Assault weapons ban returns: new firearms banned, existing owners grandfathered.

What it does

This bill bans the manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of semiautomatic assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines (holding more than 15 rounds). It grandfathers weapons lawfully owned before enactment but requires secure storage to prevent access by prohibited persons. Law enforcement, military, and licensed dealers retain exemptions. The bill defines assault weapons by mechanical features (pistol grips, folding stocks, threaded barrels) and by specific model names, covering rifles, pistols, and shotguns.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward prohibition on future manufacture and sale of semiautomatic firearms meeting specified mechanical or model-name criteria, with a carve-out for weapons lawfully possessed before enactment. This is a classic regulatory restriction, not a tax measure, subsidy, or commemorative act.

What the text implies

• Appendix A exempts hundreds of specific rifle, shotgun, and pistol models by name—a detailed whitelist that may require frequent legislative updates as manufacturers introduce new models or variants, creating ongoing compliance uncertainty for dealers and owners.
• Secure-storage requirement for grandfathered weapons (subsection aa) imposes an affirmative duty on owners to prevent access by prohibited persons; violation is a federal crime, shifting liability from the prohibited person to the lawful owner.
• Attorney General must maintain and publish a record of assault weapons used in crimes, creating a federal database that may inform future enforcement or legislative targeting of specific models.
• Definition of 'semiautomatic assault weapon' includes any device designed to accelerate rate of fire without converting to full-auto, potentially capturing aftermarket components (bump stocks, binary triggers) sold separately from the firearm itself.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Ordinary citizens gain a reduction in the availability of high-capacity firearms designed for rapid fire, which public-health evidence associates with mass-casualty events. The grandfathering of existing weapons and exemptions for law enforcement preserve legitimate uses while restricting future acquisition of weapons whose primary design feature is rapid-fire capacity. Secure-storage requirements reduce unauthorized access by minors and prohibited persons.

Who stands to gain

• manufacturers of non-assault-weapon firearms (bolt-action, lever-action, pump-action rifles and shot
• law enforcement agencies (exempted from restrictions, may purchase new assault weapons)
• licensed firearms dealers (exempted for testing/experimentation under Attorney General authorization

Named in the bill

U.S. Attorney General, Department of Justice, Federal firearms licensees (FFLs), Law enforcement agencies (federal, state, local), Campus law enforcement officers, Atomic Energy Act licensees (nuclear facilities), Firearms manufacturers (named models: AR-15, AK-47, Bushmaster, Daniel Defense, Sig Sauer, Smith & W

Where it stands

194 cosponsors: 194 Democrats.

• Apr 30, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Apr 30, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

5 lobbying clients named this bill on 8 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $3,479,548 in lobbying spend. A filing names 78 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 78% of bills with at least one filing.

Lucy McBath, the sponsor, reported $382,779 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund — $1,570,000 on 1 filing
• National Rifle Association of America — $990,000 on 2 filings
• National Association for Gun Rights — $429,548 on 2 filings
• American Federation of Teachers — $410,000 on 1 filing
• Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence — $80,000 on 2 filings

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.