[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,74],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},"mediaId",6296058,"mediaKeyId","2518097-8d5aed05def737061fa633eac213287c","parentId",2518097,"title","Subcommittee debate centers on ‘right to self‑defense,’ ATF enforcement and varying state self‑defense laws","audioSeconds",7446,"startMs",1170000,"endMs",8616000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2518097-8d5aed05def737061fa633eac213287c&start=1170&end=8616","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2518097-8d5aed05def737061fa633eac213287c/thumbnail_1170000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6296058/Subcommittee-debate-centers-on-right-to-selfdefense-ATF-enforcement-and-varying-state-selfdefense-laws","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296058-fa23242b6035b240e5bd4a4a81c625e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1769980853&Signature=WDU3Y0-wbBOGoqXfbQQtKOFtF6j36nc~FhkXdG48hX70ggsC~4gn~gsjYVZ~PAI98D6w1xvO0Srxid40R9h3t6RoWhLRTWOMUXAIlGMgZDIRGHfyJmhgOEi3DVrDiJ48Dy38Ep3U4traKZeuPumUfN52iFC821dbtzO4bALOAkhKS9rzLec8nHEtLDoGoHYEkvJER8qVtx7nHlhB-yQBHFcj7kxPz2JPQBJx-JoZmUxdPvZ-mzJqkQxUpL43zIRHlv~WEauFAzWF9PBtwdW18unfBH4df5dPayBqy1CyEAdzeLSjtUE0iVR5t~fEtfSgCknvRfX9OKqFadxS3ldhMQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary","date","2025-03-04T17:21:30Z","article","The House Judiciary subcommittee convened a hearing on the “right to self‑defense” that ranged across federal gun‑safety efforts, ATF enforcement policy, mass‑shooting prevention and wide disparities among state self‑defense laws.

Representative Lucy McBath (D‑Ga.), the subcommittee’s ranking member for the hearing, opened by emphasizing the human toll of gun violence and credited the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act with reducing murders and expanding prevention resources. “For the past two and a half years, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has kept guns out of the hands of dangerous people,” McBath said, adding the law funded crisis intervention and other programs.

Greg Jackson, former deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, testified that federal efforts and the Office’s work contributed to a decline in homicides and violent crime during the Biden administration. “These reductions were steepest in major cities that had tough gun laws and had strong leaders resourcing law enforcement and community‑based strategies,” Jackson said, citing declines in multiple cities and a 25% reduction in nationwide homicides during the administration’s tenure.

Jackson and other witnesses credited ATF activity with disrupting gun trafficking and enforcing dealer accountability. Members asked about recent ATF policies; Representative Jamie Raskin (D‑Md.) defended ATF enforcement and the engaged‑in‑business and zero‑tolerance policies as tools to prosecute traffickers and deny firearms to prohibited purchasers. “ATF is crucial to look at how guns are moving across states and causing harm,” said Jackson.

Witnesses who framed self‑defense as a civil right emphasized training and individual preparedness. Diana Mueller, a retired Tulsa police officer and founder of Women for Gun Rights, told the committee that firearms “level the playing field” for vulnerable people and urged funding for training. Self‑defense attorney David McDermott described uneven application of self‑defense law across states and courts. “You can go from being a victim of the aggressor to being a victim of the system as quickly as you pull the trigger,” McDermott said, and he urged greater legal clarity for people who use force to defend themselves.

Members drew contrasts between the parties on policy and philosophy. Representative Jim Jordan (R‑Ohio) and Representative Andy Biggs (R‑Ariz.) questioned ATF rules and argued that over‑enforcement had strained relationships with federal firearms licensees. Democrats including Raskin and McBath pointed to federal investments in community violence intervention, school mental‑health resources and prosecutions of traffickers as evidence that regulation and resources saved lives.

Testimony also touched mass shootings and school safety. Representative Eric Swalwell (D‑Calif.) invoked multiple mass shootings and asked witnesses whether that violence reflected a public‑safety gap that a wider availability of firearms could not address; Greg Jackson highlighted data associating many school shootings with a firearm originating in the home and urged safe storage and parental responsibility.

