WASHINGTON, D.C. — NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, welcomes U.S. Sen. Jim Risch’s S. 89, the Sporting Firearms Access Act, to remove roadblocks to importing sporting firearms and ammunition that law-abiding Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights want to purchase. This legislation will advance fair and free trade and increase consumer choice by removing subjectivity. The bill would allow the import of firearms when similar products are domestically produced and available for sale in the United States.
“The Sporting Firearms Access Act will bring clarity to the 1968 Gun Control Act and make clear that the ATF sporting-purposes test does not prohibit from importation firearms and ammunition products that can be used for hunting, recreational target shooting and competitive shooting competitions or where similar products are available from U.S. manufacturers for these same purposes,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF Senior Vice President and General Counsel. “Senator Risch’s legislation will ensure that bureaucratic interpretations of the law cannot arbitrarily deny Americans of the ability to legally obtain imported firearms and ammunition for what are clearly sporting purposes. We commend Senator Risch for his leadership and urge passage of this bill.”
The Sporting Firearms Access Act clarifies the definition of “sporting purposes” used by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to regulate import of firearms into the United States. The new definition would recognize firearms and ammunitions used for activities such as hunting, target shooting and competitions. Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, firearms and ammunition can only be imported if the ATF recognizes it as being suitable for “sporting purposes.” Ambiguity in the law has allowed the ATF to arbitrarily deny imports of firearms by U.S. customers and businesses.
The Sporting Firearms Access Act would prohibit the ATF from denying items that are substantially similar to those in circulation in the United States and require the ATF to work with the firearms industry to determine what items are suitable for sporting purposes. The bill also provides an appeals process for wrongful determinations and a means for judicial review.
About NSSF
NSSF is the trade association for the firearm industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of thousands of manufacturers, distributors, firearm retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers nationwide. For more information, visit nssf.org.
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