This Act preempts state and local governments from imposing handgun design or feature requirements on firearms in interstate commerce that are not already mandated by federal law.
Darrell Issa
Representative
CA-48
The Modern Firearm Safety Act preempts state and local governments from imposing handgun design or feature requirements beyond existing federal law. This bill prevents jurisdictions from mandating specific features, such as loaded chamber indicators or magazine insertion sensors, on handguns sold or shipped across state lines. The goal is to standardize federal requirements and limit local restrictions on firearm manufacturing and commerce.
Federal Bill Blocks State and Local Governments From Mandating Handgun Safety Features
The aptly named Modern Firearm Safety Act is designed to stop state and local governments from requiring specific design features on handguns that cross state lines. Think of this as a major federal override: if a feature isn't already required by existing federal law, local jurisdictions can’t force manufacturers to include it. The bill’s backers argue that these local rules unfairly drive up costs and restrict consumer choice, but the real impact is the immediate stripping away of local authority to set higher safety standards.
The Federal Safety Ceiling
This Act sets a hard ceiling on handgun design standards. Section 3 explicitly prohibits state or local governments from mandating features that are "generally absent from firearms in common use." This isn't just about general design; the bill specifically targets features like a loaded chamber indicator (a device that tells you if a bullet is in the firing chamber), a magazine disconnect mechanism (which prevents the gun from firing if the magazine isn't fully seated), or any system that imprints identifying marks onto the casing or bullet. If your state or city currently requires any of these features for handguns sold locally, this federal bill would effectively nullify those requirements.
What This Means for Local Control and Safety
For communities concerned about gun violence, this bill is a game-changer—and not in a good way. It centralizes the power to regulate handgun design exclusively at the federal level. For example, if a city council wanted to pass an ordinance requiring all newly sold handguns to have a loaded chamber indicator—a feature designed to prevent accidental shootings—they would be blocked by this Act. The bill essentially says that local governments cannot require any safety feature that goes beyond the current minimum federal standard, regardless of local public safety needs or concerns. This removes a key tool for state and local officials looking to address specific regional risks through design standards.
Who Benefits and Who Pays the Cost
On one side, handgun manufacturers and sellers benefit significantly. They gain a standardized, nationwide regulatory environment, which cuts down on the compliance costs associated with tailoring products for dozens of different state and city markets. This standardization is the clear intent laid out in Section 2, which argues that local mandates mess with interstate commerce and drive up prices. On the other side, the cost is borne by those who rely on local governments to implement specific, enhanced safety measures. If you live in a state that has historically tried to push for safer gun designs—even if it meant slightly higher costs—this bill ensures that those efforts stop cold. It prioritizes regulatory uniformity and cost reduction over the ability of communities to mandate specific design-based safety protections.