Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986
The FOPA (99th Congress, S.49), also known as the McClure-Volkmer Act, significantly amended GCA68, providing gun owners some positives and some negatives. Specifically:
- Opens up interstate sales of long guns on a limited basis.
- Allows interstate transport of firearms in some circumstances. (Do not try to check in at a New York airport without NY permits. When you declare your firearms, they may arrest you).
- Makes it illegal for anyone to transfer a firearm to a prohibited person.
- Provides any prohibited persons can get relief of their disability by applying to the Treasury Secretary. This has been repealed in practice by the program being specifically unfunded in the federal budget.
- It prevents the government from creating a list of gun owners from dealer records.
- Limits the number of inspections on a dealer by the BATF without a search warrant.
- Allows FFL holders to engage in business away from their normal business location, if at a ‘gun show’ in their home state.
- Allows ammunition shipments through the US Postal Service (a repeal of part of GCA68).
- Ended record keeping on ammunition sales, except for armor piercing (the real stuff, not what Kennedy calls armor piercing).
- Prohibits civilians from possessing full-auto firearms manufactured after May 19, 1986.
- Redefines ‘machine gun’ to include those sets of parts or parts that could be used to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a machine gun.
- Adds serious drug offenses to the list of crimes receiving enhanced penalties.
- Doubles the penalties for use of a machine gun, silencer or muffler in a violent federal felony.
- Eliminates the FFL requirement for ammunition only dealers.
- Specifically states that those disposing of personal firearm collections do not need an FFL and to get an FFL firearms do not have to be a principle business activity.
Source: http://www.gunlawnews.org/FOPA-86.html
