GOSAFE Act
Latest action. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Gas-Operated Semi-Automatic Firearms Exclusion Act or the GOSAFE Act
This bill establishes a framework to regulate gas-operated semiautomatic firearms and large capacity ammunition feeding devices under federal firearms laws.
First, the bill generally prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, receipt, or possession of
a firearm that is or is modified to operate as a prohibited gas-operated semiautomatic firearm;
a combination of parts that modify or can be assembled into a prohibited gas-operated semiautomatic firearm, or that produce an unlawful gas-operated semiautomatic cycling action;
a device or combination of parts designed to materially increase the rate of fire of a semiautomatic firearm; or
a firearm that is modified to materially increase the rate of fire.
Second, the bill generally prohibits (1) the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or receipt of a large capacity ammunition feeding device; or (2) the possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device manufactured after the date of enactment.
A violation is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 12 months, or both, for each violation.
In addition, an individual who possesses a prohibited gas-operated semiautomatic firearm during a federal felony offense is subject to additional penalties—a fine, a mandatory minimum prison term of two years, or both.
Finally, the bill allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender gas-operated semiautomatic firearms and large capacity ammunition feeding devices under a buy-back program.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on April 9, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on April 9, 2025: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Lucy McBath (D-GA) introduced it on April 9, 2025, and 84 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 84 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on April 9, 2025, 519 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 519 days ago, on April 9, 2025.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers