The Hughes Amendment Explained: How a 1986 Voice Vote Banned New Machine Guns for Americans

Summary

The article explains the 1986 Hughes Amendment (H.Amdt.777), added to the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act (FOPA), which banned the transfer and possession of machine guns manufactured after its effective date for private citizens. Passed by a controversial voice vote in the House on April 10, 1986, it was signed into Public Law 99-308 by President Ronald Reagan on May 19, 1986, freezing the civilian machine gun registry at 240,000-250,000 units and causing prices for pre-1986 models to skyrocket.