No committee votes or formal actions were recorded during the hearing. Members entered written testimony and articles for the record and asked for follow‑up materials and data to substantiate statistics cited during questioning.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","The Right to Self Defense","oneSentenceSummary","Witnesses and members traded sharply different views on whether recent federal gun‑safety measures and ATF enforcement reduced violence. Proponents credited the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and ATF actions with saving lives; supporters of broader carry rights emphasized self‑defense, training and law uniformity.","taxTitle","Judiciary: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1830,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_32":75,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":76,"_40":77,"_42":78,"_44":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":71,"_73":71},6296062,"House Judiciary subcommittee hears testimony on Knife Owners Protection Act (COPPA)",5080,2523000,7603000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2518097-8d5aed05def737061fa633eac213287c&start=2523&end=7603","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2518097-8d5aed05def737061fa633eac213287c/thumbnail_2523000.jpg","/articles/6296062/House-Judiciary-subcommittee-hears-testimony-on-Knife-Owners-Protection-Act-COPPA","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296062-6f558da222f731785435dc7acb26ee60/orig.mp4?Expires=1769980853&Signature=JHRGrheHI4UbQeMareZCz~F9rl5JkJmdHpacY0uk677WiKwqhdT8TWYvZDyX05gSsALfXpEEC~NMeO8q~~yL77eDDWDeudLgQ6~9-R26iwaiHI2IPhhgOFwqMS~I5nVM65imI2u7HkjtQWPlU7iDMCzZq4lJo7nCn-DXDo8I6ALZVpvLLdQU-kqceicHCm71NzekwBaiuGvDGwaMBBd1hZ2IS8BXxAeHMaugRgV0QrKRbZm0GH2VDzOcrfLNfOE2KWPygB60XgZorBsiL4Vu-SpPr0qtE0wSrlJ-GT4c4iJi-pnt6JLqNWb4TRp8T3DSokc8zcaedMKsxiExH7f0Cw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Judiciary subcommittee members and witnesses focused part of a hearing on the Knife Owners Protection Act, or COPPA, a proposal intended to shield people who transport knives across state lines from prosecution when the knives are legal at both origin and destination and secured during transit.

The bill “would protect law‑abiding knife owners when they are traveling throughout the U.S.,” Doug Ritter, founder and chairman of Knife Rights, told the subcommittee. “If possession of the knife is legal where the journey starts and ends, and the knife is locked up in accordance with COPPA, a knife owner would no longer be threatened with arrest simply for traveling from one place to another, even if they have to pass through a jurisdiction where the knife is illegal.”

Ritter said inconsistent local and state knife laws put routine travelers at risk of arrest, and he framed COPPA as criminal‑justice reform that has attracted bipartisan support in several states. He cited enactments in 32 states over 16 years and said seven of the 10 states represented on the committee have passed knife reform laws, naming Georgia, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. “This bill cannot be used to protect bad actors,” Ritter added, noting the bill would not shield someone who transports a knife with intent to commit a felony punishable by more than one year.

The bill’s supporters emphasized narrow, transport‑specific protections. Ritter described COPPA as modeled on earlier federal protections for firearms transport and said it would require knives to be inaccessible during intervening travel and would not override Transportation Security Administration rules.

Members pressed witnesses on enforcement and public‑safety tradeoffs. Representative Thomas Tiffany (R‑Wis.) asked for crime context; Ritter replied that FBI numbers show crimes with knives have remained relatively steady and that many such incidents involve kitchen or chef’s knives. Representative Barry Moore (R‑Ala.) and others highlighted disparities in state rules and asked whether the law would create unintended incentives or enforcement difficulties for police and prosecutors.

Committee chair Representative Andy Biggs introduced the panel and swore in witnesses. Later in the hearing, Representative Jim Jordan asked Ritter about prior court decisions touching the status of knives under the Second Amendment; Ritter responded that both Heller and Bruen recognize knives as “arms” and reiterated the bill’s travel protections.

Several members and witnesses also discussed a related statutory and litigation backdrop. Ritter referenced a Second Circuit precedent (Toronto v. Port Authority) in describing why COPPA explicitly contains a private right of action; he said that, without such a remedy, enforcement would be left to prosecutorial discretion and provide little deterrent against inappropriate arrests.

The hearing record contains no committee vote on COPPA. Committee members asked for follow‑up materials and submitted written statements for the record.

The subcommittee adjourned after additional panels and questions on firearm policy. The COPPA discussion concluded with witnesses and members agreeing to enter written testimony and follow‑up materials into the record.","Witnesses and members debated the Knife Owners Protection Act, which would protect transport of knives across state lines if secured during travel. Proponents argued the bill resolves a patchwork of state and local restrictions; opponents and some members raised public-safety and enforcement questions.","actionData","errors"]

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Subcommittee debate centers on ‘right to self‑defense,’ ATF enforcement and varying state self‑defense laws

House Judiciary subcommittee hears testimony on Knife Owners Protection Act (COPPA)