How a 1986 law reshaped American firearm regulations and ownership
In short: In 1986, the United States passed the Firearm Owners' Protection Act to curb alleged abuses by federal inspectors. The law significantly altered how Americans can transport weapons, purchase ammunition, and own machine guns, sparking intense debate between civil liberty advocates and law enforcement organizations.
The Firearm Owners' Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986 was designed to revise the Gun Control Act of 1968. It was prompted by a 1982 Senate subcommittee report which found that 75 percent of ATF prosecutions targeted ordinary citizens for unknowing technical violations. Advocates, including the NRA, argued that ATF inspectors were using wide latitude to harass Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders, potentially driving them out of business.
FOPA introduced several critical reforms. It reopened limited interstate sales of long guns, legalized ammunition shipments via the U.S. Postal Service, and removed record-keeping requirements for non-armor-piercing ammunition. It also established federal protections for transporting firearms through states where they might otherwise be illegal, provided they are unloaded and kept in a locked container, not readily accessible.
The Act also included a controversial provision that banned the civilian sale of machine guns manufactured after its enactment. This restriction has caused the price of existing, legally owned fully-automatic firearms to surge, often exceeding $10,000. Despite this, political scientist Earl Kruschke noted that of the approximately 175,000 licensed automatic firearms, evidence suggests none have been used in a violent crime.
The law remains a point of contention. While endorsed by the NRA, it faced opposition from numerous police organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs' Association. Additionally, while FOPA prohibits the government from maintaining a registry linking non-National Firearms Act firearms to owners, the ATF's National Tracing Center has historically managed hundreds of millions of records.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Firearm Owners Protection Act
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