle that has any “barrel port, window, or any other opening through which any gas produced by combustion of the propellant might escape,” as well as any pistol or rifle that has “one or more stocks” or any “stock” that, when attached to the firearm, allows the firearm to be held by, spanned by, or operated by