Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced a bill called the “No Backdoor Gun Control Act” in the U.S. House of Representatives that would remove the “any other weapons” (AOW) definition of a firearm under the National Firearms Act (NFA).
An AOW is a catch-all definition for “any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person and from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive.” This category includes pistols with a vertical grip, smooth bore pistols that can expel a shotgun shell, wallet holsters, and more. One famous example is the Serbu Super-Shorty.
AOWs fall under the NFA like machine guns, short-barreled rifles (SBR), and short-barreled shotguns (SBS)
Unlike the previously mentioned items that require a $200 payment to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for a tax stamp, AOWs require a fee of $5. The rest of the process is the same, no matter the item.
Rep. Roy believes that the NFA violates American citizens’ Second Amendment rights. He sees this bill as the first step to dismantling the NFA. He wants SBRs and SBSes also to be removed from the NFA.
“Bearing arms in self-defense is a human right. It is evident from the ATF’s behavior that, under Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, the agency is hellbent on attacking the Second Amendment through every means at its disposal. I am grateful for my colleagues’ work in Congress to remove short-barreled rifles and shotguns (SBRs, SBSs) from regulation under the National Firearms Act. However, should that legislation be successful in doing so, the NFA’s ‘Any Other Weapon’ provision would still allow an anti-gun administration to use the ATF to unilaterally regulate these firearms, and, more importantly, target their owners. The No Backdoor Gun Control Act would close this notable loophole and help protect law-abiding gun owners,” Rep. Roy said.
Gun Owners of America (GOA) championed the bill in the House and worked closely with Rep Roy’s office to ensure that Congress would take up dismantling the NFA one item at a time. The wholesale repeal of the NFA is still the top priority for GOA, but much like the anti-gun groups, the organization is fighting a war of attrition.
by Thomas K
