Rep. Kevin Mullin introduced legislation on Friday that would redefine certain BB and pellet guns as firearms under federal law, subjecting buyers to the same background check requirements now applied to purchases of guns like AR-15s and 9mm pistols.
The bill, dubbed Garrett’s Law, is named for Garrett Edwards, a constituent of Mullin’s who died by suicide using an airgun he purchased online. According to Mullin’s office, Edwards had struggled with mental health issues during the pandemic and was legally barred from possessing a firearm, but was able to buy a high-powered airgun without a background check because such weapons are not currently classified as firearms under federal law.
In a press release announcing the bill, Mullin’s office described the current absence of background-check requirements for these airguns as a “dangerous gap” in federal law. The release states that the legislation “would close this dangerous gap in federal law by designating high-powered, lethal airguns as firearms.”
The bill would not apply to all BB or pellet guns. According to Daisy BB Guns, which commented on the proposal in a post on X, the legislation would apply to airguns that produce velocities of 800 feet per second or more in .177 caliber, as well as pellets over .25 caliber. Daisy said the change would affect products including its Daisy 880 model, and expressed concern that the bill’s backers intend “to eventually include all airguns.”
The measure has drawn support from gun-control advocacy organizations. Emma Brown, executive director of GIFFORDS, said in a statement included in Mullin’s release, “We’re glad to see Rep. Mullin introducing this legislation to create basic guardrails for these previously unregulated weapons, and we urge Congress to swiftly pass it.” The group March for Our Lives has also endorsed the bill.
The legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives. Its prospects for passage were not addressed in Mullin’s announcement.
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