So, what happened in 1986?

[BillM]

The FOPA '86 was designed as a bill to clean up some of the issues with GCA '68 and address
a couple of other issues that caused problems for gun owners. The actual FOPA bill wasn't a
bad piece of legislation, and if it had been passed it wouldn't have been a bad thing.

However---at the last minute a nasty little piece of business called the Hughes Amendment
was attached to it, and it was ram-rodded through on a late voice vote that witnesses say
was W-A-Y to close to call on voice alone.

Link to info---read it before you get a rope and chase me down for defending the FOPA!

Firearm Owners Protection Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Jamie6.5]

The 1986 FOPA was, for the most part a great thing. Prior to 1986, but after the 1968GCA, we had to show ID that we were 18 and sign a ledger to buy ANY ammo that could be chambered in a pistol.
I could drive a car at 16 but couldn't buy ammo for my plinkin' rifle. IOW, we had to do so even for .22LR!
All ammo sellers, even drug stores like Payless that sold sporting goods used to have the ledgers.

You couldn't buy a pistol interstate, and transporting and/or shipping a long gun could be a nightmare.

FFLs and collectors were subject to abuse on a regular basis by the ATF (Still under the Treasury Dept. then).

In the '70s, the Dems wanted a firearm/owner registry and were on track to get it.
I myself had a bumper sticker that said: "The Czechs Registered Their Guns!" It was the battle cry of the day for gun owners.
The phrase "You can have my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hand" came about at the same time.

http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/a...earms+Owners+Protection+Act +(FOPA)"&st=&ps=

Then the NRA-ILA went to work. They weren't getting very far until the sea-change in the political environment in 1981 when Reagan came in and the Republicans took the majority in the Senate.

They worked REALLY hard to get more common sense provisions written into the bill, and especially the parts concerning forbidding a national firearm registration scheme of ANY KIND, and stopping the abuse of collectors and FFLs.
They had thousand of hours and million$ of legal dollars wrapped up in the Firearm Owners Protection Act.

It was widely regarded as a success, as it stopped firearm/owner registration (by the Feds) in its tracks.
That's why it's named the way it is.

Then came The Hughes Amendment and the illegal, traitorous actions of Charlie Rangel presiding in the Dem controlled HoR.

Here is the C-SPAN video of the voice vote on the Hughes Amendment banning post 1986 select-fire weapons:

The Hughes Amendment didn't REALLY pass, but Rangel and the Dems said it did.
How could it? It was NEVER REALLY voted on in the HoR.
AND THAT IS WHY THERE IS NO RECORD OF THE VOTE ANYWHERE IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD.
Even though the electronic vote at 6:45 of the video shows the amendment clearly failed Y124 to N297.

Blaming the '86 select-fire ban on Reagan and/or the NRA is foolish at best. The writer and EVERY SPONSOR of the Hughes Amendment was a Democrat.
And the Hughes Amendment is really the only bad part of the '86FOPA.

The NRA-ILA had invested six (6) years in writing/passing the bill, and didn't want the session to end without passage, so in the end they encouraged Reagan to sign it, which he didn't want to do initially.

Trust me guys, if it wasn't for the NRA-ILA, Reagan, and 1986 FOPA, we wouldn't be here today doing what we're doing.
The ATF would have us by the "short-hairs" so-to-speak, and the 1994 AWB would have been A LOT worse than it was.

 

[Stomper]

Hmmm... that slimy, disgusting looking/sounding, tax dodger Rangle played a role in that... what a shock.

If ever America builds a "Museum Hall of Traitors", he would be PROMINENTLY displayed.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I remember one hell of a gunfight between some dudes in California and a whole bunch of cops. The dudes had Ruger Mini14's and just shot the living hell out of the Police force. I know they are not full auto, but those dudes really raised hell. They also had flack jackets on and totally outgunned the Law. I think the dudes robbed a bank, Kind of unoriginal and practical.

I think you're mixing up the 1986 Florida shootout in which one shooter had a mini 14, with the Hollywood full auto incident

Reagan signed the 86 full auto ban.. I blame him. It wasn't the only bad acting he did

 

[ScorpioMk]

Saw something about a court case that said the hughes amendment was illegal but the case never made it to the supreme court, was trying to find it and found this.

<broken link removed>

Would be nice if this could actually go anywhere.

And the case was vs rock island armory

"...since enactment of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o), the Secretary has refused to accept any tax payments to make or transfer a machine gun made after May 19, 1986, to approve any such making or transfer, or to register any such machine gun. As applied to machine guns made and possessed after May 19, 1986, the registration and other requirements of the National Firearms Act, Chapter 53 of the Internal Revenue Code, no longer serve any revenue purpose, and are impliedly repealed or are unconstitutional."

 

[RicInOR]

Don't forget that Reagan, while governor signed an NRA approved Anti-Carry (loaded rifles) bill in CA.

That was sparked by those of darker skin tone who exercised their God Given right to carry at the State House.
The Secret History of Guns - Adam Winkler - The Atlantic


IMO - this is the event upon which the '86 ban could pass.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Good point and historically accurate as well

 

[Misterbill]

Reagan was an ANTI from the gate. Particularly when it came to people of color.

That "Saint Ronald" voted for an anti-freedom law should be a surprise to no one.