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The National Firearms Act
After an attempted killing of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Congress passed the National Firearms Act (N.F.A). This was the first federal gun control law, which allowed the taxing of the manifacturing, selling, and transfer of any fully automatic weapon like the sawed off shotgun, and other iconic "gangster weapons" like the infamous "Tommy Gun". The law also allowed the FBI to do full backgroung checks on any potential gun buyers. -
Federal Regulations of Gun Sales Begin
After The Federal Firearms Act was passed, gun owners were required to get a liscense fron the International Revenue Service to sell guns and keep a record of all purchases. However, the act did not prohibit the use of fake information when buying weapons. -
Mandittory registration of shotguns is approved
After the Supreme Court case (United States vs. Miller), the Supreme Court upheld that the registration of sawed off shotguns under the National Firearms Act as constitutional. The court ruled that the guns in question were not deemed to be part of an ordinary militia, and that their possesion does not have any relationship to the preservation of a militia. -
The Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Firearms is created
Unhappy with the lack of enforcement of federal gun control laws, Congress separates the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Firearms away from the International Revenue Service, and makes it a seperate law enforcement onganization (within the U.S Department of Justice). -
Part 2: Congress enacts expanded gun regulations
raised the legal age for a person to purchase firearms, and prevented mentally ill people from purchasing and using guns. -
Part 1: Congress enacts expanded gun regulations
Congress passes legislation that bans concealable weapons such as cane guns and pen guns, but there is no current law covering the mailing of rifles, shotguns, or handguns. After the JFK assassination (1963), and the assassination of MLK and Senator Robert Kennedy (1968), Congress passes the Gun Control Act. The act regulates imported weapons, expands liscensing and record keeping requirements on gun sales, bans the mail-order sales of weapons and ammunition, -
The Firearm Owners Protection Act is Passed
Congress responds to complaints from gun owners by repealing some federal restrictions on the subject of purchasing rifles and shotguns using the Firearm Owner's Protction Act. Unfortunatelly, supporters of the act said that it didn't do much to limit the amount of crime. The Act also allowed for the ability to transfer firearms (unloaded and inaccessible) from one state to another without regard for any local laws. -
Government seeks to make all school zones gun-free
The Gun-Free School Zones Act makes it a federal crime to intentionally bring in a firearm within a thousand feet of school ground (or to fire a gun within the zone). However, in the Supreme Court case: United States v. Lopez (1995) the Supreme Court stated that Congress had overstepped their constitutional authority when they had passed the act. In the end, the court ruled that the punishment of gun possession and use is something for each state to decide for itself. -
The Brady Law requires background checks
named after former presidential press secretary James Brady who was wounded during the attempted assassination of President Ronald Regan. The law enforces that all federally liscensed gun dealers perform background checks with law enforcement officials before selling to any buyer. During the check, the law enforcement officials check and see if the buyer falls into the group of people not responsible enough to own guns. -
Domestic violence offender gun ban is enacted
Despite increassing opposition in having Congress control gun control laws, supporters maneged to amend a spending bill that prohibits anyone convicted of domestic violence from owning a gun. -
Semiautomatic weapons are baned
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement act of 1994 bans nineteen types of semiautomatic weapons and ammunition clips holding any more than ten rounds (except for military or police use). It also bans handgun possession by anyone under the age of eighteen, and increases requirements for federal gun dealer liscenses. -
Smith and Wesson reach a settlement
Smith and Wesson reach a settlement in many of the lawsuits brought against it by municiples around the country. The settlement binds Smith and Wesson to change the way that it designs and distrubutes its weapons. This causes the company to install child safety locks and "smart technology", and to only sell to authorized dealers who can prove that their weapons are not majorly included in crimes.
