Heinrich sponsors extremist anti-gun legislation banning most rifles

In a recent move that has stirred controversy, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, along with Democrat Senators Angus King of Maine, Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Michael Bennet of Colorado, introduced the extremist Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act to outlaw most firearms in the United States.

Heinrich claimed there is an urgent need for Congress to take away Americans’ right to bear arms by banning some of the most popular weapons in the country.

The proposed legislation will negatively impact law-abiding gun owners while neglecting the root causes of violence. 

The GOSAFE Act seeks to regulate gas-operated semi-automatic weapons by establishing a list of prohibited firearms, preventing unauthorized modifications, and mandating pre-approval for future designs. The bill has a few exceptions but still bans rifles with 10 rounds or more — a majority of AR-15s and other rifles. One in 20 Americans own an AR-15 rifle. Some of Heinrich’s exemptions in the radical legislation are listed below:

• .22 caliber rimfire or less firearms  
• Bolt action rifles  
• Semi-automatic shotguns  
• Recoil-operated handguns  
• Any rifle with a permanently fixed magazine of 10 rounds or less  
• Any shotgun with a permanently fixed magazine of 10 rounds or less  
• Any handgun with a permanently fixed magazine of 15 rounds or less  

Controversially, the proposed legislation limits the capacity of large ammunition-feeding devices to 10 rounds or fewer and outlaws conversion devices, such as bump stocks and Glock switches. Additionally, it introduces a voluntary buy-back program to prevent stockpiling of firearms. Buyback programs are known to be ineffective. 

While Heinrich received support from various extremist anti-gun organizations, such as New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Giffords, people who follow what the Second Amendment says argue that the bill overlooks the root causes of gun violence and certainly infringes on the rights of responsible gun owners.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) senior vice president, Lawrence G. Keane, wrote, “The legislation introduced by Senators King and Heinrich is openly defiant of the rights protected by the U.S. Constitution. There is no path forward for legislation of this nature that would deprive law-abiding citizens the ability to lawfully possess the firearm of their choosing and the full spectrum of their Second Amendment rights,” adding, “This legislation is a knee-jerk reaction to a travesty (Lewiston, Maine incident), for which the American public is still demanding answers as to why the Lewiston murderer, who clearly showed signs of mental instability and professed to violent threats, was allowed by state and federal agencies to continue to possess firearms. Depriving law-abiding citizens of their Constitutional rights for the criminal acts of a depraved individual doesn’t make our communities safer.”

“This proposed legislation is clearly unconstitutional, as the U.S. Supreme Court held in Heller that entire classes of firearms cannot be banned from legal sale and possession by law-abiding citizens,” concluded the NSSF. 

 The GOSAFE Act faces a challenging path ahead, stirring intense debate on its potential impact on firearm regulation and individual liberties. It is unclear if it will go far with Democrats leading the Senate and Republicans controlling the House of Representatives.