PA Bill Number: SR77
Title: A Concurrent Resolution petitioning the Congress of the United States to call a Convention for proposing amendments pursuant to Article V of the ...
Description: A Concurrent Resolution petitioning the Congress of the United States to call a Convention for proposing amendments pursuant to Article V of the ...
Last Action: Reported as committed
Last Action Date: Apr 30, 2024
Bills passed in U.S. House concern Second Amendment rights, access to federal lands :: 02/27/2016
WASHINGTON, DC — Legislation designed to protect Second Amendment rights as well as access to federal lands for hunting, fishing and other recreational uses passed Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In a vote of 242 to 161, the House of Representatives passed the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act (H.R. 2406), a package of bills that aims to protect Second Amendment rights and guarantee Americans ample access to federal lands in order to hunt, fish, and recreationally shoot, U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., said.
Griffith said he introduced an amendment to the bill that would strengthen federal protections for law-abiding Americans traveling with firearms. The amendment, which was based on Griffith’s standalone legislation entitled the Protecting Lawful Transportation of Firearms Act (H.R. 131), passed in a vote of 239 to 165.
While the amendment was supported by the bill’s chief sponsor, U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va, opposition to the amendment was led by U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, R-Va.
“Current federal law or the Second Amendment of the Constitution should neither be misinterpreted nor ignored to prevent law-abiding, responsible gun owners from traveling throughout the country with firearms so long as they are in compliance with federal law while in transit,” Griffith said. “I am pleased my colleagues have joined me in supporting this amendment, and will continue working to protect Second Amendment protections for law abiding gun owners, hunters, and sportsmen.”
In 1986, Congress passed the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act (FOPA), which included protections for individuals transporting firearms between places where they are legally allowed to have them (18 U.S.C. § 926A). While most states comply with FOPA’s ‘safe passage’ provision, some states continue to harass and detain travelers who are abiding by federal law, Griffith said. Because of numerous improper prosecutions, a cottage industry of lawyers handling the defense of these cases has developed around New York City airports.
Griffith’s amendment puts an end to these practices and makes it clear that the rights of American citizens can no longer be ignored, according to a press release from Griffith’s office. A gun owner legally transporting a firearm, stopping overnight, filling up at the gas station, or stopping for an emergency would be protected. The legal burden of providing a violation would now fall to the states and provides for the possibility of compensation for those unlawfully prosecuted.
