“National Firearms Amendments Act of 2021” 
(H.R. 4953)

Sponsor:

Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL)

Full co-sponsor list viewable here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4953/cosponsors 

Status:

Filed in the U.S. House of Representatives and referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Bill Details:

This bill seeks to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to subject to the requirements of the National Firearms Act (NFA) any semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine.

This bill would specifically amend Section 5845(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by striking “; and (8) a destructive device.” and inserting “; (8) a destructive device; and (9) a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun that has the capacity to accept a detachable ammunition feeding device.”

According to the bill, the term ‘detachable ammunition feeding device’ means an ammunition feeding device that can be removed from a firearm without disassembly of the firearm action. The term ‘ammunition feeding device’ means a magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device, but does not include an attached tubular device which is only capable of operating with .22 caliber rimfire ammunition.

Further, the term ‘semiautomatic rifle or shotgun’ means any repeating rifle or shotgun which utilizes a portion of the energy of a firing cartridge to extract the fired cartridge case and chamber the next round, and which requires a separate pull of the trigger to fire each cartridge.

The time frame requirement for registration is set forth as, any person who, on the date of the enactment of this Act, lawfully owns or possesses a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun...shall, not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, register the semiautomatic rifle or shotgun in accordance with section 5841 of such Code. Such registration shall become a part of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record required to be maintained by such section.

The last section states that, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.

Summary:

While the bill language seems rather wordy, this bill would add ALL semiautomatic rifles and shotguns that can accept any kind of detachable magazine to the NFA. This would require registration, within 120 days of the law passing. This bill would also seek to authorize an increase in ATF’s budget in order to give them the capability to process a vast influx of new NFA registrations.  

Like all bills that seek to expand the NFA, the goal is to create scarcity for the average person via cost and bureaucratic red tape while also forcing registration of newer categories of firearms. This bill also seeks to increase the ATF’s budget to enforce an expansion of the NFA.