On January 24, United States Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA, D) introduced a Bill titled “Assault Weapons Ban of 2013,” which would ban specified firearms and ammunition.  The summary of the Bill provided on Sen. Feinstein’s website includes an itemized list of more than 150 rifles, pistols, shotguns, and semi-automatic firearms that would be banned.  Key language of the proposed legislation are the words “sale,” “transfer,” “manufacture,” and “importation.”

In both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, more than 20 Bills are numbered and pending, including a group of Bills introduced by House Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY-4, D) such as the “Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act” (H.R. 138) and the “Stop Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2013” (H.R. 142).

The proposed Bill from Sen. Feinstein goes about the proposed ban in a legislative format similar to the 1994 assault weapons ban, in other words, it uses a list of firearms by type.  By contrast, on January 16, New York passed legislation that broke down firearms by type and feature, banning firearms by type with even one itemized feature.

And, as another contrast, the proposed Bill from Sen. Feinstein limits to 10 the number of rounds in a magazine, while New York recently passed legislation limiting the number of rounds to 7 in a magazine.

Again, let’s keep in mind that current compliance trumps pending legislation.  What we are urging here at Orchid Advisors is that current federal and state initiatives, as well as new legal requirements in New York, have already made 2013 your most important year for compliance, self-audit, and remediation.  We are predicting that at least through mid-June when the legislative sessions yield to summer recess, we could experience more compliance activity than in any preceding year.