GOSAFE Act

Key Points

• The bill would ban the sale, manufacture, import, and possession of most gas-operated semi-automatic firearms. These are guns that use the energy from a fired shot to automatically load the next round. The ATF would publish a list of prohibited models within 180 days.
• Magazines holding more than 10 rounds would be banned from sale, manufacture, or transfer. Existing owners of high-capacity magazines could keep them but could not sell or give them away. Magazines designed for .22 caliber rimfire ammunition are excluded.
• People who already own affected firearms before the law takes effect can keep them. They can also transfer them to immediate family members, but only after going through a licensed dealer for a background check.
• Many common firearms are excluded from the ban, including bolt-action, lever-action, and pump-action rifles; most shotguns; revolvers; and recoil-operated semi-automatic handguns. Rifles and handguns with permanently fixed magazines of 10 or 15 rounds respectively are also exempt.
• New semi-automatic firearm designs would need pre-approval from the Attorney General before being manufactured for civilian sale. Manufacturers would pay fees to fund the review process, and a Firearm Safety Trust Fund would be created to cover costs.
• States and cities could use existing Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funding to run voluntary buy-back programs for banned firearms and high-capacity magazines. Violations of the ban carry fines up to $5,000 and up to 12 months in prison, with harsher penalties if a banned weapon is used during another federal crime.