Regulations Firearm Laws and Ordinances - Plastic Guns

Highly publicized aircraft hijackings in the 1980s led to the passage of the Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988 (PL 100-649), also known as the "plastic-gun" law. It banned the manufacture, import, sale, transfer, or possession of a "plastic firearm." The act also stated, "[I]f the major parts of the firearms do not permit an accurate x-ray picture of the gun's shape, the firearm is [also defined as] a plastic firearm, even if the firearm contains more than 3.7 ounces of electromagnetically detectable metal." Although no such plastic firearms were yet being manufactured in the United States, Congress began hearings in 1986 to determine if such weapons represented a danger to airline passengers if used by terrorists.

The NRA called the proposed legislation unnecessary and the first step toward a total ban on handguns. The lobbying efforts of police officers on the LESC convinced the attorney general at that time, Edwin Meese III, that plastic weapons posed an unacceptable hazard to public safety, and that this bill was, therefore, a necessary piece of legislation. The ban was renewed in December 2003.