The Undetectable Firearms Act was introduced as a knee-jerk reaction to the fictional Glock 7 handgun, an all plastic gun used as a movie prop. Decades later the law is once again about to expire, and that has the gun control advocates running around like their hair is on fire. The House passed a bare-bones extension of the current law last week, and with this afternoon’s vote the U.S. Senate approved that 10 year extension as-is. Senator Chuck Schumer had proposed making it a felony to print any gun related part and wanted to make the manufacture of a plastic magazine by any “unlicensed” manufacturer illegal, but those proposals were blocked. . .
From politico:
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attempted to pass an amended version of the House bill to close what he described as a dangerous loophole that allows plastic guns to be easily smuggled through metal detectors.
“Technology has advanced so not only are these guns real but they can be made so that the law that exists and expires tonight can be evaded,” Schumer said. “I haven’t heard one specific argument against our closing the loophole.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) objected to Schumer’s request — and the Senate instead picked up the clean House extension of the bill and passed it. Grassley said the Senate had not effectively probed the new technology through congressional hearings and described Schumer’s amendment as coming at the “eleventh hour.”
It’s a strange state of affairs that we can call a maintaining of the status quo a “win,” but there you have it. Despite all the media attention that 3D printed guns have garnered in recent weeks, the gun control advocates in Congress once again have decided that one major defeat at the hands of gun rights advocates was enough for this year and ran away with their tails between their legs.
The extension now heads to President Obama’s desk for his signature, and no doubt he’ll parade it around during the weekend’s bloody flag waving festivities as proof of “progress” since it’s the only remotely pro-gun-control legislation to survive on the federal level this year.