| 
 | PRINTER'S NO. 500 | 
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
| No. | 475 | Session of 2013 | 
INTRODUCED BY GABLER, SCAVELLO, DAY, SONNEY, BLOOM, BARRAR, M. K. KELLER, METZGAR, SACCONE, DUNBAR, BROOKS, F. KELLER, MAJOR, STERN, MOUL, KRIEGER, REED, HAHN, HICKERNELL, AUMENT, PICKETT, D. COSTA, CUTLER, CAUSER, GILLEN, KAUFFMAN, HESS, S. H. SMITH, METCALFE, TALLMAN, ROCK, EVERETT, EMRICK, RAPP, FLECK, READSHAW, MARSHALL, GROVE, SWANGER, MILLARD, MILLER, SANKEY, C. HARRIS, REGAN AND STEVENSON, FEBRUARY 4, 2013
REFERRED TO COMMITEE ON JUDICIARY, FEBRUARY 4, 2013
AN ACT
1Prohibiting certain firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition
 2from being subject to Federal law or Federal regulation.
3The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 4hereby enacts as follows:
5Section 1.   Short title.
6This act shall be known and may be cited as the Firearms
 7Freedom Act.
8Section 2.   Findings and declarations.
9The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
10(1)   The 10th amendment to the Constitution of the United
 11States guarantees to the states and their people all powers
 12not granted to the Federal Government elsewhere in the
 13Constitution and reserves to the Commonwealth and people of
 14Pennsylvania certain powers as they were understood at the
 15time that Pennsylvania was admitted to statehood in 1787. The
 	
						
						1guaranty of those powers is a matter of contract between the
 2Commonwealth and people of Pennsylvania and the United States
 3as of the time that the compact with the United States was
 4agreed upon and adopted by Pennsylvania and the United States
 5in 1787.
6(2)   The 9th amendment to the Constitution of the United
 7States guarantees to the people rights not granted in the
 8Constitution and reserves to the people of Pennsylvania
 9certain rights as they were understood at the time that
 10Pennsylvania was admitted to statehood in 1787. The guaranty
 11of those rights is a matter of contract between the
 12Commonwealth and people of Pennsylvania and the United States
 13as of the time that the compact with the United States was
 14agreed upon and adopted by Pennsylvania and the United States
 15in 1787.
16(3)   The regulation of intrastate commerce is vested in
 17the states under the 9th and 10th amendments to the
 18Constitution of the United States, particularly if not
 19expressly preempted by Federal law. Congress has not
 20expressly preempted state regulation of intrastate commerce
 21pertaining to the manufacture on an intrastate basis of
 22firearms, firearms accessories and ammunition.
23(4)   The 2nd amendment to the Constitution of the United
 24States reserves to the people the right to keep and bear arms
 25as that right was understood at the time that Pennsylvania
 26was admitted to statehood in 1787, and the guaranty of the
 27right is a matter of contract between the Commonwealth and
 28people of Pennsylvania and the United States as of the time
 29that the compact with the United States was agreed upon and
 30adopted by Pennsylvania and the United States in 1787.
						1(5)   Section 21 of Article I of the Constitution of
 2Pennsylvania clearly secures to Pennsylvania citizens, and
 3prohibits government interference with, the right of
 4individual Pennsylvania citizens to keep and bear arms.
5Section 3.   Definitions.
6The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
 7have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
 8context clearly indicates otherwise:
9"Borders of Pennsylvania."   The geographic boundaries of
 10Pennsylvania.
11"Firearms accessories."   Items that are used in conjunction
 12with or mounted on a firearm but are not essential to the basic
 13function of a firearm.
14"Generic and insignificant parts."   The term includes
 15springs, screws, nuts and pins.
16"Manufactured."   The creation of a firearm, a firearm
 17accessory or ammunition from basic materials for functional
 18usefulness.
19Section 4.   Prohibitions.
20(a)   Federal law.--A personal firearm, a firearm accessory or
 21ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in
 22Pennsylvania and that remains within the borders of Pennsylvania
 23shall not be subject to Federal law or Federal regulation,
 24including registration, under the authority of Congress to
 25regulate interstate commerce.
26(b)   Applicability.--This section shall apply to a firearm, a
 27firearm accessory or ammunition that is manufactured in
 28Pennsylvania from basic materials and that can be manufactured
 29without the inclusion of any significant parts imported from
 30another state. Generic and insignificant parts that have other
 	
						
						1manufacturing or consumer accessories or ammunition, and their
 2importation into Pennsylvania and incorporation into a firearm,
 3a firearm accessory or ammunition manufactured in Pennsylvania
 4shall not subject the firearm, firearm accessory or ammunition
 5to Federal regulation.
6(c)   Declarations.--The General Assembly declares as follows:
7(1)   That a personal firearm, a firearm accessory or
 8ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in
 9Pennsylvania and that remains within the borders of
 10Pennsylvania has not traveled in interstate commerce.
11(2)   That basic materials are not subject to 
12Congressional authority to regulate firearms, firearms 
13accessories and ammunition under interstate commerce as if 
14they were actually firearms, firearms accessories or 
15ammunition and that the authority of Congress to regulate 
16interstate commerce in basic materials does not include 
17authority to regulate firearms, firearms accessories and 
18ammunition made in Pennsylvania from those materials.
 19Firearms accessories that are imported into Pennsylvania from
 20another state and that are subject to Federal regulation as
 21being in interstate commerce do not subject a firearm to
 22Federal regulation under interstate commerce because they are
 23attached to or used in conjunction with a firearm in
 24Pennsylvania.
25(d)   Exceptions.--This section does not apply to any of the
 26following:
27(1)   A firearm that cannot be carried and used by one
 28person.
29(2)   A firearm that has a bore diameter greater than 1
 30and 1/2 inches and that uses smokeless powder, not black
 	
						
						1powder, as a propellant.
2(3)   Ammunition with a projectile that explodes using an
 3explosion of chemical energy after the projectile leaves the
 4firearm.
5(4)   A firearm that discharges two or more projectiles
 6with one activation of the trigger or other firing device.
7Section 5.   Marketing of firearms.
8A firearm manufactured or sold in Pennsylvania under this act
 9must have the words "Made in Pennsylvania" clearly stamped on a
 10central metallic part.
11Section 6.   Applicability.
12This act shall apply to firearms, firearms accessories and
 13ammunition that are manufactured and retained in Pennsylvania
 14after July 1, 2013.
15Section 20.   Effective date.
16This act shall take effect in 60 days.