Protection of right of individuals to bear arms
16 U.S.C. § 1a–7b
in effect(a) Congressional findingsCongress finds the following:(1) The 2d amendment to the Constitution provides that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. (2) Section 27.42 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations, provides that, except in special circumstances, citizens of the United States may not “possess, use, or transport firearms on national wildlife refuges” of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (3) The regulations described in paragraph (2) prevent individuals complying with Federal and State laws from exercising the 2d amendment rights of the individuals while at units of the National Wildlife Refuge System. (4) The existence of different laws relating to the transportation and possession of firearms at different units of the National Wildlife Refuge System entrapped law-abiding gun owners while at units of the National Wildlife Refuge System. (5) Although the Bush administration issued new regulations relating to the 2d amendment rights of law-abiding citizens in units of the National Wildlife Refuge System that went into effect on January 9, 2009—(A) on March 19, 2009, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction with respect to the implementation and enforcement of the new regulations; and (B) the new regulations—(i) are under review by the Obama administration; and (ii) may be altered. (6) Congress needs to weigh in on the new regulations to ensure that unelected bureaucrats and judges cannot again override the 2d amendment rights of law-abiding citizens on 90,790,000 acres of land under the jurisdiction of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (7) Federal laws should make it clear that the 2d amendment rights of an individual at a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System should not be infringed.
(b) Protection of right of individuals to bear arms in units of the National Wildlife Refuge SystemThe Secretary shall not promulgate or enforce any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm, including an assembled or functional firearm, in any unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System if—(1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm; and (2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the State in which the unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System is located.
Source: OLRC USLMURL: https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/95/xml_usc16@119-95.zipFetched: 6/3/2026