GOP Bill Would Kill the 1986 Machine Gun Freeze Forever

The Firearm Freedom Act is a direct, full repeal of the Hughes Amendment—the 1986 provision that slammed the civilian machine gun registry shut and turned a $200 NFA tax stamp into a $30,000 purchase price. Gun Owners of America is all in.

Let that number sink in. A transferable M16 now costs north of $25,000—not because it's expensive to build, but because the federal government artificially capped supply the instant that registry closed. **That's not gun regulation. That's a government-engineered monopoly that punishes working gun owners and leaves wealthy collectors laughing.**

The Hughes Amendment was never clean law to begin with. It was rammed through on a chaotic voice vote, with the presiding officer widely accused of calling the motion in bad faith. Dirty process, dirty result—and American gun owners have been paying the price ever since.

Patronis and GOA aren't pretending this sails through a divided Congress tomorrow. That's not the point. The Firearm Freedom Act plants a flag, forces every House member on the record, and gives pro-2A voters exactly two lists: the names who signed on, and the names who quietly buried it in committee.

**One of those lists is going to be very revealing about certain Republicans come primary season.**

If the bill advances, law-abiding Americans could once again transfer newly manufactured machine guns under the National Firearms Act—restoring a right that existed for civilians for over 50 years before one crooked voice vote stripped it away.

Watch the cosponsor list. Watch who refuses. Watch which members suddenly develop a busy schedule when their constituents call.

**What you can do right now:** Call your House rep today. Ask them directly whether they will cosponsor the Firearm Freedom Act. If they stammer, you have your answer—and so does their primary opponent.

This is the shot. The question is whether Congress has the spine to take it—and whether gun owners make the cost of refusing too high to ignore. Stay locked in. WTF News will be tracking every cosponsor, every dodge, and every committee maneuver as this moves forward.