Federal Firearm Laws

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 (Pub.L. 103-159, 107 Stat. 1536, enacted November 30, 1993) codified at 18 U.S.C. § 921-922, also known as the Brady Bill, passed as H.R. 1025 by the United States Congress, signed into law by President Bill Clinton on November 30, 1993, and went into effect on February 28, 1994. The act was named after James Brady, who was shot by John Hinckley, Jr. during an attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981.

» Full Article

The National Firearms Act (“NFA“), 73rd Congress, Sess. 2, ch. 757, 48 Stat. 1236, enacted 1934-06-26, currently codified as amended as 26 U.S.C. ch.53) is an Act of Congress passed in 1934 that, in general, imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of all Title II weapons and mandates the registration of those weapons.

The Act was passed after the repeal of Prohibition, and it mandates that transfers of the covered firearms across state lines be reported to the Department of the Treasury (this function has since been transferred to the Department of Justice). The transfer tax of $200 ($5 for AOWs) placed on the transfer of firearms controlled by the Act was roughly equivalent to five months’ salary in 1934.^[1]

» Full Article

The Gun Control Act of 1968, Pub. L. No. 90-618, 82 Stat. 1213 (also known as GCA or GCA68, and codified as Chapter 44 of Title 18, United States Code) is a federal law in the United States that broadly regulates the firearms industry and firearms owners. It primarily focuses on regulating interstate commerce in firearms by generally prohibiting interstate firearms transfers except among licensed manufacturers, dealers and importers.

» Full Article

About.com has a nice resource for looking up Gun and firearm laws including waiting periods, child protection laws and background checks for gun ownership, in the United States listed by state.