Republican U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Darrel Issa of California have introduced new federal legislation to prohibit states like the ones they represent from maintaining unconstitutional handgun rosters that require firearms to adopt costly, unnecessary features making it nearly impossible to sell new handguns. 

The Modern Firearm Safety Act targets laws like California’s handgun roster and a proposal in New York that would create a similar roster, leaving gun purchasers without adequate choices when choosing a gun.

“Handgun rosters are a tactic that serves only a single purpose: to undermine the Second Amendment under the cynical pretense of firearm safety,” Issa said in a press release announcing the legislation. “These rosters impose excessive and unnecessary requirements that only restrict access to modern firearms equipped with the most up-to-date safety features. I’m proud to join Chairwoman Stefanik in defending our sacred constitutional rights and ending these unjust restrictions.”

The proposal would ban states from requiring loaded chamber indicators, magazine disconnect mechanisms and microstamping for handgun sales, helping restore Second Amendment rights in restrictive states. It would also align with a federal district court ruling that found California’s handgun roster requirements unconstitutional.

The measure states: “A department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States, or of any State or political subdivision of a State, may not implement or enforce any provision of law or regulation that requires or has the effect of requiring, or promulgate any provision of regulation that would require or have the effect of requiring, a handgun that is in, or has been shipped or transported in, interstate or foreign commerce to—(1) incorporate a device that indicates whether the handgun is loaded; (2) incorporate a mechanism that prevents a handgun from being fired if an ammunition magazine is not fully inserted into the handgun; (3) be capable of microstamping the shell casing of ammunition with microscopic characters representing the make, model, and serial number of the handgun, when the ammunition is fired from the handgun; (4) incorporate any device, mechanism, or technology that: (A) is designed or intended to perform any function described in the preceding provisions of this section; or (B) may be readily converted to be capable of performing any such function; or (5) be capable of accepting the attachment of any device or mechanism described in paragraph (4).’’

For her part, Rep. Stefanik hopes the legislation will stop New York Democrats from instituting a California-style handgun roster in her home state of New York.

“I am proud to introduce the Modern Firearm Safety Act to put a stop to the unconstitutional gun-grabbing agenda pushed on law-abiding American citizens by Far Left Democrats like Kathy Hochul,” Rep. Stefanik said. “My legislation would ban Albany Democrats from imposing illegal handgun roster requirements meant to deter gun ownership. I will always stand up for our Second Amendment rights and provide a critical check to any entity attempting to encroach on their liberties.”