{"id":380,"date":"2012-04-10T02:54:45","date_gmt":"2012-04-10T02:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/monachuslex.com\/?p=380"},"modified":"2012-04-10T02:54:45","modified_gmt":"2012-04-10T02:54:45","slug":"much-needed-improvements-to-fopa-introduced-in-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monachuslex.com\/?p=380","title":{"rendered":"Much needed improvements to FOPA introduced in Congress"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA)<\/p><\/div>\n

Introduced by Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA)<\/a> and co-sponsored by Representatives Bill Owens (D-NY)<\/a> and Ted Poe (R-TX)<\/a>, House Bill\u00a0HR 4269 <\/a>would make several much needed improvements to the interstate-transportation portion of the Firearm Owners’ Protection Act.<\/p>\n

The Firearm Owners’ Protection Act, or FOPA, was passed in 1986 in response to numerous reported instances of gun dealers being harassed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). \u00a0In addition to the regulatory reform of the ATF, FOPA also addressed a number of other issues including machine gun ownership, registration, background checks, and interstate transportation of firearms.<\/p>\n

At the time of its passage, the bill was known as the McClure-Volkmer Act after the bi-partisan duo who sponsored the legislation; Senators\u00a0Harold Volkmer (D-MO) and\u00a0Jim McClure (R-ID). \u00a0Writing at the Volokh Conspiracy blog, Dave Kopel once called FOPA “one of the most far-reaching laws ever enacted by Congress to safeguard constitutional rights.”<\/p>\n

The interstate transportation portion of FOPA was designed to protect innocent gun owners who might happen to travel through a state with draconian gun control laws while in lawful possession of firearms. \u00a0In order to enjoy the “safe passage” protections of FOPA, which are codified at 18 U.S.C. \u00a7 926A<\/a>, a gun owner must meet the following requirements:<\/p>\n