Washington, DC—Today, Representative Lucy McBath (GA-06) is re-introducing her Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act, a common-sense piece of legislation designed to protect communities from gun violence while safeguarding Americans’ constitutional right to own a firearm for legitimate self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes. The GOSAFE Act seeks to regulate firearms based on their inherently dangerous and unusually lethal mechanisms, as opposed to focusing on cosmetic features that manufacturers can easily modify. 

“I came to Congress because of a promise I made to my late son Jordan—that I would take action in honor of victims of gun violence to prevent more families from experiencing the same tragic loss that I have,” said Representative McBath. “The GOSAFE Act is an important piece of a comprehensive legislative approach to keep lethal weapons from individuals who should not have them, while still honoring the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. Americans deserve to live their lives free from the fear of gun violence. I intend to follow through on the promise I made to my son and every victim of America's gun violence epidemic.”

The GOSAFE Act is led in the Senate by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-Maine), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.).

“For too long, Congress has failed to stem the onslaught of mass shootings. Our work in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was critically important, but more must be done,” said Senator Heinrich. “I’m introducing my GOSAFE and BUMP Acts to deliver on that unfinished work to save lives and make our communities safer. As a sportsman and gun owner, I’m committed to upholding the laws that protect responsible gun ownership, but we must do more to prevent deadly weapons from reaching those who are all too ready to turn them against our communities.”

“We have a solemn obligation to protect our communities, and the Gas-Operated Semiautomatic Firearm Exclusion (GOSAFE) Act can reduce threats without infringing on Second Amendment rights,” said Senator King. “By limiting capacity and requiring fixed magazines, there's an opportunity for people to escape and room to disarm the shooter — helping to prevent mass tragedies like we suffered in Lewiston in future towns and communities. This is commonsense, responsible legislation that will save lives, and I want to thank my colleagues for all their work to ensure a safer tomorrow for communities across Maine and our country.” 

“As a gun owner and a combat veteran, but also the husband of a gun violence survivor, I know firsthand the damage these weapons can cause when they end up in the wrong hands,” said Senator Kelly. “We can protect the rights of responsible gun owners and take action to keep the most lethal firearms out of the hands of those who intend to do harm. We’ve seen the consequences of inaction, let’s not wait for the next tragedy to do something about it.”

“For more than two decades, Colorado has grieved one incident of senseless gun violence after another,” said Senator Bennet. “This common-sense gun safety bill will keep weapons of war out of the hands of the wrong people while respecting responsible gun owners. With this legislation, we are taking an important step to combat gun violence in our communities and protect children across the country.”  

In addition to Heinrich, King, Kelly, and Bennet, the GOSAFE Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii). 

The GOSAFE Act

Regulates Sale, Transfer, & Manufacture of Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms  

If enacted, the GOSAFE Act would regulate the sale, transfer, and manufacture of gas-operated semi-automatic weapons by:  

• Establishing a list of prohibited firearms;  

• Preventing unlawful modifications of permissible firearms;  

• Mandating that future gas-operated designs are approved before manufacture;    

• Preventing unlawful firearm self-assembly and manufacturing; and

• Prohibiting machinegun conversion devices.   

Protects Americans’ Second Amendment Right  

The GOSAFE Act protects Americans’ constitutional right to own a gun based on a firearm’s established use for self-defense, hunting, and sporting purposes. The bill accomplishes this by including exemptions based on ammunition capacity limitations according to a firearm’s individual class: rifle, shotgun, or handgun.   

Capacity limitations must be “permanently fixed,” meaning firearms must be incapable of accepting detachable, high-capacity magazines that increase the number of rounds that can be fired before reloading and make reloading easier.    

Limits High-Capacity Ammunition Devices, Outlaws Conversion Devices 

The GOSAFE Act limits a firearm’s ability to inflict maximum harm in a short amount of time by directly regulating large capacity ammunition feeding devices.  The bill would limit the number of rounds that these devices are permitted to carry to 10 rounds of ammunition or fewer.   

Additionally, the GOSAFE Act makes machinegun conversion devices, including bump stocks and Glock switches, unlawful.  

Creates Voluntary Buy-Back Program

The GOSAFE Act will protect the value of firearms already owned before enactment and prevent stockpiling of these lethal firearms and high-capacity magazines by establishing a voluntary buy-back program. The program would allow firearm owners to voluntarily turn over and receive fair compensation for non-transferrable firearms and magazines as defined by the legislation.  

For a list of endorsements of the GOSAFE Act and statements of support, click here. 

The text of the GOSAFE Act is here.