The Federal Firearms Act, or more commonly known as the FFA, is a piece of legislation enacted during the Reagan presidential era, and embodied his ideals of gun control just as the NFA did. The Federal Firearms Act under the Reagan administration implemented a series of new regulatory gun laws focused less on citizens and more on manufacturers. This act simply states that gun manufacturers, importers, and salespeople, must keep a detailed record of information for those who purchase firearms from them. This information ranged from who the product was sold to and what the product was ( for commercial sale), to how many of a certain firearm was imported to the U.S. and from who, and who that import was going to for wholesale. The act also limits who firearms could be sold to. Under the FFA the sale of firearms was restricted and excluded a group of people commonly known as “prohibited purchasers” this group of people for the most part included convicted felons. Not only did the FFA restrict the purchase of firearms- which is a question constitutionality- but it also restricts the transfer of firearms from one person who legally could buy firearms, to a convicted felon. However, there was a large loophole to the Federal Firearms Act, that loophole at the time being that there wasn’t a provision of the act that prevented criminals- convicted felons included- from buying a firearm under false pretenses. In other words, there weren’t background checks yet, so criminals could provide false information and buy a firearm from licensed sellers that way. Lastly, the FFA required sellers to purchase a license with an annual fee of $1 (FFL- Federal Firearms License) in order to sell firearms, in exchange for detailed record keeping on their products consumers.
The FFA has been under speculation for as long as its been enacted. Views on its constitutionality differ from person to person, but the main problem that people have wit the FFA is the invasion of privacy it allows. Because of the FFA people have felt that their privacy has been violated due to stringent record keeping of the firearms that one may possess. People with this view often mention “Big Brother” as concern, and that the government has no right to know what firearms someone has in their possession. This stems into the largely predominant view of government disarmament; with a full list of firearms, their owners, and addresses, the government has the capability to disarm their citizens if such legislation were passed to allow them to do so, and because of this list the government could act upon this disarmament with brutal efficiency.
“Key Federal Acts Regulating Firearms.” Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
“Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.” ATF History Timeline | Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
Churchill and the Thompson. Digital image. Blogspot. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
2nd Amendment 2017 