Gun Owners of America (GOA) is proud to endorse Representative Jimmy Patronis' bill introduced today on the week of the 40th anniversary of the Hughes Amendment becoming law. The Firearm Freedom Act would repeal the Hughes Amendment, an unconstitutional provision of the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 (FOPA) which banned the sale, transfer, and possession of machine guns manufactured after May 19, 1986.
The Hughes Amendment was a poison pill in FOPA that should never have passed. GOA opposed the adoption of this amendment when it was introduced in 1986, and to this day, continues to oppose it and call for its repeal.
Erich Pratt, GOA's Senior Vice President, issued the following statement: "For the last 40 years, gun owners across this country have been denied their constitutional right to own a post-1986 machine gun. The Founding Fathers wrote the Second Amendment as a check on tyrannical government, and the Hughes Amendment serves as a serious infringement of that purpose. Many Americans, still alive today, remember being able to lawfully purchase newly-manufactured machine guns. The Hughes Amendment is one of the most egregious laws passed by Congress in the past few decades."
Representative Jimmy Patronis, of Florida's 1st Congressional District, issued the following statement to Gun Owners of America: "I'm proud to introduce the Firearm Freedom Act to defend the Second Amendment, and I'm grateful for the support of Gun Owners of America, as we fight to protect gun owners across this country. For too long, Washington bureaucrats have tried to chip away at the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. The Firearm Freedom Act pushes back against that overreach and stands up for the rights afforded to all Americans."
GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization representing over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA's Press Center.