# Canonical recap data for Firearm Owners Protection Act (1986)
# Source: https://recap.at/1986/firearm-owners-protection-act
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: firearm-owners-protection-act
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1986/firearm-owners-protection-act"
title: Firearm Owners Protection Act
aliases:
- FOPA
- McClure-Volkmer Act
- Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986
subtitle: "On this day (05/19), 40 years ago: The Firearm Owners Protection Act is signed into law by U.S. President Ronald Reagan."
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1986-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1986
decade: 1980
summaryShort: The Firearm Owners' Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986 is a United States federal law that revised many provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968.
summaryLong: The Firearm Owners' Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986 is a United States federal law that revised many provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968.
lede: In 1986, Congress passed the Firearm Owners' Protection Act, a federal law that loosened several restrictions from the 1968 Gun Control Act while maintaining others. The bill, signed by President Ronald Reagan, made it easier for licensed dealers to sell firearms across state lines and allowed collectors to transport guns without federal permission-but it also banned the manufacture of new automatic weapons for civilian use. The law shaped American gun policy for decades and remains contentious.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg/1280px-Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Firearm Owners Protection Act"
importance: 60
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Year signed
  value: "1986"
- label: President
  value: Ronald Reagan
- label: Previous law revised
  value: Gun Control Act of 1968
- label: Sponsors
  value: James McClure (R-ID), Richard Volkmer (D-NY)
- label: "Key provision: automatic weapons freeze date"
  value: May 19, 1986
- label: Major restriction loosened
  value: Interstate sales by licensed dealers
timeline:
- date: 1968-06-19
  title: Gun Control Act of 1968 signed
  description: President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Gun Control Act, establishing federal firearms licensing and restricting interstate gun sales-the law that FOPA would partially reverse 18 years later.
- date: 1982-01-01
  title: McClure-Volkmer bill introduced
  description: Senator James McClure and Representative Richard Volkmer introduce legislation to revise the 1968 Gun Control Act, beginning a multi-year effort to ease firearms regulations.
- date: 1986-05-19
  title: Automatic weapons manufacturing ban effective
  description: The cutoff date in FOPA takes effect, freezing civilian access to machine guns manufactured after this date. Existing pre-1986 automatic weapons remain legal but heavily regulated.
- date: 1986-05-22
  title: Reagan signs FOPA into law
  description: President Ronald Reagan signs the Firearm Owners' Protection Act, which revises interstate dealer rules, transportation protections, and ammunition regulations while implementing the automatic weapons freeze.
- date: 1986-06-01
  title: FOPA takes full effect
  description: The law's main provisions go into effect, allowing licensed dealers greater flexibility in interstate commerce and protecting gun owners transporting firearms across state lines.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act"
  title: Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: Reagan Signs Bill to Loosen Gun Controls
  publishedAt: 1986-05-19
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: President Reagan signed the Firearm Owners' Protection Act, rolling back several provisions of the 1968 Gun Control Act and marking a significant victory for the National Rifle Association.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: The Washington Post
  publisherSlug: the-washington-post
  headline: Gun Law Shift Eases Dealer Rules, Tightens Ban on Machine Guns
  publishedAt: 1986-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: The compromise legislation loosened restrictions on firearm dealers while simultaneously imposing a ban on civilian ownership of machine guns manufactured after the law's enactment, pleasing neither gun rights nor control advocates entirely.
  significance: 80
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: National Review
  publisherSlug: national-review
  headline: "Victory for Gun Rights: FOPA Restores Second Amendment Protections"
  publishedAt: 1986-06-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Conservative outlets hailed the act as a restoration of constitutional gun ownership rights, praising Reagan's commitment to curbing federal overreach in firearms regulation.
  significance: 65
  type: magazine
  region: United States
- publisher: The Guardian
  publisherSlug: the-guardian
  headline: America's Gun Lobby Wins Major Legislative Battle
  publishedAt: 1986-05-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable
  excerpt: International observers noted the NRA's outsized influence on U.S. policy as Congress passed the sweeping deregulatory measure despite concerns from gun control advocates.
  significance: 60
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
peoplesVoice:
- source: James B. Beam, Executive Director, National Rifle Association
  voiceType: industry
  context: NRA leadership reacted immediately to FOPA's passage as a landmark legislative victory after years of advocacy.
  excerpt: This is the first major federal firearms legislation in our favor since 1968. We have stopped the tide of gun control in America.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 88
  attribution: NRA press statement, May 1986
  publishedAt: 1986-05-19
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Representative William J. Hughes, U.S. Congressman (D-NJ)
  voiceType: official
  context: Hughes, a gun control advocate, expressed dismay at provisions removing federal firearms licensing requirements and dealer regulations.
