The Gun Control Act of 1968
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WILLIAM J. VIZZARD*
For three decades, the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) has formed the
legal core of national gun policy in the United States. The congressional
deliberations leading to the passage of the GCA and companion legislation
extended over five years and involved the Departments of Justice and
Treasury, the White House, firearms interest groups, and both houses of
Congress. At no time before or since has Congress addressed gun control
policy with as much breadth or depth.' Although the National Firearms Act
(NFA) of 1934 imposed strict federal regulation on machine guns and other
gangster firearms2 using taxation legislation, the 1938 Federal Firearms Act
(FFA) had proven ineffectual in asserting even minimal federal controls over
interstate commerce in ordinary handguns, shotguns and rifles.3 The structure
of the GCA emerged largely from observed weaknesses in the existing FFA.4
The Dodd Hearings
In early 1958, Senator John Kennedy of Massachusetts introduced
legislation to control the importation of surplus military firearms.5 Clearly
protectionist, the legislation targeted the increase in imported firearms, the
great majority of which were military surplus.6 Congress acted only to ban the
importation of previously exported U.S. military firearms.7 The flood of
imports continued, fueled by surplus World War Il firearms and inexpensive
pistols and revolvers.8
Associate Professor, Division of Criminal Justice, California State University-
Sacramento.
1. William J. Vizzard, The Impact of Agenda Conflict on Policy Formulation and
Implementation: The Case of Gun Control, 55 PuB. ADMIN. REV. 341, 344 (1995) [hereinafter
Vizzard, Agenda]. Franklin E. Zimring, Firearms and Federal Law: The Gun Control Act of
1968,4 J. LEGAL STuD. 133 (1975).
2. 26 U.S.C. § 5848 (1958).
3. Zimring, supra note 1-2, at 140-43.
4. Id. at 140.
5. S. 3714, 85th Cong., (1958) (enacted).
6. Zimring, supra note 1-2, at 144.
7. 22 U.S.C. § 1934(b) (1958).
8. Zimring, supra note 1-2, at 144. Id. at 145.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/stlpl18&div=10&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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The Gun Control Act of 1968
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