CJS Appropriations Conference Agreement Includes Three Firearms Provisions

Late yesterday the House and Senate released the conference language of the FY2012 appropriations for the Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS), and Transprortation-HUD "Minibus". The legislation contains three pro-rights policy riders that were included in the House version of the appropriation bill.

Text of the entire legislation is available here.

Second Amendment Rights –The conference agreement includes numerous provisions that protect the right to keep and bear arms. Three of these protections are made permanent law beginning in fiscal year 2012. These three provisions prohibit DOJ from consolidating firearms sales records, electronically retrieving the records of former firearms dealers, and maintaining information on persons who have passed firearms background checks. In addition, the conference agreement contains numerous one-year firearms protections, and new language prohibiting DOJ from requiring imported shotguns to meet a "sporting purposes" test.

The House and Senate are expected to pass the legislation later this week.