Every month Orchid Advisors provides NASGW members with a summary of legislation across the 50 States.  Instead of listing hundreds of bills every month that have little to no impact on your firearms business, we endeavor to limit our summary to those bills that are moving forward (or important bills defeated) in the legislative process.

Although more and more state legislatures are concluding their legislative sessions as the months progress there are still hundreds of bills pending – and more still being introduced – that directly affect FFLs.  Orchid Advisors continually monitors state legislation and sifts through the thousands of firearm and ammunition bills that may have little to no impact to firearms businesses in our efforts to keep the industry informed about new restrictions or obligations imposed upon them.   Here is a snapshot of state activity in May:

It was an interesting April tracking industry legislation across the state capitols.  While there were no blockbuster bills passed restricting firearms or firearm parts or accessories, many bills were signed into law this month or were passed by state legislatures that impact how FFLs conduct business across the country.  Some of this month’s legislative activity that directly impact the industry are highlighted below, separated by status:

The past month has seen a lot of activity on legislation in many states that will impact the sale and distribution of firearms across the country.  We continue to see movement on bills that restrict certain firearms (e.g., “assault weapons”) or firearm parts (e.g., bumpfire stocks, binary triggers, etc.), as well as bills that impact the process surrounding the retail sale of firearms, which ultimately affects distribution.  This month we list bills that had action beyond committee hearings or assignments.  Below we have listed many important pieces of legislation we are tracking, grouped by their status.

As is typical, the beginning of 2019 has seen a flurry of legislative activity.  Generally speaking, the beginning of legislative sessions see more bills introduced than later in session.  Legislative activity impacting the sale and distribution of firearms is no exception.  We have already seen hundreds of bills introduced which are directly aimed at the industry.

It’s that time of year again.  State legislatures have returned – or will do so shortly – to their respective capitals and tens of thousands of pieces of legislation have been proposed that affect all aspects of daily life.  With respect to firearms ownership and distribution, hundreds of bills which can have a positive or negative effect have already been proposed.  Orchid Advisors monitors these bills on a daily basis to keep its clients informed and up to date.  While we will update NASGW members monthly on the status of bills that have been adopted, defeated, or are nearing adoption, below is a sample of some new legislation that has been proposed:

As 2018 winds to a close and the holiday shopping seasons escalate to a fever pitch, we take a look back at some of the bills that passed and went into effect this year.  Several thousand pieces of legislation were proposed that could have an impact upon the industry. These laws broach many topics, including permissible hunting products, who may purchase or possess firearms, what firearm accessories are permissible to own, and restrictions on particular firearm configurations.  In their own way, each of the foregoing examples affects most industry members directly or indirectly. 

In the world of modern supply chain management, technology is driving manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to be more proficient when handing products and product data. Current supply and retailing methods, such as, ‘Just-in-time’, auto-replenishment, and eCommerce dictate that product data, and the management of inventory, be as accurate as possible. From purchase order creation to report generation, accurate item information plays a pivotal role in effective execution of many retailing and manufacturing operating procedures.

In the upcoming weeks, several hurricanes, tropical systems and torrential rains will have sweeping impact across the nation, including Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs).  As a result, many Licensees must be prepared for disaster and, if disaster strikes, take decisive action to ensure the security of their business premises and regulated records. ATF has issued a Special Advisory regarding disaster preparedness for FFL Licensees potentially impacted by Hurricane Florence.

2018 has seen a steady stream of legislation passed in individual states that continues to further reduce products available for sale and purchase by firearms owners.  This summer, two more states have prohibited not only bump stocks, trigger cranks, and the like, but also binary triggers as well which have been widely distributed to date.