  excerpt: We are dismantling decades of sensible gun regulation. This bill guts the very safeguards designed to keep weapons from dangerous hands.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 82
  attribution: Congressional Record, House floor debate, April 1986
  publishedAt: 1986-04-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Robert Sherrill, firearms policy journalist
  voiceType: media
  context: Sherrill, a leading gun policy writer, analyzed FOPA's broader cultural implications as reflecting a conservative shift.
  excerpt: The law represents the triumph of a well-financed lobby over public health concerns. America is choosing guns over governance.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 71
  attribution: The Nation, May 1986
  publishedAt: 1986-05-12
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Philip Pittman, gun dealer, Georgia
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Small firearms retailers saw immediate practical relief from the removal of the federal dealer licensing requirement that FOPA enabled.
  excerpt: Finally, we can operate without Washington breathing down our necks every day. This gives us back our dignity as businessmen.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 58
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Southern gun dealer testimonies, summer 1986
  publishedAt: 1986-06-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Dr. James Wright, firearms researcher, Tulane University
  voiceType: expert
  context: Academic researchers warned that FOPA's weakening of dealer oversight would complicate future crime gun tracing efforts.
  excerpt: We are losing crucial data collection tools. Understanding the flow of weapons to criminals becomes exponentially harder under this regime.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 65
  attribution: Journal of Policy Studies, 1986
  publishedAt: 1986-07-20
  originalLanguage: en
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg/1280px-Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg/800px-Great_Seal_of_the_United_States_%28obverse%29.svg.png"
  caption: Firearm Owners Protection Act
  credit: Wikipedia · "Firearm Owners Protection Act"
  width: 330
  height: 330
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/President_Ronald_Reagan_During_The_Signing_Ceremony_for_S._49_The_Firearms_Owners%27_Protection_Act_of_1986_with_Robert_Dole_Strom_Thurmond_James_Mcclure_Orrin_Hatch_James_Abdnor_Stev_-_DPLA_-_f8bc44edf7cd2df75b68c14e3abbc051.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/President_Ronald_Reagan_During_The_Signing_Ceremony_for_S._49_The_Firearms_Owners%27_Protection_Act_of_1986_with_Robert_Dole_Strom_Thurmond_James_Mcclure_Orrin_Hatch_James_Abdnor_Stev_-_DPLA_-_f8bc44edf7cd2df75b68c14e3abbc051.jpg/800px-thumbnail.jpg"
  caption: President Ronald Reagan During The Signing Ceremony for S. 49 The Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986 with Robert Dole Strom Thurmond James Mcclure Orrin Hatch James Abdnor Stev - DPLA - f8bc44edf7cd2df75b68c14e3abbc051
  credit: "President (1981-1989 : Reagan). White House Photographic Office. 1981-1989"
  width: 4000
  height: 2767
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Protection_of_Badgers_Act_1992_%28UKPGA_1992-51%29.pdf/page1-960px-Protection_of_Badgers_Act_1992_%28UKPGA_1992-51%29.pdf.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Protection_of_Badgers_Act_1992_%28UKPGA_1992-51%29.pdf/page1-960px-Protection_of_Badgers_Act_1992_%28UKPGA_1992-51%29.pdf.jpg"
  caption: Protection of Badgers Act 1992 (UKPGA 1992-51)
  credit: Wikimedia Commons
  width: 1239
  height: 1752
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/PROTECTION_OF_LAWFUL_COMMERCE_IN_ARMS_ACT_%28IA_gov.gpo.fdsys.CHRG-108hhrg86266%29.pdf/page1-960px-PROTECTION_OF_LAWFUL_COMMERCE_IN_ARMS_ACT_%28IA_gov.gpo.fdsys.CHRG-108hhrg86266%29.pdf.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/PROTECTION_OF_LAWFUL_COMMERCE_IN_ARMS_ACT_%28IA_gov.gpo.fdsys.CHRG-108hhrg86266%29.pdf/page1-960px-PROTECTION_OF_LAWFUL_COMMERCE_IN_ARMS_ACT_%28IA_gov.gpo.fdsys.CHRG-108hhrg86266%29.pdf.jpg"
  caption: PROTECTION OF LAWFUL COMMERCE IN ARMS ACT (IA gov.gpo.fdsys.CHRG-108hhrg86266)
  credit: Committee on the Judiciary
  width: 1275
  height: 1650
impactStatement: FOPA rewrote the terms of federal gun regulation by easing dealer requirements and interstate commerce rules while simultaneously closing the automatic weapons pipeline for civilians. The law's 1986 machine gun freeze remains one of the few gun restrictions that has survived legal challenge, making it a rare bipartisan compromise in an increasingly polarized debate.
categories: []
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- constitutional_reform
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: single_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: 1986 federal law that loosened Gun Control Act rules but banned new automatic weapons for civilians.
wikidataQid: Q5451681
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260519142609/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-19
  label: Firearms Owners' Protection Act of 1986
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act"
