Bill To Remove AOWs From The NFA Introduced In Congress

NSSF Congressional Report Card: Democrats Fail Miserably, iStock-1154438278
Bill To Remove AOWs From The NFA Introduced In Congress, iStock-1154438278

WASHINGTON, D.C. -(Ammoland.com)- Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced a bill called the “No Backdoor Gun Control Act” in the U.S. House of Representatives that would remove the “any other weapons” (AOW) definition of a firearm under the National Firearms Act (NFA).

An AOW is a catch-all definition for “any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person and from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive.” This category includes pistols with a vertical grip, smooth bore pistols that can expel a shotgun shell, wallet holsters, and more. One famous example is the Serbu Super-Shorty.

AOWs fall under the NFA like machine guns, short-barreled rifles (SBR), and short-barreled shotguns (SBS).

Unlike the previously mentioned items that require a $200 payment to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for a tax stamp, AOWs require a fee of $5. The rest of the process is the same, no matter the item.

Rep. Roy believes that the NFA violates American citizens’ Second Amendment rights. He sees this bill as the first step to dismantling the NFA. He wants SBRs and SBSes also to be removed from the NFA.

“Bearing arms in self-defense is a human right. It is evident from the ATF’s behavior that, under Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, the agency is hellbent on attacking the Second Amendment through every means at its disposal. I am grateful for my colleagues’ work in Congress to remove short-barreled rifles and shotguns (SBRs, SBSs) from regulation under the National Firearms Act. However, should that legislation be successful in doing so, the NFA’s ‘Any Other Weapon’ provision would still allow an anti-gun administration to use the ATF to unilaterally regulate these firearms, and, more importantly, target their owners. The No Backdoor Gun Control Act would close this notable loophole and help protect law-abiding gun owners,” Rep. Roy said.

Gun Owners of America (GOA) championed the bill in the House and worked closely with Rep Roy’s office to ensure that Congress would take up dismantling the NFA one item at a time. The wholesale repeal of the NFA is still the top priority for GOA, but much like the anti-gun groups, the organization is fighting a war of attrition.

“The federal government has no business taxing and registering privately owned firearms with a catch-all term like “Any Other Weapon” or AOW. With the Biden Administration weaponizing definitions from the draconian National Firearms Act of 1934 to ban as many as 40,000,000 lawfully acquired guns like AR-15s, Rep. Chip Roy’s repeal of federal AOW regulations could not come at a better time,” said Aidan Johnston, Director of Federal Affairs, Gun Owners of America.

The bill has 22 Republican co-sponsors, including Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO). It will face an uphill battle in the Democrat-controlled House and would almost be assuredly vetoed by President Biden. The Democrat party has taken millions from anti-gun groups, so it is doubtful that enough will break from the party lines to push the bill forward.
Although this bill will most likely fail, Republicans are set to make gains in both chambers of Congress during midterm elections, and the sitting President has plummeting approval ratings. This change could mean a Republican President and a Republican-controlled legislature in the next two years. That difference could see the bill make progress. Most bills fail on their first attempt.

If the bill did pass, it would require the Department of Justice to destroy all records of AOW holders.


About John Crump

John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.

John Crump

John Crump
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Nam62

Also get rid of having to ask permission of the government (ATF Form4473) when I buy a gun! It’s none of their business what gun I buy or how many.

swmft

they will come up with some other stupid form , better to enforce title 18 and arrest anyone violating constitution congress persons to police let them live in Leavenworth

Last edited 2 years ago by swmft
Green Mtn. Boy

All gun control laws are un Constitutional and thus repugnant to the Constition.

Grigori

Who could downvote that?

swmft

we have more than a few ex or current leos so guess

Roland T. Gunner

Mighty broad brush there Slick.

Xaun Loc

@swmft’s comment was not really an exaggeration – and you know it.

LEO’s from red states like to pretend they support the people’s right to keep and bear arms (and there are probably a handful who really do) but even the Red State LEOs almost all support massive restrictions on “civilian” rights.

swmft

they attack and chase out any that are honest too

swmft

I wish it was an exaggeration,, the remark you made says you are one of the bad ones. think about your attitude im better than you , sad , de fund the police is not about getting rid of police,it is about getting rid of the bad ones , how do you fix a running jet engine? tricky no? how do you make the police answerable to the people they work for? https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/02/18/a-plague-of-professional-courtesy/ how a good cop gets treated by the rest

Arny

How about just getting rid of rogue Govt agencies ?

Wild Bill

I can think of one, to start with. It would be easy and an example to the rest of them.

Roland T. Gunner

Along with the NFA.

kurzninja

Hey Republicans, how about – instead of this BS peacock grandstanding you’re doing with our rights when you know you don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of passing it right now – you try to pass this kind of stuff when you can actually make it happen, like when we had a supermajority under Trump and had the chance to remove suppressors with the Hearing Protection Act? Instead of from our guns, the only silence we got was from you because you didn’t need the votes at the time.

HLB

Would Trump have signed such a bill?

HLB

Ed

Okay, time to call bullshit on this bill and any like it. The only time these bills pop up is when Democrats are in charge of congress and there is no chance that the bill will pass. I’d like to see it pass and most of us would, but we know with the current crop in complete charge of the house and senate, there is no chance in hell of it happening. It’s a way for the GOP to try and fire up a big chunk of the base. When was the last time they brought a bill like this… Read more »

HLB

What about a recorded vote?

HLB

buzzsaw

And it will go exactly… nowhere. (Well, technically, into some committee–to die.) It looks good in elections to point to this kind of bill to help keep your base in line. If the Republicans actually fixed the problem, and we truly had “…shall not be infringed” from sea to shining sea, what would replace this issue to keep the votes coming, and the money flowing? The Democrats won’t have it, and the Republicans need things like they are, too much for political reasons, for our rights to ever be legislated back into official recognition. Add to this the routine ignoring… Read more »

HLB

Republicans actually fixed the problem, and we truly had “…shall not be infringed”

Since we already have this, why are we waiting for Republicans to give it to us? Should we not just use it now?

HLB

Xaun Loc

YAWN — This is just Virtue Signaling, and not even effective Virtue Signaling in that this bill will never even make it into committee, much less out of committee so it can be voted down. I will give Rep. Chip Roy a pass on this, since he was only elected in 2018 and took office in 2019. The people in Congress who really annoy me are the “Republicans” who were in Congress during 2017-2018 following the Republican Hat Trick of 2016 which gave Republicans control of both houses of Congress and the White House. With a solid Republican majority in… Read more »

HLB

“displeasure with “Trump’s failure to get anything done””.

But he did do something. He outlawed bump stocks, he voiced his notion that the government could take the guns first and then exercise due process, and he upped the national debt some ?7? x 10^12 dollars.

HLB

BigJim

The entire NFA should’ve went in the trash after the twin towers fell. Way past time.

Mudhunter

Same understanding should be applied to personally built firearms.

The only regulation needed is well regulated training for the militia. Communities are so fragmented that most, but not all, city and county officials think they are not servants of citizens.

If local officials knew their citizens well and worked with thrm closely, the regular training of the militia would be considered a regular community event as much as a county fair or citizens night out or a Christmas parade.

Quarterly marksmanship competitions at the county or district level and annual state events should be as normal as atheletic events.