Green Bay Reporter

Today, Congressman Tony Wied from Wisconsin introduced the Freedom from Improper Regulation and Enforcement (FIRE) Act. The legislation aims to protect Second Amendment rights by banning federal, state, and local laws that target magazine capacity.

"For too long, the federal government has infringed on American’s Second Amendment rights while maintaining a confusing, inconsistent system that lacks a uniform national standard and invites legal disparity," said Congressman Wied. "The FIRE Act ensures that law-abiding gun owners can access magazines of any size, no matter where they are in the United States."

The act prohibits any federal agency from restricting firearm magazines based on capacity and prevents states and localities from enacting or enforcing capacity restrictions on firearm magazines. This move follows recent bans by states and localities on high-capacity magazines.

A report by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) found that over 973 million detachable magazines were produced between 1990-2021, with at least 718 million exceeding ten rounds in capacity. The FIRE Act seeks to update laws to reflect modern usage as indicated by NSSF data.

Original cosponsors of the bill include Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Congressman Mike Collins (GA-10), Congressman Dave Taylor (OH-02), Congresswoman Sheri Biggs (SC-03), and Congressman Russ Fulcher (ID-01).

"Americans’ right to keep and bear arms has always been at the core of our fundamental freedoms," said Congressman Tom Tiffany. "The Fire Act protects law-abiding gun owners."

Congressman Dave Taylor emphasized that "Second amendment rights are one of the foundational principles America is built upon." He added that the act would remove confusion about permissible magazine capacities.

Congressman Wied has received endorsements from several organizations including the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, National Shooting Sports Foundation, and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.

John Commerford of NRA Institute for Legislative Action stated: "Because Americans lawfully own hundreds of millions of magazines that hold over 10 rounds, bans on such magazines violate the Second Amendment."

Aidan Johnston from Gun Owners of America thanked Representative Wied for introducing this bill which he described as a common-sense solution to ensure gun owners are not criminalized for owning a mere firearm accessory.

Lawrence G. Keane from NSSF commended Rep. Wied for safeguarding Second Amendment rights against restrictions that do not reduce crime or criminal misuse of firearms.