Category Archives: Laws
Past and Present Gun Control Legislation
information on past and present gun control legislation
International Firearms Issues
McDonald v. City of Chicago
Argued March 2, 2010
Decided June 28, 2010
- 561 U.S. 742
- decision of the Supreme Court of the United States
- found that the right of an individual to “keep and bear arms” is protected under the Second Amendment
District of Columbia vs. Heller
- Argued March 18, 2008
Decided June 26, 2008 - 554 U.S. 570
- landmark case from the Supreme Court of the United States
- held that the Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia
- Supreme Court affirmed by a vote of 5 to 4
- Heller had approached the National Rifle Association about a lawsuit to overturn the D.C. gun ban, but they declined
Tiahrt Amendment
- February 20, 2003
- proposed by Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.)
- prohibited the ATF from publicly releasing data showing where criminals purchased their firearms
- only law enforcement officers or prosecutors
National Instant Criminal Background Check System
launched by the FBI on November 30, 1998
United States system for determining if prospective firearms or explosives buyers’ name and birth year match those of a person who is not eligible to buy through an FFL
- mandated by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Law) of 1993
- launched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1998
Background checks are not required under federal law
for intrastate firearm transfers between private parties
Lautenberg Amendment
The Domestic Violence Offender Gun Ban,
- September 30, 1996
- 1996 Enacted by the 104th United States Congress
- bans access to firearms by people convicted of crimes of domestic violence
- called “the Lautenberg Amendment”
- sponsored by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D – NJ).
- “Gun Ban for Individuals Convicted of a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence”
- Pub.L. 104–208, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9))
- Amendment to the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997
Dickey Amendment
1996 – Stopped the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from promoting gun control
Dr. Timothy Wheeler Helped de-fund the CDC Gun Control Spending
- 2012, President Barack Obama directed the CDC to “conduct or sponsor research into the causes of gun violence and the ways to prevent it.”
- 2015 funded a research project and conducting their own study
Printz v. United States
Argued December 3, 1996
Decided June 27, 1997
parts of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act violated the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.